White ash wood churchwardens...good or bad?

[corvinvelegost]

I recently received a 14" churchwarden from a friend he hand carved from white ash. After inspecting it another friend told me it was rubbish due to the choice of wood. Is it rubbish simply because its white ash (other than wood choice i have no reason to doubt the quality/functionality of the pipe) and if so why are so many churchwardens made from white ash?

 

[jchaplick]

I personally believe that as long as the construction is sound, it doesnt matter too much what they are made out of. If it smokes well smoke it. It may burn out quickly, it may have a funny taste to it, if it does and you dont mind, smoke it, if it doesnt, smoke it. As long as isnt made from bone or asbestos or poison oak or something your probably good.

 

[frennchy11]

Its not the choice wood but i wouldnt say its "rubish." Give it a few smokes and see how you like it. only you can decide if its no good. BTW MacQueen makes a churchwarden from White Ash

 

[photoman13]

It could burn hot. Who knows. Only way to find out is to try it out.

 

[corvinvelegost]

Its not the choice wood but i wouldnt say its "rubish." Give it a few smokes and see how you like it. only you can decide if its no good. BTW MacQueen makes a churchwarden from White Ash

I want a MacQueen (huge geek and a lover of Lord of the Rings) but I have heard very mixed things about them ranging from the best to the worst pipes on the planet (my guess is they are somewhere close to the middle). It seems like people are trying to start a rivalry between MacQueen and Luna Pipes (made by Tom Johnson).

 

[juvat270]

I own the briar version of the MacQueeen Wizard and the White Wizard which is made of ash. I can't tell a lick of difference between the two while smoking and I smoke them both daily.
I think the bad vibes about MacQueen pipes is a combination of the following: long wait times, inconsistent customer service, people who order one because they "look cool" but then find they don't actually like churchwardens and finally, they're just parroting what they hear from friends and the internet.

 

[pstlpkr]

This is the first time I have ever heard of a pipe being made from Ash.

I'd be cautious until I found out what chemicals are released from it.

 

[frennchy11]

I personally like my MacQueen Wizard. I dont have many "quality" pipes with all being no names but from what I can tell it smokes just fine. Though I do like how my cob smokes better but who doesn't like a cob? :D

 

[russ]

I own a MacQueen Halfling, made of ash. It was my first CW, I dont smoke as often as I should, but when I do smoke it, I love it.

 

[winton]

Ash is not a dangerous wood. The piping world over the last several hundred years decided that briar is the best wood available for pipes. But there are lots of alternatives. Cherry, pear, apple, mulberry, walnut etc. OK, your pipe might not last 100 years. Enjoy it.

 

[corvinvelegost]

I'm going to assume its more a case of briar zealotry then. Ill probably only smoke it once a day at most and give it good rests, which I have heard very heavily suggested by smokers and manufacturers alike anyway (especially for churchwardens).

 

[pipeinhand]

Being I am a LOTR fan, and I smoke my Halflings' Leaf out of my ash MacQueen quite regularly, and ash wood is more inert than even oak, I would tell you to smoke it without issues. Smoke slowly which is a good idea anyway, and it will be OK, but YMMV.

 

[beewrangler2]

Maybe the aesthetics of using ash as pipe material is important, but to me, maybe its more so the point that this was hand carved by a friend. White ash, blue ash, purple ash or pine, a hand carved pipe by a friend is hard to come by, let alone that friend who would carve it.

 

[tokerpipes]

White ash is a very hard wood. Baseball bats are made from white ash. Smoke it slow and build up a good cake though. As with any pipe. Briar is considered best because it can handle heat well and for its obscure tight grain patterns. Briar will last you longer but its all on how often and how hot you smoke.

 

[corvinvelegost]

Maybe the aesthetics of using ash as pipe material is important, but to me, maybe its more so the point that this was hand carved by a friend. White ash, blue ash, purple ash or pine, a hand carved pipe by a friend is hard to come by, let alone that friend who would carve it.

I completely agree, the meaning behind the pipe is the biggest reason i asked if white ash was good for a smoking pipe. I would hate to smoke the thing and have it turn into a chunk of charcoal.

 

[carlosviet]

I read in some other forum about Ashwood churchwarden that the wood burnt before developing a cake. Ashwood is very flamable, so make very slow and cool smoking out of it...
Beechwood fires burn bright and clear

If the logs are kept a year

Store your beech for Christmastide

With new holly laid beside

Chestnuts only good they say

If for years 'tis stayed away

Birch and firwood burn too fast

Blaze too bright and do not last

Flames from larch will shoot up high

Dangerously the sparks will fly

But Ashwood green and Ashwood brown

Are fit for a Queen with a golden crown
Oaken logs, if dry and old

Keep away the winters cold

Poplar gives a bitter smoke

Fills your eyes and makes you choke

Elmwood burns like churchyard mould

Even the very flames burn cold

Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread

So it is in Ireland said

Applewood will scent the room

Pears wood smells like a flower in bloom

But Ashwood wet and Ashwood dry

A King may warm his slippers by.

 

[wnghanglow]

Tell your friend to stop being a snob xD brair Is the wood of choice due to its spongy nature, makes it lighter and more absorbent. Your not going to be clenching this pipe in your teeth so weight won't be enough of a difference to notice, and as far as absorbing you have not been smoking nearly long enough to tell the difference. So it will work great for you!

 

[baronsamedi]

You gotta get some Halfling's Leaf!

 

[locopony]

Just send them to me I'll be happy to smoke em.

 

[corvinvelegost]

I never got caught up in all hype surrounding the films.

Same here, my love of middle-earth came from reading Tolkien's works at a young age. I very much enjoyed the films but they rob far far too much of the individual interpretation for my tastes. I like the vivid images my mind creates when i read or look at Tolkien's simple illustrations.