I'm looking to make a wooden pipe but I'm limited to a few types of wood: oak, birch, alder, and acacia. What would be the best choice among these, or are there other types that would work better?
3 Answers
While oak, birch, and acacia are options, burl wood is definitely the top pick for making pipes. It's denser and doesn't burn as easily. If you can find birch burl, that’d be a great choice! Also, make sure any burl you use is well-dried to avoid burning issues.
Yeah, that's right! The irregular grain helps with everything looking uniform once polished!
Briar wood is traditionally used for pipes, but since you mentioned you're in Poland, you might also look at pear wood, which is popular among local pipe makers like Mr. Brog. They use briar and cherry wood as well, but pear is specially noted for its quality.
If you're considering alternative woods, cherry wood can work too. Just be cautious about toxins in the materials you choose. Either way, if you need to use any of the woods you have, birch seems like a decent and safe option when combined with burl.
Cherry is pretty solid, but I'd avoid cedar for smoking pipes; it's not safe!
Yeah, definitely not using cedar for that!
Good to know! I've heard that the way burls are cut can make a difference too, right?