Easy to Make Tobacco Pipes

Tobacco pipes can be made out of almost anything. Many prefer the look and feel of a meerschaum, while others enjoy the rustic flare of a corncob pipe. Wood is an easy material to work with, and you can carve pipes from carefully finished wood or assemble from a section of dried tree limb.

Making the Bowl

Select a section of tree limb about 1 1/2 x 2 inches. Hardwoods are best, as they will not easily catch fire. After the section is cut, let it sit and dry for two to three months. The wood must be well seasoned to prevent warping. Cut a bowl piece that is 2 inches high and resembles a modified "L" shape. The fatter leg of the L will become the bowl, and the thinner leg will hold the stem.

Use a drill to remove wood and shape the bowl's interior. Move from smaller to slightly larger bits to avoid drilling out too much all at once. Leave about 1/4 inch of wood all the way around the sides and 1/2 inch on the bottom. Finish the inside of the bowl by polishing it with sandpaper. Begin with rough sandpaper and move gradually to finer grades. You can leave bark on the outside of the bowl.

Drilling the Stem Hole

Mark a hole on the outside of the stem-holding portion of the bowl about 1/4 inch above the bottom. Use a drill to bore this hole to a width of about 1/4 inch. While drilling, take care not to break through the top or bottom. The hole must reach to the middle of the bowl's interior.

Mark the exact center of the inside of the bottom of the bowl. Drill another 1/4-inch-wide hole at this point, continuing to drill until you break through to the hole you drilled previously drilled. Use sandpaper to smooth the insides of these two, now joined, holes.

Creating and Attaching the Stem

Create the pipe stem from a cylindrical section of ash or elderberry. The stem section should be 6 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter. Ash and elderberry both contain a pithy center that, once removed, will leave a hollow interior. Use a wire to slowly work out the pith inside the stem. Scrape the interior as clean as possible and smooth with sandpaper wrapped around a wire.

Wrap some sandpaper around the pipe stem with the sand side facing out. Place the end of the stem against the hole in the side of the bowl. Push the stem against the hole and twist. Continue twisting and moving the stem forward. The sandpaper will widen the hole very slightly . Remove the sandpaper and re-insert the pipe stem. It should fit snugly.

References

• Making a Natural Wooden Tobacco Pipe
• History of Pipe Smoking
• How to Smoke a Tobacco Pipe