I'm a beginner also. I've made 13 pipes in the last couple of months. I really enjoy it. Some of them are dogs and yet they still smoke okay. I buy briar blocks plus pre-made stems from Vermont Freehand. The last few I made are shown below:
They look okay from a distance but they have plenty of flaws and serious pipe makers would laugh at them but I'm getting better.
I was fortunate to have an old drill press and a band saw. If you are buying a pre-drilled kit then you don't need either of those.
You will need tools to shape them and finish them. I think at a minimum you'd need a rasp, a rat tail file and lots of sandpaper. I'd say 100, 220, 400 and 800 grit. You can get mixed packs on Amazon for $8-10. It will take you a good while to shape it that way but its part of the fun.
I started with a sanding disk that fit into a hand drill that I clamped in a vice. If you have a drill that can be a cheap sander alternative. I recently bought this belt sander:
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It is a Chinese piece of junk but works well for pipes and is only $52.
Once you have it shaped and sanded super smooth you'll want to finish it. At first I just used tongue oil and then basic minwax wax. Now I used Feibings leather die and carnuba wax.
Even if you go the cheapest route: kit+files+sandpaper you're going to be in $50 at least. So if this is just to get a pipe then you can get a decent pipe for that. If it is for the fun of making your own go for it.
Most of the tools and supplies I've bought can be used for other stuff so that's something to keep in mind. That belt sander is great for sharpening tools and knives and even drill bits for instance.
If you are too strapped for cash to even buy a pipe I bet someone here would donate one.
George
