How to Make a Wooden Pipe Out of a Single Piece of Wood

by Stick4444

337K23658

Intro: How to Make a Wooden Pipe Out of a Single Piece of Wood

In this instructable, I'll show you how to make your own tobacco pipe out of a single piece of wood.

NOTE THAT THIS IS A TOBACCO AND SHISHA PIPE ONLY!
I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES BEING SMOKED IN THIS PIPE, OR INJURY RESULTING FROM SMOKING THIS PIPE.

SMOKING IS BAD FOR YOU! DON'T DO IT! NOT FOR USE OF MINORS (UNDER 18 IS PROHIBITED)

For this project you will need:

A piece of wood about 1 inch square by about 4 inches(can be larger if desired.)

A 3/4 inch forstner bit, and faucet screen.

Drill

Belt sander for rough shaping

Sandpaper

Natura oil(NOTE: Do NOT use any other finish but non toxic stuff. Remember you are going to be burning tobbaco in this pipe, so you don't want to burn any other harsh chemicals)

A small drill bit no smaller than 1/8 inch or no larger than 1/4 inch.

Files and rasps for final shaping, and chisels for and detail work.

Japanese saw, or other thin kerf saw.

Clamps and a bench vise

STEP 1: Boring the Holes: Bowl and Stem

Ok, for the first step you want to bore your bowl.

What you want to do is to bore your bowl, so that its deep enough to hold the tobacco, but not too deep, as the stem will be connected from the bottom of the bowl.

In the 1st image, we see the forstner bit about to bore the bowl hole. Note how I evenly spaced the hole so that the bowl walls will be even. The second image shows the bowl.

Next, you want to bore the stem hole. The placement of the stem is crucial. If you want to make a fancier stem, you can drill diagonally, but make sure that you leave a small amount around the stem, so that the heat dosnt burn your lips. You don't want to drill the stem hole into the side of the bowl, so make sure you have good control with the drill. You can check the depth of the stem hole by inserting the bit till it hits the end of the hole. Then with your finger, place it in the drill bit and the entrance of the hole. Then move it outside the hole and cross-reference your finger position with the outside. See the diagram for more details.

STEP 2: Shaping

Next, you are going to shape the pipe. Start off by cutting into the side of the bowl on all 4 sides of the piece of wood. as seen in the first image. once that's complete, do the same for the stem end. seen in the second image.

Once your lines are cut in the stem, cut the waste off.
as seen in image 3. Note the edge of the bowl is cut to the depth of the stem lines.

Once you have the square pipe, round it off with the belt sander and the rasps. be careful not to go through the material into the stem or the bowl.

Once in a while, you will want to check for leaks. A good way of doing this it to cover the bowl with your hand, providing a seal around it. Then blow into the pipe, and if you did it right, there shouldn't be any air escaping. if there is, just rub a little wood glue around the leak. and instead of blowing, suck in a little to get the glue down into the leak site.

STEP 3: Final Shaping, and Finishing

Once you have your rounded out version, sand it down to remove and saw marks. this would be the time to add and visial flares, such as lines or grooves carved into the side of the bowl. One all that is complete, apply the finish and insert the screen. Pour a bit of finish in the bowl and tilt towards the stem to coat the inside. olive oil works well for this.

And with that, you should be done.

55 Comments

Somethingtotallyrandom 9 years ago

That's nice. Looking at the pics got me to thinking about making one on the lathe. You can do almost the whole thing (including the diagonal stem hole and bowl) on a lathe if you're comfortable with offset work.

wiccanman82 14 years ago

now is there any kind of wood that wouldnt be good to smoke out of? awsome ible by the way, im def gonna make a bunch of these

Stick4444 14 years ago

Well, i forgot to mention in the instructable, but you need a species of wood thats REALLY dense and hard, like ash or some tropical woods(be aware of some natural oils in some species) I used cocobolo for a more recent piece, and it works excellently, only problem is, cocobolo is incresingly rare.

SlickSqueegie 11 years ago

Cocobolo is questionable. I worked with it before it has lots of oils in it that cause alergic reactions to most people... The last time i used it, i made a pen. for three days after i had blotchy red marks on my hand... I would stay away from most tropicals unless you know its safe... There is a list somewhere out there. I find briarwood blanks far to expensive and small for the types of pipes i make. And dont make the mistake of buying the whole briar root and think you can make your own blanks. They have to dry it properly before it is concidered fireproof.

wiccanman82 14 years ago

Awsome thanks, so i would b safe with cherry or rock maple?

Stick4444 14 years ago

Unfortunatly, no, as they burn REAL easy. That pipe In the instructable burned up pretty badly, but I have another one made from tropical wood that dosnt burn as much. The key is to use very little flame on whatever it is that you're burning.

dubcg 12 years ago

if you get a hard cherry or maple, they should work fine, there are just a couple tricks to it. always light your pipe with a match or piece of wood. using a lighter will likely burn your bowl, because lighters typically burn at a much higher temperature than a match. however, keep in mind that when you use a match, you want to let the sulfur at the tip burn away for a few seconds before lighting your tobacco, otherwise you'll be inhaling sulfur along with your tobacco.

SMOKINACE99 10 years ago

I like the blocky pipe in step 10! lol

RainDog07 11 years ago

Why the screen? None of my 30+ pipes have one. Also, briar is the most common wood for pipes, you can get a chunk on the 'net.

rattyrain 11 years ago

Just in case someone borrows it and decides to smoke something other than tobacco.

SlickSqueegie 11 years ago

I think thats a personal choice... Certain types of tobacco would need a screen I would guess.

ilpug 11 years ago

Nicely done, just use a very hard wood, or a metal bowl.

x3n0c1dal 11 years ago

I've been making 'ibles about smoking, and I haven't had many page views... It would be appreciated if some people would read and comment on them. So far, I have one for making a cheap bong. Just click on my name and view my instructibles if you want to.

aorcutt 12 years ago

if you use honey and ashes it creates a nice seal that you wont burn thru google it

reeding 12 years ago

I am sick of people telling everyone that they need a drill press to make pipes well. I think if you practice it gets easier to finish them and make them cooler in the end.

Stick4444 12 years ago

A drill press certainly helps, but like you said, it is an expense that a lot of people reading this instructable cant afford. The beauty part is, that these things are so simple to make, that if you do wreck one, you can easily start another

rust093 14 years ago

how does it not burn when you light it?
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