Different kinds of wood

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papajoe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 9, 2014
181
5
While going through eBay I can see pipes that are made from different kinds of wood. Some of them I am familiar with, but some I don’t recognize with regard to pipe making. Especially these ones: redwood, rosewood, and, ebony wood.

Are they good to make pipes from, or are they just cheap pipes not really worth buying?

Can you enlighten me please.

 
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jsponge

Lurker
Sep 7, 2014
16
0
Well. I'm still fairly new to this whole past time, but...... I'll throw this out there. I have a few good quality pipes, that I paid top-dollar for. I also have a few 'El Cheapos' from when I first started and didn't want to get too deep in cash. I don't pretend to understand most of this yet, but one of my BEST smokers is a $40 Lorenzo I bought early on. I've read similar things posted by people more experienced than I, and my conclusion is this... I don't think you "have" to spend a ton of cash for a good-smoking pipe. On the other hand, I'd say if you go on the cheaper end, sometimes you'll get what you pay for. Except for Cobs. I still keep a few MM's in my regular rotation, mostly while I'm at work.

 

greengrass

Lurker
Aug 6, 2014
10
1
Briar is the most used material for a reason. Different materials do make very good pipes as I understand it, I have really no personal experience other than cobs. More on it here:
http://pipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_Woods_Used_For_Pipe_making
http://pipedia.org/wiki/Pipes_in_Other_Woods

 

darwin

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 9, 2014
820
5
The absolutely most cost effective alternative to briar is the humble corncob. Averaging less than ten bucks a pop a cob can last for years and provide a very high quality smoke that some actually prefer over briar. A cob may not look as spiffy as a pipe made of wood but in terms of value and utility they are flat impossible to beat.

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,092
11,008
Southwest Louisiana
Pap if ever you wonder about woods, google toxicity of woods and go from there, Some woods are a no no , some are usually not thought of as pipe material such as Mullberry but make fine pipes as carved by my friend Ed James. So it may look pretty but may not be good for you internally.

 

winton

Lifer
Oct 20, 2010
2,318
771
tbradsim1 has good advice. There are lots of wood that are dangerous to a woodworker, mostly through breathing the sawdust. I am not sure this would be a factor for a pipe. Second, some wood, like elm, just plain stinks. I would NOT want any of that essense to affect the flavor of tobacco. Also some is harder and affecs how long the pipe will last. Pine comes to mind as an example. If you stick to briar, you know you will get a neutral wood that will last for decades, as long as you smoke it correctly. There are assorted other woods that are excellent for pipes tht might only last 20 years instead of 40. I would put pear wood, mulberry and others in that category.
Now lets talk stain. Take three identical briar pipes and give each a different stain. One would be sold as rosewood, the next as walnut, and the third as cherry. Has the wood changed? Of course not, but you could not tell from the ad what would you have.
Sorry to confuse you. The topic can get very complex. Nothing changes the universal economic law of you get what you pay for.
Winton

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,568
15,209
SE PA USA
"Second, some wood, like elm, just plain stinks"
Elm is interesting. When cut green, it smells like cat piss. When allowed to dry for several years, it burns with the most wonderful aroma that you can imagine. A spicy, cinnamon-like scent that is absolutely delicious. On any given winter day, that aroma will waft through my neighborhood...it just makes you take a deep breath through the nose and smile. The wood is hard, the grain twisted. Makes good firewood, but I have no idea how it would work as pipe fodder.
Dutch Elm disease moved through our area with the 2003 drought and wiped out 20% of our little woodlot. I'm still burning the elm that died ten years ago. It is rot-resistant and will remain standing dead for years.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Mountain Laurel is my favored non-briar wood for pipes, but not many carvers use it. I have three of these pipes, and

other pipes carved of briar by the same carver, and they are equally good, and equal to good briar pipes by others.

 

natenice1

Can't Leave
Jun 15, 2014
418
0
Tom that's interesting Mountain Laurel, I've never heard of it being used as pipe material. I have some growing on my property it's considered an endangered species in NYS.

 

i8ball

Might Stick Around
Jan 5, 2014
68
0
i know it is 2 weeks since it was posted but i have a friend who makes pipes from bowl to stem out of wood he uses ebony it is not a mean of a cheaper price he just love how different wood looks and likes to get very creative with his pipes i own a couple of his and they smoke just the same as a normal brier pipe my favorite being snakewood it is super dense and just give a lovely natural color. don't let them scare you.

 

papajoe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 9, 2014
181
5
@i8ball:

I see on eBAy a lot of ebony and black ebony wood pipes for sale. Are they the same wood, and do you recomend them for smoking? Did anyone elsa had some expiriance with them?

 

i8ball

Might Stick Around
Jan 5, 2014
68
0
@papajoe

from what i am a wear of there are 3 kinds macassar, brown, and ebony (which would be the blackest) i have been smoking mine for 3 months and loving it so for the ebony and black ebony it is probably someone who just doesn't know they are the same. if you want to see my pipe here it is.
renfair_pipe_by_i_8ball-d7zolrh.jpg


 

tppytel

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 23, 2014
156
0
I only have limited woodworking experience, but I can't imagine pipes being made out of genuine ebony. It's extremely expensive, difficult to obtain legally, very hard to work with, and produces highly toxic dust when sanded. Any "ebony" pipes out there are probably just some other (possibly related) hardwood.

 

papajoe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 9, 2014
181
5
Well all the ebony pipes I see there are made in Chine. I guess it says somthing about those pipe they sell.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
natenice1, the only pipe carver I know who works in Mountain Laurel is Jerry Perry of Colfax, N.C. He offers pipe

repair online, but he does not sell his pipes online. You can buy from him twice a year, at the N.C. State Fair, this

year Oct. 16-26, and at the TAPS pipe show in April, coincidentally also at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. I asked him

about selling pipes online, and he said if he did, he'd spend all his time taking pictures and little time on the pipes.

These are low key designs, traditional shapes and freehands, mostly in briar but also in Mountain Laurel and a few

other woods. To me, they have a pleasing folk craft look, a little rustication, a line etching here and there. The prices

are modest, but the work is first rate in my experience. I bought my first pipe from Jerry in 2002, and it has been

a winner all the way, as have the four others I've bought over the years.

 

i8ball

Might Stick Around
Jan 5, 2014
68
0
briar is by far my favorite i just like the look of the ebony stem on my pipe and it is made by a close friend so that always adds some to it. and the wood makes it feel more hobbit like to me.

 
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