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Pipe Making: Difference between revisions
→Stummels
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The "Stummel" is the briar portion of the pipe, which includes the bowl and shank. The following articles should prove helpful in understanding the process of drilling and shaping the stummel. | The "Stummel" is the briar portion of the pipe, which includes the bowl and shank. The following articles should prove helpful in understanding the process of drilling and shaping the stummel. | ||
[[Drilling on a Lathe]] | [[Shaping on a Lathe]] | [[Shaping with a Sanding Disc]] | [[Shaping with Misc Tools]] | [[Bamboo Shanks]] | [[Drilling on a Lathe]] | [[Shaping on a Lathe]] | [[Shaping with a Sanding Disc]] | [[Shaping with Misc Tools]] | [[Bamboo Shanks]] | ||
The internal engineering of a pipe does a lot to determine the smoking qualities of a pipe. While it is most certainly critical to start with good briar, it is also important to take care to do a good job of drilling in order to maximize the potential of the briar. A poorly drilled pipe is not only a sign of a maker's sloppiness, but is likely to hurt the smoking qualities of a pipe. | |||
Essentially three holes need be drilled in the briar block to make it into a pipe. The tobacco chamber , the draught hole (or smoke hole), and the mortise (the hole in the end of the shank which the stem is inserted into). | |||
Most tobacco chambers are 5/8"-1", and I estimate that the majority of handmade pipes have tobacco chambers from 3/4"-7/8" range. The profile of this holes ranges from a U-shape to a V-shape, determined mostly by the shape of the bowl. A tobacco chamber's diameter is measured at the top of the bowl. | |||
Draught-hole size is a topic of much debate. The size of this hole is a large factor in the openness of the draw, and the debate is over which size brings the best smoking characteristics. I personally use 5/32" (3.97 mm), and this is on the larger size of the debate. Some endorse a draught hole as large as 4.2-4.3 mm, while some say that 3.2-3.5 mm is the optimum size. Ultimately, there are so many variables, from tobacco chamber size and shape, to the nature and curing of each block of briar, that it is nigh on impossible to claim a best size for all scenarios. As such, a compromise much be reached, and each pipe maker must use a size that he determines best matches his, and his customers', desires. | |||
Finally, there is the mortise. This needs to be very cleanly cut into the shank to provide a nice fit for the tenon on the stem. Most mortises range from 1/4"- 3/8", with the norm falling around 5/16". | |||
Drilling can be done at various points in the carving process. I personally drill the holes as the first step of the pipe making process, in the order of draught hole, mortise hole, then tobacco chamber. I think this is the standard order of events for most hobbyist carvers. Many of the Danish carvers, shape the pipe first then drill the stummel by hand after it is shaped. The advantage to this process is that the shape of the pipe is not constrained by the pre-bored holes, and the shape can therefore be adjusted to maximize the beauty of the grain and minimize pits. It is not practiced as often as the "holes-first" method, I suppose because of years of practice necessary to develop the degree of skill it requires to drill the holes properly by hand. | |||
== Stems == | == Stems == | ||