Briar Blocks Suppliers: Recommendations?

[sumusfumus]

So, I decided to try making some briar pipes. When it comes to my skills failure is always an option, but really, how hard can it be to drill and connect few holes? (I'll probably eat those words). I've already designed some full-size pipe profiles on sheets of graph paper, and want to begin the process of turning 2-D drawings, into 3-D reality. Now, I need to order some wood,...to buy some briar blocks that will fit my designs. I do not want to be forced to modify my design to fit the briar blocks that are commonly sold as blocks, pre-cut to standard sizes/shapes. I can see some problems with this last proviso. OK...I'm going to probably need some over-$$$$$ized blocks of briar.
Questions:

1- Order briar from what supplier.... and what grade? I really don't care about grain patterns...I will rusticate my pipes, so why pay a premium? Besides, I will not have that luxury of hand-picking any of the blocks, so I'll have to take what the briar supplier sends me. I do know it's impossible to predict flaws, cracks, and inclusions, and that no one can "see" into a block of briar. Too often working with a briar block becomes just a big crap shoot, and flaws can be uncovered at any step during the pipe-making process. Total rejects are possible. I'll take the risks. However, is there a grade or section of the briar burl that will likely yield the most usable amount of briar - with few flaws?
So, I need supplier(s) willing to work with my drawings -(I'll send patterns/profiles of my pipe designs) - for briar selection.
Any recommendations?
Thanks for any advice and help.
Frank
Edited by jvnshr: Title capitalization.

 

[sasquatch]

I would talk to Steve Norse at Vermont Freehand, he's just coming back from Italy here shortly. This is the easiest stateside supplier to deal with, and he has enough skill to help you select grade and shape.
If you want to talk to cutters, I think to order custom from Mimmo (Romeo Briar) there's a 700 dollar minimum or so. Makis out of Greece doesn't have a minimum and he's always been able to get me what I need in terms of size, but you will pay premium for giant blocks out of anyone. They are rare and costly.
Mimmo is romeobriar@libero.it
Makis is acutabovebriar@gmail.com
Steve is stevenorse@vermontfreehand.com I would start with Steve because then you have no hassles with customs agents who sometimes get a little overzealous with weird looking blocks of wood from other countries.

 

[saintpeter]

I have had excellent results with:
http://webshop.amsmoke.com/Briar/

 

[oldmojo]

Both Steve Norse at Vermont Freehand and Mark Tinsky at American Smoke (amsmoke.com) are excellent sources. Both websites are very educational as well.

 

[sumusfumus]

Perfect! When in doubt, don't guess....just ask forum members for the right answers....and you get helpful, and useful information.
Many thanks for the quick responses, and interest. Tomorrow, some phone calls I will be making. Winter is coming soon, and I need to do something constructive with my time. Making some pipes was on my bucket list. Time to put wishes into action.
Thanks, again for the much appreciated help.

Frank

 

[paddypiper]

You might also want to take a look at Pipe Makers Forum for some advice and general knowledge. Most of the guys over there are great and more than happy to help out.

 

[sasquatch]

Most.
Some of us are real dbags though. :lol:

 

[zack24]

[/quote]Some of us are real dbags though.

Dat be true bruddah....
....and if you really want to go nuts order 50 block minimums from Carlo Carlino- we visited him a few years ago in Southern Italy..( but you have to speak Italian)
After about 3 orders, i gave up and started hand picking my blocks in Chicago from Steve Norse...

 

[sasquatch]

Carlo must have relaxed about that, he's selling piece-wise now, but $$ and real wet. Great looking pieces though.

 

[nevadablue]

Thanks for the amsmoke link. I had not found them before.

 

[sumusfumus]

Thank-you all for the suggestions, leads, suppliers, and links to briar blocks.
I will probably, unless I absolutely get to love pipe crafting, make only a few pipes. It won't be a cheap experiment when you factor in the cost of briar, stem blanks, tooling, shipping and handling charges, rejects, failures and screw-ups....yep it ain't gonna be cheap. But, I'm gonna try. Like I said....failure is always an option, for me.
Interesting conclusions from watching dozens of You-tube tutorials on pipe crafting.....most guys use a simple drill-press for drilling the tobacco chamber, tenon, and smoke holes, and when shaping the rough-sawn bowls they use a disc sander/French wheel. Very low-tech tools. I'm guessing a that a lathe really isn't necessary, and in fact has a very limited use when making a pipe. Metal lathes, yes...if you are precision-machining and fitting a stem tenon. Otherwise, you need just some simple tools, files, and a drill...oh, and some skill. The skill thing, I will have to work on. I got the rest.
Frank

 

[oldmojo]

A good lathe is a definite asset - downright necessary if you plan to turn your own stems and/or stummels. A three-wheel buffer is also very helpful for finishing, but not a must-have.

Good luck!

 

[zack24]

Carlo must have relaxed about that, he's selling piece-wise now, but $$ and real wet. Great looking pieces though.

Very wet- those have to dry at least 6 months or more before you can do anything with them- quality was always good. He's one of the few that source most of their briar mainly from his local area around Mandatorriccio. Fascinating little town 8 miles up a mountain road... Mandatorriccio, Italy

 

[sumusfumus]

After I started this thread, I have been making inquiries regarding the purchase of some briar blocks in the sizes that I would need to make some of my pipes. I like large pipes. Jumbo, XXL pipes. Pipes with thick-walled bowls. Pipes that are heavy. Pipes like a Stanwell 95 on steroids.
Guess what....most briar, no matter what grade, is sold in pre-cut, standard-size, blocks, and these blocks can only accommodate the very traditional-size, pipes. The reality is that pipe designing revolves around using the standard-cut, standard-size briar blocks that retailers sell. My guess is that those special makers, who design/create/sell all those high-priced, fantasy pipes, get to pick, or, custom-order, special blocks from a wholesaler to fit their designs. I can't compete with that. So, the process of planning and drawing out a pipe on graph paper, refining the design, planning for the draft hole and tobacco chamber, the location for the tenon, stem, grain orientation, etc. means nothing if I can't find a block of briar to fit your design(s). One really needs to buy blocks first, then design the pipes to fit the blocks. Buying through the mail, and not being able to personally select your own wood is also very limiting. The briar suppliers sell you what they have.
This frustrating situation is why I asked, (in another thread), if there are some other alternative woods, exotic woods, that can be used to make pipes. I found the answer to that question. Briar/Strawberry wood is the best to use...if you can find it in the sizes needed for a special design. Olivewood is also a viable alternative, but it has a short track record compared to briar.
About 25-30 years ago, I made a pipe, a jumbo-size pipe, a magnum pipe. I cut it from a 3" thick chunk of Bocote that I had laying around my shop. Yada, yada, yada....made the pipe, still have it, smokes like a dream. No strange tastes, and no allergic reactions when smoking it, the bowl never cracked from the heat of smoldering tobacco. Some demerits: It's heavy, like lead. Big Bocote pipes and clenching... might be not so good. Bocote also fades. Those beautiful, exotic, grain patterns of contrasting colors, eventually turn a dark brown over the years. But briar also discolors. I could live with this.
BTW, just bought some thick blocks of Grandillo, and Marblewood for my pipe-making experiments. The Marblewood has a grain like Olivewwod. Never used either of these, and will proceed with caution. If, and when, I do get to the smoking stage, I'll be hoping for no allergic reactions. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the bowls will not crack from either the heat of smoldering tobacco, rapid thermal shocks, or cracking from drying out too fast. But, I won't know until I try it.
Anyway, just some thoughts to share.
Frank

 

[sasquatch]

Frank, just how big are you talking about? I mean, I have blocks on hand that I look at and think "Holy Shit" because they are so big. And I make big pipes pretty frequently. I cannot understand your supply issue at all. But these things cost 50 bucks or more too.
Tim West used to have briar that was the size of a small loaf of bread, don't know if he still does, but big wood is out there.

 

[zack24]

BTW, just bought some thick blocks of Grandillo, and Marblewood for my pipe-making experiments. The Marblewood has a grain like Olivewwod.

Don't wast your time on marblewood- I made two pipes using marblewood as a decorative ring on a calabash type design, and both cracked severely within weeks- a very unstable wood...

 

[cossackjack]

Frank:

Have you investigated Pipe Kits? These pre-drilled blocks of briar (occasionally other woods) with or without a stem, allow one to focus on carving/shaping & finishing a pipe before taking the plunge into making a stummel & stem from scratch. The kits are available from many sources & in various sizes, shapes/styles, & grades of briar.

 

[sumusfumus]

Thanks guys for your interest. really appreciate your input.
I need a few blocks that will allow me to cut XXL jumbo pipes....pipes that are not quite as large as some of the Ashton Magnums, but pipes that will come pretty darn close to that size. Some of my pipes will have bowl diameters approaching 3 inches. So far, I have found only one supplier selling larger plateaux blocks... but there is no mention of thickness on his web site just weight of the blocks, and these blocks are very expensive. The rest of the suppliers that I have contacted sell pre-drilled kits, or standard size ebauchon blocks that are way too small for the pipes I want to make. I will be sending out full-size paper patterns to one gent who offered to help me with selecting larger briar blocks. I am confident that I will eventually find what I need. BTW, I plan on rusticating my pipes, because I like the look and feel of rusticated pipes.
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sasquatch....wish I knew where you buy your larger briar blocks.
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Pre-drilled kits.... are fine for making smaller, traditionally-sized pipes either straight or bent. Pre-drilled blocks limit options, and are too small for the pipes that I what to make. Thanks for that suggestion.
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Alternative woods: So, Marblewood cracks.... Hated to read this. I thought it might be a good substitute for Olivewood. Thanks for the tip. It's good to know. I'll use the Marblewood for something else besides making a pipe....maybe accent wood for shank decorations. As for the Granadillo...who knows? I bought these woods out of desperation because I could not find briar blocks in sizes that I needed.
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I don't think the stummels that I have designed are that unusual, or ridiculously over-sized. My pipes are certainly smaller than the Ashton magnums, yet I'm having problems with finding blocks that will make me some larger-than-normal pipes? Maybe I still need to look around but I have followed the suggestions and recommendations from this forum. My quest continues.
Thanks for all the help.
Frank

 

[sasquatch]

I have bought really big blocks from Makis - you can email him at acutabovebriar@gmail.com But yes, they cost. Briar that wide is unusual, and for it to not be pretty awful is also unusual. 2" to 2.5" wide is a fairly large block by most standards. I've got a couple pushing into that size from Vermont Freehand too.
but you are looking for something rare and fairly expensive in this case (as you have found out). 3" wide blocks are just not very common.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/LARGE-BLOCK-OF-BRIAR-ROOT-FOR-PIPES-PIPA-PFEIFEN-MADE-ITALY-TO-MAKE-ACCESSORIES/182709114757?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3Df0760115e227475a934e2b6cabe69577%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D182805719086&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%253A94f988f1-ae1f-11e7-b948-74dbd1802560%257Cparentrq%253A08f284e815f0a866eb28aea2fff95f8b%257Ciid%253A1
Something like this do the trick? Molina's briar smokes nice.

 

[sumusfumus]

sasquatch.....getting close. Thanks for the leads. The briar from the Greek supplier will probably work. Didn't know that I could import briar blocks. eBay blocks....maybe.
Vermont Freehand couldn't help me. Mark Tinsky is getting my patterns in the mail. Maybe he can sell me plateaux blocks that will fit my designs. My fingers are crossed.
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Where does Ashton get the briar for their magnum pipes? My pipes will not be as large, yet I'm having problems finding briar. Frustrating.
I think Boswell used to sell huge briar blocks, but not any more?
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Anyway, thanks so much for all the interest and helpful suggestions.
Frank