Hard Woods For Pipes

Common New England Hard Woods For Pipe Making

Wood has been used to make smoking pipes for centuries. The main concern for wooden pipes is the wood needs to be resistant to burning so you are smoking what’s in the bowl verses the pipe its self. The harder the wood, the more resistant it is to burning. Briar, which is found in Europe, is from the roots of the shrub tree Erica arborea. It is the modern gold standard for tobacco bowls due to its extreme hardness. Hickory, Maple, Ash, Oak and Cherry are all hard woods that have been used to make tobacco pipes through history, since they are hard. Wood such as Pine, Poplar, and Basswood, are all too soft to smoke out of.

Below is the Junka Hardness Rating for wood. It represents the force in ft/pounds to drive a metal ball 1/2” into a wood plank.

Wood	Ft/Lbs
Briar	2090
Hickory	1820
Maple	1450
Oak	1360
Ash	1320
Cherry	950
Poplar	540

 

Hickory is the hardest, heaviest, and strongest wood found in New England. It has a courser grain with white and brown colored patterns. I haven’t made any pipes from Hickory yet, but have recently found a fallen tree in a forest nearby. It typically is used for tool handles and flooring. 

Maple is the second hardest wood found in New England.This dense hardwood known for its durability, fine straight grain, and light, creamy color. It often has unique figured grain patterns. I have made pipes with a tiger striped grain pattern, which makes the pipe very interesting and beautiful. Maple is the wood of choice for the large spatula used to move pizza and bread in wood and coal fired ovens.

Oak is a strong, dense, durable hardwood known for its resistant to wear and tear. It has a straight grain pattern that makes it easy to identify. Its color varies from warm brown to reddish. It was the wood used to build sailing ships hundreds of years ago. Some of which are still around today.

Ash is a strong, resilient, and flexible hardwood. It is a beautiful wood with a straight and uniform grain, and color ranging from creamy white to light and dark brown. It is the wood used to make baseball bats. Unfortunately Ash trees are being killed by the Emerald Ash Boring Beetle and will face eventual extinction. The forests here in New England are full of dead and dying Ash trees.

Cherry is a durable hardwood prized for its warm, reddish-brown color and fine, straight grain. Compared to Oak, Ash and Maple, it is the softest of the four. Over time with exposure to the environment Cherry develop a patina which darkens the wood till almost black. It is a desirable wood for it’s beauty and has been made into tobacco pipes for centuries.