J. Davis Pipes: Difference between revisions

With coffee and smoke he starts his day, sketching the designs that fill his mind. A mind not yet cluttered by the concerns of the day. A mind free to create. Producing the basic ideas that he will nurture into the finest smoking pipes he can possibly produce. A fine balance between the technical and the aesthetic , the classic as well as the romantic form. Pipes possessing quality...and collect ability.

As I packed 965 into my J. Davis Bamboo Friar I asked Jody what first got him interested in pipes...

I became interested in smoking pipes about ten years ago. I'm not sure why. My grandfather smoked a pipe, as well as my father, for a short time. Maybe it was a teacher and friend in high school named Vance Hayes. Vance was a pipe smoker and was very influential in directing me in my early interest in music, which lead to a fifteen year career, from which I am now retired.

It's hard to say what sparked my interest, but once it started, I became fascinated with the pipes themselves. I bought my first pipe from you (Keith), of course, and started collecting new and estate pipes. I began learning everything about them I could, spending many hours at the feet of "estate pipe guru" Greg Peavy at the Arcade Smoke Shop in Nashville. I became captivated by the shapes, the grain in the wood and the harmony that could be achieved by artisans and craftsmen and sometimes even factories.

I enjoyed it so much that I started selling off some of my collection of estate pipes to buy tools and pipe making kits from Pimo Pipe Craft. I would either smoke the pipes or give them away to friends. Then you connected me with a legendary Danish pipe maker who offered great advice and helped me obtain better raw materials. It wasn't long before people wanted to start buying my pipes.

Over the next year I worked on pipes in my spare time to be displayed at the first Nashville pipe show. During the show, at the table next to mine, was the famed American carver Jim Cooke a.k.a. J.T. Cooke. We introduced ourselves and within a short time, we were feverishly discussing pipe form and functionality, carving and finishing techniques and many other things pipe related.

Before it was over, in response to my makeshift and unorthodox techniques, Jim said "You might as well chew the pipes out of the wood!" He then offered to let me come and spend some time with him in his shop.

The results were immediate. I began to set concrete standards for form, quality and technical concept. I learned the importance of a solid foundation in the classic shapes. Jim would say "If you can't make a billiard well, you can't make anything well." From the "Danes" I learned the importance of using only the finest materials, and to set very high standards for my work. They also showed me the subtle (and not so subtle) nuances of shape, and encouraged me to find my own voice as a pipe maker.

I never want be complacent as a pipe maker. I believe I will always be working to become better, and I think it shows in my work over the years. I'm looking forward to working much closer with my customers to produce an ever improving product.

When Jody finished answering my question he suggested we go for a walk in the desert before we eat dinner with his wife Erika and their daughter Bethany. The moon was full and the desert seemed even more beautiful in its silver light. The rest of the interview could wait till morning. We heard coyotes yipping in the distance. This is a great place to make pipes I said. He agreed.

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