What Is Birdseye

[alfredo_buscatti]

I've been looking at pipes a long time and really admire birdseye. But what is it? Is it true that it runs at a 90 degree angle to the grain, that it is the beginning/ending of the grain, the "tip" of the grain, if you will?

 

[the rev]

yup that is what it is

rev

 

[Briar Spirit]

Rev' is of course spot on, most pipe carvers go for the grain finish on the stummel as a lot of collectors are all tipping over their own feet looking for the 'perfect grain', what ever, personally I much prefer the Birdseye grain on a pipe, but that's just me.

 

[the rev]

one of the reasons I love blowfish designs is they highlight the birdseye

rev

 

[puros_bran]

Volcano and Horns... Pretty Bird.

 

[gravel]

Volcano and Horns... Pretty Bird.

Birdseye is the reason I find horns to be attractive.

 

[puros_bran]

Gravel your alright for a trash can in a trench coat.

 

[gravel]

I have to stay away from curbs on garbage day. Its always garbage day somewhere.

 

[monbla256]

Straight grained Bulldogs. Birdseye on top!

 

[Growley]

One way to visualize it really easily is to grab a bunch of drinking straws and hold them in you hand. As you look at them from the side, you see a bunch of lines which represent straight grain. If you look through the straw's holes, that would represent the birds eye, where the straight grain terminates.


Now, to make it more lifelike, think about bending those straws different ways. Since briar is rarely perfectly straight, bent straws would more accurately represent grain and birds eye.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Certain blowfish styles enhance both the straight lines of the grain and feature the round "tips" of the grain at 90 degrees, ala birdseye.

What it IS, though, are the "veins" of the briar burl. In most root design, they bring in the good stuff to store and nourish the heath bush and excrete the toxins. It just happens to be beautiful, to the detriment of the poor bush, turning them into (hopefully) pretty pipes for savages like us.

8)

 

[SpeedyPete]

Same here, brother

 

[leftover421]

I've been looking at pipes a long time and really admire birdseye.

I personally don’t get all the hubbub about straight grain. I love birds eye as well :cheers:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I personally don’t get all the hubbub about straight grain. I love birds eye as well :cheers:

Normally, one would suggest the other...if the pipe is made well, they can exploit both of these features. Meanwhile, I've seen some funky-grain pipes that rock my world.

8)

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

The classic presentation in a pipe whose sides are emphasized more than the lesser emphasis of the front and back, say on horns or those Danish spiky things (very technical, I know), is, as you know straight grain on the sides and birdseye front and back.

Purist, classic, exalted.

 

[leftover421]

I personally don’t get all the hubbub about straight grain. I love birds eye as well :cheers:

Normally, one would suggest the other...if the pipe is made well, they can exploit both of these features. Meanwhile, I've seen some funky-grain pipes that rock my world.

8)

Truth, I love a pipe that can exploit the best of both worlds so to speak. I also have seen some "funky-grain pipes" that make my heart do little stutter step but I think I am more of a simple, let the true grain speak, sort of guy.
One of my favorites in my humble collection is a Comoy's Tiger Eye #42. It has strait "tiger" grain on one side and birds "eye" on the other. I feel this is a great, literally, 2 sided example of what is true Briar grain. Then again it could just be the cool name for Comoy's grain cut that pulls me in. :tongue: