Straight Grain vs Birdseye vs Craggy

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jaygreen55

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 29, 2015
172
177
Almost all my pipes (except 3- 1 blast and 2 sea rock type rusticated) are smooth and predominately unstained
natural finishes. Pretty boring but I'm a sucker for a fine piece of wood

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bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
6,671
64,504
41
Louisville
For me, perfect cross grain (extends from rim to mortise) with tight birdseye is my favorite.

From there I consider a sandblast with extra craggy ring grain tied with superb 360 degree flame grain and/or well oriented straight grain.
 

docaitch

Lurker
May 15, 2018
29
33
One of the pipe makers (I forget who-Kurt Huhn?) noted that the ray pattern of a briar burl lends best itself to 2 shapes for a straight grain- the Dublin and the volcano/brandy. A good straight grain on any thing else depends on just the right block.
The blowfish is the one shape that, if done right, takes advantage of the briar block to emphasize straight grain and birdseye.8C3A7437-3E08-42E5-8063-DEFD58F214EA.jpeg

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Having started pipe smoking in the 60s with the beautiful Danish pipes making their debut, I am a sucker for a straight grain.
docaitch
 
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cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,248
57,309
67
Sarasota Florida
I enjoy ogling birdseye and straight grain but I love the feel and look of a nice craggy blast. Plus I can buy 4-10 pipes for the price of one killer grain pipe. I owned my share of straight grains and you cannot smoke grain and that is just my opinion. Here are a few of my favorite crapggies.
Rad Davis

Jack Howell

Larrysson
 
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