What Makes a Good Pipe Stand/Rack?

[boudreaux]

Looking at some 12-pipe racks online. One has a glass jar and it looks identical to another that only has a wooden one with a loose-fitting top. And the one with he glass jar is almost double the price...
Interested in your preferences and experiences with this accessory. Closed or open ring for the stem?
I'm sure that I could make a nice one - have all of the woodworking tools, but haven't been able to set up a wood shop for the past 12 years due to a change of living arrangements, so I will probably have to spring for one already made.

 

[pruss]

Hey there, I've picked up two just by accident in online purchases of estate pipes. One was a nice walnut 12 pipe stand made by Decatur which came with three pipes, delivered, for less than $30. The other was another walnut 6 pipe stand with six pipes, delivered, for $36.00. So they're out there for not too much of your hard earned...
What I've noticed is that some of the older stands are really only good for standard shapes, and that when pipes are longer, wider, fatter, than a standard medium sized factory pipe they tend to fit poorly into some of these stands.
So if I were designing my own stand, I'd probably look for multiple tiers at different heights to accommodate variability in pipe shape/dimensions.
-- Pat

 

[tbradsim1]

Boud go on Esty, Al turned me on this site and I got a nice 12 pipe straight Art Deco look for 12$, if you can find the open rings its better if you have longer pipes.

 

[estumpf]

Open ring is better for bent pipes as well.

 

[oklansas]

Mr. Brog has some nice stands from 1 to 8 slots for a pretty reasonable price. I got a nice 4 slot rack for $24 (w/ amazon prime). Other than the pre-made ones, I saw a neat DIY rack that used a wall mounted chunk of maple with coat hooks screwed into the maple close enough together to hold the pipes. Looked pretty nice too.

 

[teufelhund]

There are even all sorts of ways to make your own rack out of random stuff around the house. Before I got a wood rack I had wire hanger that was just streched out and had a bunch of loops in it. Pipe stem goes in the loop hang it off the pegboard in the shop. I still hang the "shop pipes" (mostly cobs) in it and it works best with sraight or 1/4 bent stems.

 

[mso489]

My wife gave me a gift certif to have a 12 pipe rack custom made, with a drop-door storage

compartment at the bottom (holds more than a drawer). I also inherited a 10 pipe rack, circular with

an amber jar in the middle (not air tight); it's walnut with amber glass. So I can rack 22 pipes,

with a couple extra pipes tucked on the 12 pipe rack. Us PAD people might be able to fill a wall

of pipe rack shelves, and I value the two racks as a sort of limit. The overflow collects in a basket

and on bookshelves. If I put them away, I won't smoke them in a year. I keep waiting for some

outfit like the container store to come up with a convenient molded plastic pipe rack that would fit

neatly on a closet wall and hold fifty pipes, but I guess it's a niche market.

 

[oklansas]

Seeing as the Container store seems to have everything else ... if they suddenly stocked an Effa wall pipe rack ... I would not be surprised.

 

[boudreaux]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am following up on them now.

 

[plateauguy]

I've had the same rack for over 30 years - which was kind of ridiculas since I only owned 1 pipe during that time.
I got it at an antique store for $3.00, and it was worth every penny! Not only does it have room for 9 pipes, but it has a humidor jar in the center. I've never stored tobacco in the jar, but it's a great place to store my bottles of pipe and stem cleaners. I've thought of opening up the closed stem holders to make it easier to get my pipes in and out, but I just haven't gotten around to it.
Your decision should be based on what you can afford, have room for, and consider collection growth. You had better like how it looks, because chances are you will live with it for a long time. Look through ebay and etsy to see what used items are available, and you can afford. Right now etsy has a wall cabinet with Sherlock Holmes etched into the glass door for $68.00. If it wasn't my wife's birthday and our anniversary month, along with Mother's Day, it would be mine.
Good Hunting !

 

[joshwolftree]

I prefer the open loop, mainly for space constraint purposes as I don't have to pull the pipes bowl out as far to remove a pipe.