Texas_smoke
New member
Hello, I’m a Texas transplant that has lived in England for the past 20 years. I have been a pipe smoker for near enough 30 years. I started with a basket pipe from my local Tobacco Lane (Arlington, TX) filled with aromatics that were blended in shop. I have since amassed a small collection of pipes of varying shapes, from various manufacturers, and tend to select my pipe depending on the tobacco I will enjoy in it.
I have started to get my head around making my own pipes. As an engineer I have found myself absorbing countless hours on YouTube learning (as much as is possible through my phone screen). With the acquisition of a Colchester Bantam lathe I have now begun the journey into pipe making! I am not as interested in selling pipes as creating the perfect pipe for me.
The images are of my first pipe bowl from cheap Greek briar. I made the chamber bit myself (my own design) using tool steel off-cut I acquired from a machine shop near me. The draft hole is 4mm and the tenon hole is 8mm, to keep it simple. I did all of the drilling on a lathe (prior to the Bantam I used the Challenger at work). Lacking a French wheel or the like I used an angle grinder with a flap disc to get the basic shape of the stummel. After many minutes of sanding I achieved the piece you see here. Not as accurate as I wished but I am encouraged.
I have started to get my head around making my own pipes. As an engineer I have found myself absorbing countless hours on YouTube learning (as much as is possible through my phone screen). With the acquisition of a Colchester Bantam lathe I have now begun the journey into pipe making! I am not as interested in selling pipes as creating the perfect pipe for me.
The images are of my first pipe bowl from cheap Greek briar. I made the chamber bit myself (my own design) using tool steel off-cut I acquired from a machine shop near me. The draft hole is 4mm and the tenon hole is 8mm, to keep it simple. I did all of the drilling on a lathe (prior to the Bantam I used the Challenger at work). Lacking a French wheel or the like I used an angle grinder with a flap disc to get the basic shape of the stummel. After many minutes of sanding I achieved the piece you see here. Not as accurate as I wished but I am encouraged.
