Do You Boil Oak

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May 8, 2017
1,593
1,627
Sugar Grove, IL, USA
Regular white oak, or petrified bog oak (aka, "morta")? If morta, you're probably sourcing it from someone who's already prepared it for use in a pipe. If regular oak, your guess is probably as good as mine, but my hunch is that the answer is "no". I believe that oak has relatively low levels of sap and resin, which are what boiling is intended to remove.

 

rmpeeps

Lifer
Oct 17, 2017
1,122
1,765
San Antonio, TX
My brother once asked me, “Mark, how do you fix pork chops? Do you boil them?”

Me- “Well Bob, ...I guess you could “

Thirty years later he still blames me....!!
Boil Oak? ....I guess you could!

 

pepesdad1

Lifer
Feb 28, 2013
1,023
675
Your new here...we'd like to keep you around a little bit longer.
I would purchase a block from one of the more reputable vendors rather than take a chance with your health.

 

smokingcricket

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 17, 2018
208
0
Soooo the warm and dry for several months.Thank you for a serious answer.The blocks of oak I have are a year old and I have kept them in an old tobacco barn.I have fired up the heater once a month to dry them.I did this but then red about boiling the wood.Not wanting to endanger my health I wanted to make sure I didn't see a step.Ill aim any further questions to the mentioned forum.And if I bought a predrillef block I couldn't honestly say I made the whole pipe but only showed it and therefore not a true pipe maker.Thank again.

 

rmpeeps

Lifer
Oct 17, 2017
1,122
1,765
San Antonio, TX
You can economically purchase briar blocks from Mark Tinsky at a amsmoke.com or Steve Norse at Vermont Freehand. Other sources could surely be available, but for your first pipe both of these can provide more than adequately. Vermont Freehand has a full selection of tools, bits, stem material, dyes, etc...

Have fun and create a small masterpiece!

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,250
108,355
Quercus poisoning would shy me away from an oak pipe, but that sort of condition comes from consuming leaves and acorns.

 

zack24

Lifer
May 11, 2013
1,726
2
You didn't mention what kind of oak- there's no problem with White Oak or Live Oak. I wouldn't use Red Oak. I make a lot of pipes in Morta which is a mineralized bog oak and it is definitely more difficult to work with than briar. My best suggestion would be to get a couple of blocks of undrilled briar from Steve Norse- you're going to spend several hours working on the pipe and you'll find it much easier to work than oak. There are enough difficulties in making your first pipe without adding in the added challenge of trying to do it in oak...For shaping, you can start with a 5" disk with 36 grit sandpaper that fits in a drill or on an arbor on a 1725rpm motor. Enjoy!

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,250
108,355
I was just giving Zack grief about suggesting other materials and tools. :mrgreen:

 

smokingcricket

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 17, 2018
208
0
Woodsroad gets it.Just wanted to try it like the guys who didn't have the option of ordering off the net.

 
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