My Turn! Another DIY pipe

[Cavediver]

I've been collecting tools for years.

Years.

I'm not talking about buying collectable tools and putting them on display somewhere, I'm talking about gathering a home shop full of tools used for hobby level woodworking. There's no problem there, right? Wrong. The only thing I ever use them for is the occasional home repair. There's absolutely no hobby to it.

Enter vaping

Six months ago I dropped cigarettes like, well, you know. About a month after I started vaping, I spotted my first e-pipe, and EPM, and it was love at first sight. Finally, something I could try my hand at that doesn't require a six month plan!

So, here we go. I've got a lathe (a cheap import from Craigslist), drill press, table saw, and more hand tools than most folks need.

Last night, I finally chucked up a piece of wood and turned my first project. A shankless pipe in cherry. Or a really small cup with an ugly base. You decide




Pipe blank #1
It'll be about 2" tall, and it's 1-5/8" at the widest point. It's made to hold an 18350, an EPM VapeSafe resettable fuse, and an EPM flat-top button.

Starting life as a 2x2x12"cherry turning spindle from Woodcraft, the first step was to cut the blank down to (3) 4" sections; I felt this would be long enough to give me room to grip it in the chuck. The holes for the battery and button were drilled on a bench-top drill press, and then the block was clamped in a 4-jaw chuck; a live center was used in the tailstock to keep everything nice and aligned throughout the shaping process.

During and after the turning process, I wished I'd have cut the blank into (2) 6" pieces. The lathe tools and my knuckles were getting mighty close to the jaws on that chuck. Way too close for comfort when you're a beginner! I've a bit of experience working with wood, and some ancient experience on a wood lathe, so I went ahead and turned it anyhow. One of the primary rules of shop safety: if something doesn't feel or look right, stop 'till you figure it out and correct the problem. After thinking about it, I decided to go ahead with the current plan, and almost suffered the consequences. See the chipped corners of the block? That's where the gouge clipped the square corners of the wood.
Yeah, that could have been ugly.

Fortunately, everything came out well in the end. I'm setting back the other two 4" blocks 'till I figure out a better method of holding them during turning, or until I gain some more experience and better control over the lathe tools.

Cherry is a great wood for the beginning woodturner. It's got nice grain, it's easy to work with, and it sands / polishes beautifully. I'm planning on using an oil and wax finish, but am open to other ideas.



For now, unfortunately, I've got to let it sit. The cherry blank I bought at Woodcraft still has a lot of moisture in it. I didn't realize it would be so bad, but I could feel the moisture on the inside cut. I'm a bit concerned that it'll shrink too much as it dries out, and won't fit the button or firing ring. In the meantime, I'm headed to one or two stores this week to find some dry wood to use in attempt #2.

 

[duckie_44]

Nice looking start to a DIY pipe there....Cavediver.......

Bummer on the moisture in the wood....A thought on that....If you have the shavings left to cover the wood put it in a "paper bag", that way it will not dry out to fast.....Or wrap it in newspaper (couple of sheets), roll up a piece, and put it in the hole....

Ideas on finish.....Boiled linseed oil, cut 50/50 with mineral sprits, CA glue (think pen turning)...Both done on the lathe.....I also like the Beall three way buffing system...Tripoli-White Diamond-Carnauba Wax......The price is all right on the compounds, but the wheels are a little pricey...You can get these at woodcrafters.....I get by with the wheels from Harbor Freight.....

I am looking forward to your finished pipe.....

duckie.....

 

[Cavediver]

Thanks duckie. I wrapped it up last night and will try to have the patience to let it dry slowly...
That'll (probably) keep checks and cracks out of the equation, but I'm not holding my breath over the shrinkage.

Oh well. Live and learn, right? At least I can use it for finishing practice, so it's not a total loss. Since I've never tried the BLO, I'll give that one a shot when it's ready. I'm sure the CA would be a better choice for a user pipe, however, I don't care for the hard plastic shell feeling it leaves (pens excluded).

An interesting side note(to me at least); the remaining 8" spindle is covered in wax on 4 sides and one end. The recently exposed end developed a pair of small checks, about 1/4" long and just barely open. Wood can do some strange things as it dries! I've re-covered the end with paraffin; hopefully it won't get any worse.

 

[Cavediver]

It's almost done.



The bowl warped a bit as it dried. The 18350 battery barely fit in the 3/4" hole that I'd drilled, and the EPM button wouldn't fit the 7/8 recess at all (in one direction). I put it back on the lathe and was able to re-bore and sand out the battery chamber and the button recess, though both are still out of round. It shows a little around the button, but it's acceptable.

After the fix-it work was complete, a 14mm forstner bit made short work of the eGo connector mounting hole. You can't see it in these pictures, but I drilled that hole way too deep. I didn't see this as a problem, but it wasn't my intention.

Another thing you can't see in these photos: the two dents in the bowl and the chips under the connector. I dropped it once during drilling, and again while doing some chisel work to make way for the wires. It was during this step that I also managed to crush the delicate edge at the bottom of the connector hole, resulting in a few small chips. Figuring that the dents would give it character, and that the chips would be a good reminder of what not to do next time, I decided to proceed with the circuit & connector mounting.

There's a 3/16" tall ring of copper under the switch: it's 3/4" copper pipe, cut down with a tube cutter and filed flat / burr free. This is soldered to a wire that runs down the inside of the bowl (epoxied in a groove), and on to the center pin in the connector. There's a Vape Safe fuse in the bottom of the bowl, also epoxied in place. It's wired to the connector housing.

Oops.

The center pin is supposed to be the positive pole, and the housing is supposed to be the negative pole. The battery is supposed to sit with the positive side down.

The circuit is completed when the spring-loaded button is pressed down and makes contact with the copper ring. Since the button needs to sit on the flatter surface of the negative pole, this all causes a small problem: it's possible to short the pipe by connecting the button to the exterior surface of the connector. It's not likely, but it is possible.

Oh well, another point on the list of things not-to-do.

Next, the connector was epoxied in place. After this dried I discovered that the connector is recessed too far into the pipe body to allow for an eGo threaded device (an Evod). Oops again. So, I decided to add a dress cone and use a mini vivi-nova or whatever other 510 threaded device I could find. The upside to this: the vivi-nova works very well with the Cherry Vape drip tip adapter.

The stem is vulcanite, and was purchased as a rough blank via Ebay. It took a bit of filing, a fair bit of wet sanding, and a little heat to form the curve. I also chucked it up in my lathe to turn the tenon that's inside the adaptor. It looks great from the side or if you just take a glance at it, but it's off center, uneven, and I'm not all that happy with it. That's also OK though, because the vulcanite tastes terrible, so I'm going to get rid of it and buy a Lucite stem from David Walker.

I failed to add a finish to the bowl before putting the connector in, so I will need to go back and do that soon. The color in the first picture is fairly accurate, and I like it, so I may just wax it and call it good.

All in all, this was a fun project, and I'm really glad I did it. The results aren't spectacular, or even up to my normal standards, but I'll take it as a first attempt

I've learned a number of lessons and will give this another go in a week or two. In the meantime, I'm going to kick back, read a book, and vape on my new pipe!

 

[Vash]

Thats awesome man! Wish I had some modding skills.Im still trying to just find parts for my simple idea.Thanks again for the links

 

[duckie_44]

Oops........Take heart....Cavediver.......My first attempt looked like a doorknob.......Believe me, nobody would mistake that fine looking pipe for a doorknob.....

Well done.....Sir.......

duckie.......

 

[gwbruce]

That is a great looking pipe. It looks better than my first one. Keep up the good work and you will get better. I know that everytime I make one I learn something new. Also it seams that about half way through a build I get an idea for a new design. Then I can't wait to get the current build finished so I can start the new one. It is a never ending circle. Looking forward to your next one.

 

[WidowsSon]

well done sire... (currently looking for lathe's on craigslist)..... love it. Questions to follow in the next few months. lol.

 

[Cavediver]

Thanks guys. It was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to the next one! I'm going to keep at it with the lathe and some shankless designs, but I've got visions of a couple of sculpted pipes brewing in my head

 

[Peppie]

Great job Cavediver.
So have you got the next one on the bench yet?

I hope my first one turns out as yours has.

I too am shopping CL for a used The addiction just gets deeper!!