What wood besides brier root can be used for pipe making?

Answer 1

There are many types of wood you can use, generally a very tight grained hardwood would serve you best, following is an explanation of some different woods.

Among the many woods I have used for making pipes, besides the ever popular Briar wood (Erica arborea), are various tree woods, such as:

1. Maple (Acer) - Maple has been used for many years here in the States and I have used both Sugar and Red Maples. Some of these get pretty hard for my hand tools but still makes a nice pipe.

2. Cherry (Prunus) - Well everyone is familiar with Cherrywood pipes, so I will just say that Cherry allows one to carve some great figurals.

3. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) - Other than briar, this is the wood I like to work with for its workability and excellent finishes one can achieve. Black Walnut does have rather large pores that allows tobacco juices to reach the exterior fairly rapid.

4. Oak (Quercus) - Most American oaks are what I call brittle, they split to easily when making a cut and like Black Walnut, but only more so, it has large pores. Thus I am not to crazy about it for pipes.

5. Olive (Olea) - Great wood for pipes. Back in the early seventies, I decided to go into the pipe making business and looked around for an unusual wood to catch peoples interest until I could build up a stock of my briars. I thought of Olive wood and checked many tobacconists but none who I was familiar with had never heard of Olive wood pipes. Yes this could be it so I wrote several countries for suppliers of Olive wood, Greece, Israel, etc and never received an answer. Two years later all of the tobacconists, whom I had check with before, were carrying Olive wood pipes from both Greece and Israel. Oh well, At least I gave them some ideas.

6. Rosewood (Dalbergia) - I think this is a good wood for pipes.

7. Manzanita (Arctostaphylia manzanita) - Here in the States this wood was used during the Second World War. I have ordered this wood from two different suppliers and as of yet I have not received one that did not have many drying cracks, certainly not a piece large enough for a pipe.

8. Hickory (Carya) - It is okay but I do not like to use it.

9. Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) - Since their leaves are poisonous, I am leery of making pipes from this one though it like Manzanita was used quite a bit for pipes during the war years.

10. Mahogany (Swietenia mahogani) - Mahogany is a rapid growing tree and as such sucks up many gallons of water a day along with a quantity of silica particles, so though I have made pipes from Mahogany I am leery of it as well, you know silicosis. Of course if you do not inhale ---!

I have never used bog oak simply because I have never tried obtaining any. I do like Trevors Morta (bog oak) pipes.

Well how about it pipe makers, what are some of the woods you use?

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Pipe smoking goes back to ancient times, but the first documented evidence for it was during the Dark Ages when the Irish people invented the "dudeen," which is a short clay pipe. Smoking a pipe has the lowest risk of health problems out of all forms of tobacco products (although we do not encourage anyone to start smoking). Perhaps you would like to make your own old-fashioned tobacco pipe. This article explains how you can.

First, you will need a seasoned limb from a cherry tree, the diameter of which should be the size of your pipe bowl. Cherry is the best type of wood to use for a pipe, but hard maple or plum will also work. Make sure that whatever type of wood you choose has been seasoned for at least two or three months.

Cut a section from a cherry tree limb that is about six inches long. Mark it to the length of the pipe bowl you want plus 1/2 inch to allow for the pipe stem. To mark it with the bark on, simply cut two lines about 1/8 of an inch apart around the entire circumference of the limb and then remove that small strip of bark. Do not saw the bowl from this piece yet, you will need to clamp it so you can drill out the center of the bowl first.

Begin the hole for the bowl with the tip of an ice pick or a knife, being careful to keep it centered. Then select a small diameter bit to drill a pilot hole with. Wrap a small piece of tape around the bit for a depth gauge after measuring against the side how deep you want your bowl to be. Remember not to drill into the 1/2 inch pipe stem portion at the bottom.

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