How to Carve a Pipe

How to Carve a Pipe?

Wooden pipes always add an element of elegance, sophistication and panache, and carved wooden pipes have their own charm. At one point of time, carved pipes were commonly used, but now they have become a style statement. For this reason, they usually bear an exorbitant price tag.  The good thing is that wooden carved pipes can also be made easily at home. Here is a stepwise procedure of how to carve a wooden pipe.

• A number of material and tools would be required to make and carve a wooden pipe. Some of the essential items are a block of Bruyere or Birar wood, small saw, grafter, milling cutter, chisel, drill with gimlets, ferrule, dremel tool, pencil, circle and sandpaper.
• After you have collected the requisite material, you should start looking for the design. A good resource of pipe designs are magazines, books, internet, and even movies and television. You can also use your own design on the pipe
• On the block of wood, draw the outline of a pipe, and with the help of saw, cut out the pipe. The basic shape of the pipe is all that is needed at this stage. Once, you have the cutout, try to give the pipe a perfect shape by using the chisel.
• Use the pencil to draw a circle on the wider side of the pipe. Within this circle, draw another circle. These circles will form the outline of the hollow region of the bowl. On the opposite side, draw a narrow slot; this will serve as the mouthpiece.
• Use the drill to make holes along the outline. On an average, the hole in the bowl should be 18mm deep and 8mm in thickness, while the slot in the mouthpiece should be 7mm deep. The sizes of the slot can vary depending upon the overall size of the pipe. Use the chisel to give the inner sides of the pipe a smooth finish.
• Again use a chisel to carve the chosen design on the pipe. This process is intricate and requires a lot of patience and perseverance. The design is usually carved on the top of the bowl in the space between the two circles, on the outer surface of the bowl and on the mouthpiece.
• After you have fully carved the design, take the sandpaper and gently scrub the entire surface of the pipe to give it a smooth finish. Finally, use the sealant and lacquer to give the wooden carved pipe the polished effect.