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Pipemakers - Is There Any Type Of Wood You Can't Use For A Pipe?
ghostsofpompeii
Master
in General
Other than an obvious wood like Balsa which would probably burn on contact, is there any particular type of wood that absolutely can't be used when making a pipe? I ask this because certain types of wood like cedar and pine have a naturally great smell to them which I thought might be transferred through the pipe. I own a several pear wood pipes and have heard it said there is a natural sweetness to them when first smoked. Unfortunately I'm unable to test that theory because I smoke sweet aromatics which would mask the flavor of any additional sweetness in the wood. Certain wood like pine smells great in an outdoor campfire - but the sticky tar resin in a freshly cut tree can gunk up a chimney if you try burning it in a fireplace. Take it from me - I tried burning my Christmas tree in a fireplace one year and almost caught the house on fire. Yet there is something so refreshing about the scent of pine wood - and as far as I know there are no aromatic pine or cedar flavored pipe tobaccos manufactured - so I was wondering if a pipe made of pine might add that quality to a smoke, or if the tar resin in the wood would make it a poor choice for pipe making..
Comments
This is a subject that needs to be approached with caution for certain. I know that I have been told by custom bowyers, as well custom guitar makers, that they need to be extremely careful around certain woods. Breathing of the sawdust can be problematic, and in some cases, simple contact with the skin can cause irritation.
I'm going to guess that pine is not the best choice for two reasons. The dust is most likely toxic, and I'll bet that it burns like dry kindling. A wise man once said, if you want your pipe to taste like a pine tree, just clean it with Gin.
Here is a list of recommended alternative pipe woods, from the Pipedia website. I'll bet that most if not all of these are hardwoods. I know I have tried smoking hickory, and without caution, it is susceptible to burnout over time. Even though Pipedia lists these as alternative pipe woods, you will find that most custom pipe makers stick with briar, morta, olivewood, and strawberry wood. That most likely speaks volumes about alternative pipe woods, and their potential for taste and longevity.
MapleCherry Black WalnutOakOliveRosewoodManzanitaMesquite-woodBeechHickoryMountain LaurelMahoganyEbonyJujubeBuxuseJichi-muWengeI must have not been holding my mouth just right. Let's try this again.
Maple, Cherry, Black Walnut, Oak, Olive, Rosewood, Manzanita, Mesquite-wood, Beech, Hickory, Mountain Laurel, Mahogany, Ebony, Jujube, Buxuse, Jichi-mu, and Wenge.@PappyJoe Good links, I will have to check them out, I like doing a lot of Native American Indian crafts and other backwoods type crafts, most for decoration but I also like to make pipes to smoke so maybe I can find some new wood to use....
@Rshey1, this is probably the best resource on the net for learning to carve.....
http://www.pipemakersforum.com/forum/
Technically I think all sawdust is considered a carcinogen. But that just means that the dust particles can be small enough to get into your lungs, the really fine sawdust that's floating in the air as you breath is the stuff to be cautious of. Personally I usually wear a dust mask/respirator if I'm creating sawdust in the shop.
I've heard Brazil no longer allows the export of Rosewood, there was a man who made custom Rosewood pipes, the claim was there was an enhanced effect when smoked.
@Woodsman, African Rosewood is a highly figured exotic wood that I am familiar with, because a lot of bowyers use it when crafting custom bows. It is also known as Bubinga.
I think some of these exotic woods might be great for accent woods in briar pipes, the same way they are used in bows. As with pipes, some bow woods are ideal because of their performance qualities, and some other woods compliment those with their color combination abilities.