Ozark Mountain Briars-About the Pipe Artisan

About the Pipe Artisan David Johnson

I dislike those cold, third person narratives on these "about me" pages, so this one is a little different. Since its me writing it I'll talk about myself and what I do. Hopefully it will give the reader a sense of who I am.

I began pipe making in the fall of 2004, although I didn't really get into the craft until 6 or 7 months later. The reason I got into it is simple. I like to hand craft things. I love doing anything that requires some skill and craftsmanship. I also would rather make something for myself than buy it already made by someone else. I've been a pipe smoker for more than 20 years and always had some desire to know how a pipe was made. Living in an area that isn't big on pipe smoking, I was mostly unaware of the world of hand crafted pipes. Our local tobacco shops are stocked full of Dr. Grabow's, with an occasional Kaywoodie thrown in so my contact with anything more than a machine made "basket pipe" was limited.

In the fall of 2004 I tore my Achilles Tendon at work and had a few months off. I began looking for information about hand crafting pipes during my recuperation time, and bought a couple pre-drilled "pipe kits". After working with the kits I'd bought, I went looking for more information and my internet searches led me to the site of Tyler Lane Pipes. (Tyler has since stopped making pipes, but his informational site lives on under different masters!) Tyler's site was a wealth of information including videos of the pipe making process, as well as a vast forum of information from other pipe makers. My interest grew as I read through the forum and asked questions of the many pipe makers found there. Being in an area devoid of makers, finding a site like that was a godsend! I had access to pipe masters that were willing to share their knowledge and the process of making a pipe. From there everything snowballed!

The hand crafting of a tobacco pipe is a process that requires the artisan to be part designer, part engineer, part visionary, and all craftsman and artist. Pipe crafting is fun, challenging, very rewarding, enjoyable, frustrating and time consuming. It requires great concentration, an attention to detail and a great deal of patience! And that's what attracts me to it so much! Taking a block of briar and creating something beautiful as well as functional is one of the most rewarding experiences I've had in my life. And each and every pipe, or attempt at a pipe brings new challenges and requires new focus and determination.

My pipe making style tends to lean toward the more traditional. Although as I progress through this craft, I'm sure I'll develop more artistic shapes and designs. I like inlays and shank caps/extensions, so you'll find most of my pipes have some sort of decorative work on them. I normally use domestic and exotic woods for the decorations to fit with a "natural" flow of a pipe. Not that I have anything against the use of other decorative products, I like working with the natural woods, and think they match with the natural briar.

Beyond pipe making, I live in the Northwest Corner of Arkansas. (one of the fastest growing areas of the country, thanks to Wal-Mart.) I am an avid fly fisherman, and make my living building custom fly fishing rods. I paint with watercolor and oil, do an odd bit of landscape photography at times. I'll try anything that takes creativity! I have lived in the Ozark Mountains region of SW Missouri and NW Arkansas for nearly 40 years. It is an area of great natural beauty, that lends itself to quiet contemplation and relaxation. The same qualities that can be found in smoking a bowl of good tobacco, in a finely hand crafted tobacco pipe!

The Journey down this road is not complete. And my best is yet to Come!

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David Johnson