Introduction: Homemade Tobacco Pipe
This Instructable is about how to make your own tobacco pipes at home. I didn't want to spend a lot of money for a tobacco pipe, so I decided to make one myself. Here is how I did just that.
Step 1: You Will Need...
What you will need to make your own tobacco pipe:
- 1 Block of Bruyere wood
- 1 ferule
- different kind of grater
- a saw
- pencil
- a drill with different gimlets (Hand auger)
- one circle
- a Dremel like tool
- sand paper
- milling cutter min. 18 mm
- time (you will need a lot of it)
- a idea
Step 2: The Idea
First of all you have to have an idea of how the tobacco pipe should look like. Draw them on a paper and select the one you prefer.
Step 3: Forming the Raw Block of Wood
Cut a piece of wood of the size you are going to need for your pipe design.
Draw the top of the pipe's inner circle and an outer one; these will mark the hole for the tobacco and outside shape of the pipe.
Then draw on the sides of the block of wood the design you have chosen. Now work it out (It should mean that now you have to catch your tools and begin to work :) Your block of wood should look now similar to the one in the picture.
Step 4: Drilling the Holes
Now we have to drill the holes for the tobacco and the mouth piece.
As you can see in the picture you have to measure out how deep you have to drill the hole for the tobacco. Be careful the walls of the tobacco chamber are not to thinly constructed. If they are, the heat is going to destroy your chamber.
The walls of this pipe are 8 mm thick. The tobacco chamber has a diameter of 18 mm. and is 3 cm deep.
In the end all measurements depend on the design which you have chosen for your pipe.
Next you are going to make the hole for the mouth piece which will connect the mouth piece to the tobacco chamber. Carefully drill first the hole for the mouth piece. I used a 7 mm drill. Then change the drill to a smaller one, I used a 3 mm. Now make test fit the connection of the mouthpiece to the chamber.
Step 5: Rounding
Now work out the rounding's. It's beginning to look more and more like a real pipe.
Step 6: Sandpaper Work
Using your sandpaper sand the pipe until you are satisfied with it.
Step 7: Nearly Done
Put it all together and make little corrections.
The pipe isn't ready to be used yet. You have to seal and polish the wood still. However I still need to write an Instructable of how to seal and polish the wood. For now you have done a good job in making your pipe.

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86 Comments
6 years ago
i use a lemon cut in half you dont need any tools or anything its reausable and disposable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsd-1eNFF7o
Reply 5 years ago
I use an apple, all you need is a pencil (and an apple obviously lol).
Reply 5 years ago
Yes, very classy
6 years ago
I made this! thanks for the instructables, i didn't take a picture so i could not
press "I Made It"
8 years ago on Introduction
Beautiful.
8 years ago on Introduction
Did I miss something? how did you make or fit the stem/mouth bit?
9 years ago on Step 7
I think it would be good to mention is that while you recommend that people should use briar wood (or bruyere) the pipe you made is not made from briar wood. Also, briar wood is an incredibly hard wood and will take a lot of work to sand down to shape (which is why many freehand pipe makers use high quality files instead of sandpaper for the shaping).
Otherwise, good instructable, though if it was just about the price you could get a new decent pipe for pretty much the same price you'd pay for the briar wood and the equipment required :)
9 years ago on Introduction
This is one of the best i've seen on here well done sir! I like the design. Check my stuff out!?
9 years ago on Step 7
Do you have a reference or two where to purchase prefabricated stems?
9 years ago on Step 7
what is the mouth piece made out of it looks shinier and smoother. the pipe looks great.
10 years ago on Introduction
Nice instructible. I have an instructible series coming out about kinds of smoking apparatuses and how to make them. by far, I only have one about making a bong, or "water filtered pipe" and I would strongly appreciate if anyone could view it and comment on it. Thank you.
https://www.instructables.com/id/Smokers-UNITE-project-1-Homemade-Bong/
11 years ago on Step 7
you are a very talented person im only 14 and a instructable on wooden swords brought me here but for the past 3 months ive been making and crafting my own pipes out of wood, clay, ceramic, and many other materals and ve enjoyed it very much so than you for geting me into the one thing i look forward to after school and thank you for the great hobie
Reply 10 years ago on Step 7
Hi thank you for your nice words. Well i am happy that i have introduced you in that topic. Sorry for answering that late. Hope to see some Pipe Pics from you.
Have a good time and a lot of creativity :)
12 years ago on Introduction
Would poplar work as the wood for the bowl?
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Pretty sure it'd be too soft. I burn wood in my wood stove and poplar goes up like paper.
11 years ago on Introduction
It is also very easy to make the pipe all one piece,
the hardes part is shaping.
11 years ago on Introduction
Hello:) Lovely pipe, very nice woodworking. i have a question, i'm planning on making this as a gift and the part that holds the tobacco when you drill the hole all the way through do u put some kind of filter or anything between that and the mouth piece or do you just leave it completely open? Thanks!
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
I know that a lot of the higher end pipes don't bother to filter at all. When you're smoking pipe tobacco, you're smoking for the flavor of the tobacco and a filter will change the flavor of the tobacco. So I'd suggest not filtering at all (besides, that'd be one more thing to fit on the pipe :) ).
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Ahh that makes sense haha, thank you very much :)
11 years ago on Step 7
Can i buy that off of u