Wood types for making pipes

Welowright

Hey thinking of making my own pipe , but wondering if yaw could tell me , is hickory, or oak, or cherry wood any good for making pipes? Are they good for adding flavor or aroma and are they good for handling smoking? Will they be prone to cracking? Can yaw let me know. Thanks guys.

xDutchx

Welo, you can make a pipe from any of those three woods, and with careful consideration to break in, you can build enough cake to protect the pipe from burnout. However, Briar, Morta, Olivewood, and Strawberry wood are more durable choices, and less likely to burn out. As for flavor, the particular type wood used will affect the flavor of the tobacco to a certain degree.

Here is a link that is a great resource for pipe carvers, especially new ones.

vermontfreehand.com

Woodsman

Cherry makes a good pipe, Ropp is a French company that has been making rustic ones with the bark on for years. I also have a pear one that smokes OK. Brazilian Rosewood made great pipes, actually it was said that the Rosewood was intoxicating when smoked. Unfortunately Brazil has declared it illegal to export their Rosewood.

PappyJoe

You can also make a good pipe out of Maple. I believe that's what the Missouri Meerscham hardwood pipes are made from.

Cherrywood pipes have been around since the 1800s. So it does work.

I knew a couple of old pipe smokers back in the late 1970s (and they were in their 60s & 70s) and they would tell stories about their fathers and grandfathers and how they would make pipes from clay, corn cobs, pecan wood, hickory and oak. Said they didn't have the money to buy those high society briars or meerschaums.

Wolf41035

Good thread.  I am currently making pipes from Briar, Clay and Soap Stone (Cherokee pipe) and if these turn out good I will make more out of all kinds of wood.