Ruminations on Another Forty Dollar Pipe

[Briar Lee]

When feller branches out and grows more eclectic and cosmopolitan in his forty dollar pipe purchases, sometimes he wins something like this hand made Ted Laird autographed and dated 8-12 freehand large Poket.




I wonder if it was made on December 8th or in August 2012. Beings Laird is from Minnesota I’d say it’s 8-2012.

That’s a huge plateux of briar, from somewhere on the rim of the Mediterranean and obviously not a mere sprout when dug.

Could those that know please tell me how much it would cost for the briar and stem if I wanted to carve my own $40 7” pipe?

I don’t think I’d save much, and Ted Laird is much, a much better carver than I’ll ever hope to be. Did it take Ted most of August or about how many hours to carve that?

 

[agnosticpipe]

Yes, definitely worthy of a Ted Talk!

 

[huntertrw]

Could those that know please tell me how much it would cost for the briar and stem if I wanted to carve my own $40 7” pipe?

Well, let's see...First, you would have to move to the Mediterranean, buy property, plant White Heath trees (shrubs), and wait for a long, long, time (read "years") for a harvestable ebauchon. Then wait more years for it to cure. My conservative estimate of the cost (excluding the carving , finishing, and stem work for the pipe itself) including travel , real estate, moving expense, White Heath trees (shrubs), blasting equipment and hiking boots (the places favored by the White Heath are typically rocky and remote), etc., is $429,278.43, and that's assuming that the ebauchon isn't full of sand pits or other fatal flaws rendering it incapable of yielding a seven-inch pipe.

 

[didimauw]

Well, let's see...First, you would have to move to the Mediterranean, buy property, plant White Heath trees (shrubs), and wait for a long, long, time (read "years") for a harvestable ebauchon. Then wait more years for it to cure. My conservative estimate of the cost (excluding the carving , finishing, and stem work for the pipe itself) including travel , real estate, moving expense, White Heath trees (shrubs), blasting equipment and hiking boots (the places favored by the White Heath are typically rocky and remote), etc., is $429,278.43, and that's assuming that the ebauchon isn't full of sand pits or other fatal flaws rendering it incapable of yielding a seven-inch pipe.

So you're saying there's a chance.....

 

[Briar Lee]

Lookie there, another true believer in the United States Postal Service.

I hate it when a seller betrays our great nation and uses a mercenary cherry picking private delivery service!

There’s a post office in Dunnegan, two miles from Spout Spring Hollow.

How far do you figure the nearest Fed Ex or UPS service center is from Dunnegan?



I somehow get the suspicion Ted Laird’s heirs are selling his estate pipes.

Ted Laird must have raised them up proper, to never disparage our postal workers who deliver in heat, cold, wind, rain, mud, snow and sunshine right to your door, and don’t require receipts unless requested.

Sing one Merle!

 

[Briar Lee]

Well, let's see...First, you would have to move to the Mediterranean, buy property, plant White Heath trees (shrubs), and wait for a long, long, time (read "years") for a harvestable ebauchon. Then wait more years for it to cure. My conservative estimate of the cost (excluding the carving , finishing, and stem work for the pipe itself) including travel , real estate, moving expense, White Heath trees (shrubs), blasting equipment and hiking boots (the places favored by the White Heath are typically rocky and remote), etc., is $429,278.43, and that's assuming that the ebauchon isn't full of sand pits or other fatal flaws rendering it incapable of yielding a seven-inch pipe.

I was taught this was the tell tale sign of a plateaux chunk of heath root burl instead of a mere ebuchon.

Ted didn’t carve that gnarly top.



If that was a plateaux of briar Mr.Ted Laird had to order it from a trusted briar merchant.

Since a part time carver from Minnesota usually doesn’t sail to the Mediterranean to select his own straight grain plateaux briar root.

That was turned and cut from a rather large cut of plateux it looks like to me.

Or a big damned ebachon.

Ted Laird is, or was, a small time carver.

But I think he used the best platuex.

Sing one Alan!

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

So, without jumping to conculsions we can assume Ted's dead... His kids are great... And they all love the post office?

 

[Briar Lee]

So, without jumping to conculsions we can assume Ted's dead... His kids are great... And they all love the post office?

Kind of looks sure and certain the hero did:

Xxxx

Ted passed away January 25th, 2024. He was a wonderful father and husband. He loved his family very much and he was very loved by his family. He was gentle, kind and wise. He dedicated his life to service to other people. He was a social worker and worked at Freeborn County and Hennepin County for much of his career. He is survived by his wife, Linda Laird, his daughter Katie Cason (Marilyn Cason), Amy Laird, and his sister Christine Laird. He will be deeply missed by all.

Read more at: Ted Laird - Albert Lea Tribune - https://www.albertleatribune.com/2024/02/ted-laird/

Xxxx

My obituary will read how I lawyered for forty one years.

And I only made one corn cob pipe and it burned out in two weeks.

 

[Briar Lee]

A Freeborn County social worker is a about the most heroic thing any Christian could specify to be in his obituary!

Xxxx

Area [1]
Population (2020)
Location of Freeborn, Minnesota
Coordinates: 43°45′57″N 93°33′52″W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Freeborn
• Total	0.18 sq mi (0.47 km2)
• Land	0.18 sq mi (0.47 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,237 ft (377 m)
• Total	264
• Density	1,442.62/sq mi (556.38/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	56032
Area code	507
FIPS code	27-22526[3]
GNIS feature ID	2394819[2]

History​

edit
Freeborn was platted in 1857, and was incorporated in 1949.[5] The city of Freeborn, like its namesake county, the surrounding township, and Freeborn Lake, upon which the city is situated, derives its name from William Freeborn, a member of Minnesota's Territorial Legislature.[5] A post office has remained in continuous operation at Freeborn since 1857.

Xxxx

Find USPS Locations | USPS

Xxxx



Damn, I bought a genuine August 2012 Brooklyn Park Ted Laird!

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Briar Lee]

Ted Laird only spent a few dollars for the plateaux grade briar.

Manno Italian Briar Plateaux Grade Extra

Pipe Making supplies and materials and Supplier of Raw Materials, Tools, and Supplies for woodworking crafts and machining. Specializing in Briar Root Burl

rawkrafted.com

He was skilled enough to fit a stem if he didn’t carve it from a solid rod.

What time he wasn’t serving others on behalf of Freeborn and Hennepin Counties he carved glorious, big pipes like the one he must have personally tried out.

On the sellers page there’s a $139.95 or best offer etching pen, sold as is untested.



When I retired I threw in all the computers and printers in the office sale and bought new for my home.

I wonder what my 8-12 Ted Laird will fetch when my son owns some big brown pipe the old man must have bought off the internet.