Strawberry Wood vs Briar
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It is a type of briar, and it has less of it's own flavors, lighter in weight, and IMO prettier in grain, especially when blasted.
I hate to admit I didn't remember strawberry wood was an actual variety of briar; I like that it is notably light weight. The other wood that I know that works well is Mountain Laurel, but it is fairly rarely used. It was popular during World War II when briar producing areas were in the war zones. A carver in N.C., Jerry Perry, carves some in Mountain Laurel, and I have one of his pipes, a small freehand, that was done in Cocobolo, though Cocobolo can be a problem to carvers in that its sawdust can sensitize respiratory tract tissue. After WWII, when briar again became available, many U.S. made pipes were stamped "Imported Briar," to emphasize that it was again available, and it was preferred and a good selling point.
Totally different plant. Briar comes from the white heath "Erica arborea" and strawberry wood from the strawberry tree "Arbutus unedo" both are great for pipe making but I find strawberry wood to be much lighter.
Thanks for the clarification, Duane. I think I picked up that it was a variety of Briar from reading something posted by a pipemaker, which could have been mistaken as well. It is very similar in briar (if I am also not mistaken on this) in how it is harvested and used. The grain is very similar, with the lines and birdseye being very similar.
I have a few strawberrywood pipes, and two are Beckers.
I have read that when he leaves them unfinished that means there are no flaws, but in this one...
...I cannot find any flaws. Both are my favorite smokers. I get more of a pure tobacco flavor, no weight on the pipe, and they are just beautiful to behold while smoking.
I have read that when he leaves them unfinished that means there are no flaws, but in this one...
...I cannot find any flaws. Both are my favorite smokers. I get more of a pure tobacco flavor, no weight on the pipe, and they are just beautiful to behold while smoking.
Ha ha, workman, we also have cottonwood trees here in the land of cotton, but no cotton grows on them either. But, I am most disappointed by the dogwood trees. :
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This may be a strawberry tree. There were so many images of alleged strawberry trees some clearly not (including ice plant!) that I have no confidence that it is as it was labelled.
I was thinking that they were smaller trees, with a big burl at the base like the heath. But, I was mistaken about it being in the heath family.
That is a PT Cruiser, one of the lamest car designs of the 21st Century.
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