In the tobacco pipe world, pipe shops can usually be divided into two camps – those that make pipes and those that repair/restore pipes. It is somewhat counterintuitive, but these two activities are very different and require different skill sets and different equipment. I’ve been repairing and restoring smoking pipes since 2014 but have never carved a pipe from scratch, until now.

Last year I ordered myself a pre-drilled hobby block pipe kit from Vermont Freehand. When it came in, I sketched a profile I thought might work on the side of the block, then set the kit aside until I had a bit of free time to work on it. That free time finally materialized so I dusted off the block of briar and set about turning it into a pipe.

As you can see from the above closeup shot, there was quite a bit of excess briar to…