Question for Pipe Makers

[Hoshneer]

I have a beautiful tree that was cut down today. It was in the record as the oldest silver maple in our small town. I think it was pushing 130 years or so and it was absolutely beautiful.

The question being does anyone know a pipe maker that would make me a pipe from one of the beautiful knots of wood that was on the tree? Is that even feasible to smoke from and would it be very expensive? It's something that would mean a lot for me but I'm just not sure if it's worth trying to pull off.

 

[Dale_H]

It will be quite a while before any wood will be ready, but I would cut out all of the various knots and save them while you work to find someone who can help you with this.

If you have difficulty, let me know. I don't know any pipe makers but am close with a few high end craftsmen who work in wood for jewelry and might be able to help

~ Dale
Georgia, USA

 

[Rexinator989]

You could contact Jim Boswell in Chambersburg PA. I know he is something like a legend in the pipe world. Not sure about anything else. Good luck

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[CVAC085]

I think we have a few pipe makers here on the forum, no???? And what @Rexinator989 said too, give Boswell's a call too and see if he can come up with something.

Honestly, if I were you, I'd see if someone can create a pipe from the wood and keep it as a shelf piece if it's not smokeable. It would still have an amazing story to tell to your friends and family.

 

[MeerschaumMarauder]

Google Dr. Bob. He's in VT and makes lovely pipes. You could also try Mark Tinsky

Whatever you do post pictures of the finished product!

 

[Lomey]

Out of curiosity. How big of a piece of the knot do you have to cut out in order for a craftsman to carve a pipe? Sounds like a cool idea.

 

[Schramalam77]

Many woods are actually toxic and may not be suitable for pipe making. I'd check before you get too far. I'd think maple would probably burn through fairly quickly as it's not the hardest or most dense of woods. I also believe there are also lots of saps/sugars in the wood which would make it tough to find a solid piece to carve. Sorry to be a downer. Most fruit woods work well.

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[Hoshneer]

No worries, that's why I'm asking. I appreciate you letting me know and you're probably right.

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[joe45]

I'm not familiar with pipes. If it's anything like a handle on a knife though, you are going to want the wood dried out first before using it so that it doesn't swell, shrink, etc. I bet it would look great on a knife handle too though and I can recommend some makers that would probably be willing to do that.

 

[sam a]

Hey dude. Like most people have said I wouldn't recommend making a bowl out of it. However one could certainly use it for a shank embellishment, extension, inlay, or something of that sort. I haven't worked with silver maple before, but I'd imagine you would want to let the wood sit and dry/cure for a couple years most likely, and possibly stabilize it as well... you can Google some info on how to successfully do all that.

 

[Hoshneer]

Hey dude. Like most people have said I wouldn't recommend making a bowl out of it. However one could certainly use it for a shank embellishment, extension, inlay, or something of that sort. I haven't worked with silver maple before, but I'd imagine you would want to let the wood sit and dry/cure for a couple years most likely, and possibly stabilize it as well... you can Google some info on how to successfully do all that.

Thank you