Wood for the pipe

[nehemias88]

Hello everyone. I absolutely fell in love with my pipe. It got me thinking: what if I made my own pipe? I need everyone's help with this. Maybe instructions or some basics on pipe making. But what I really want to know is the material. My uncle is a carpenter and he has many types of wood available but not briar. I would like to know what other wood can be used for a pipe. Thanks guys.

 

[fshu2]

fruit works well because it is tight grain. hardwood is a must. i like black locust for the ones i make.
my advice would be take your time lining up the wholes and then even more time shaping. pipe making in and of its self is not hard it is a simple concepts but making it look right is what takes a ton of practice. do not shave to much off other wise your work of art will smoke too hot. others will give you much more info.

 

[galeon]

Just grab a pre-drilled briar block from some of the sponsors. I'm not sure exactly which sponsors have one, but they're not more than $30.

 

[photoman13]

Be sure to look up how toxic the wood you select is. I was surprised to hear that a lot of wood is toxic. Walnut has been used and is pretty common. There are also carve it yourself kits. This website has a lot of materials that might be helpful. I really want to try one of the kits one day. It sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[nehemias88]

does anyone know about teak wood or maybe brazilian walnut (ipe wood) I believe brazilian walnut is the hardest of the common woods. Reason why it gained the nickname "Iron wood"

 

[photoman13]

Not sure about the brazilian wood but walnut has been used.

 

[nehemias88]

I think I can go with the walnut. I know cherry has been used too. Is either one of them better or are both the same?

 

[photoman13]

I honestly don't know. Send me a pipe of each and I will let you know. :lol:

 

[papatoad]

I use madrone, manzanita and honey locust.
Makes great pipes. Mine are crude but my hunting buddies love em.

 

[philobeddoe]

You can get pre-cut briar at Pimo.

 

[nehemias88]

I found more info on the Ipe and this is what I found very interesting.
"This durable South American hardwood is rated by the US Forest Products Lab for a 25 year life. It is naturally resistant to fire, having a NFPA Class A rating and a UBC Class 1 rating (the same as steel and concrete!)
Ipe wood naturally resists insects, rot and mildew, and it can be used in ground contact without preservatives or additional treatments."
You can find that info here

 

[nehemias88]

The only problem with this wood is that it's so dense and so hard that it really would be a hassle to make a pipe out of it. Especially if it has many burls or "Bird eyes" if any.

 

[photoman13]

Birdseye is gorgeous in pipes.

 

[thesmokindragon]

I have carved from Briar, Olive, Apricot and Pistachio all great smokes;

just make sure on the fruit/hardwoods you use an extension on the

shank or it will be cracking ;-) (learned from experience and lost some

great pipes this way...but a great carving experience )

 

[foggymountain]

The hardest wood is lignum vitae. A log of it is so hard if you drop it on a cement floor, it doesn't thud, it rings. I wonder if it would make a good pipe. Another possibility is ebony, but it is difficult to work because it chips off unexpectedly.

 

[nehemias88]

I think I'll look for that wood. Sounds a thousand janka units harder than Ipe.

 

[koshersmoke]

good luck on your pipe project.

 

[tjameson]

A dry piece of Lignum Vitae will also sink in water it is extremely dense.

 

[aric429]

I have recently made my first pipe from a piece of cherry plumb and it has a bit of a weird taste

 

[photoman13]

Let's see a pic aric429! Oh and welcome to the forum. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM. Oh and if you build a cake on the pipe the taste will probably go away.