Engineering Principles

In our pipe communities, a great deal of time and no little energy has been expended on what is commonly called “engineering.” There is no shortage of argument concerning those variables that combine to produce an excellent smoker. Draft hole dimensions, air-flow, whether or not one should polish a pipe’s interior passages, the design of the last inch of the stem (button end), the precision of mortise and tenon dimensions – there are varying degrees of disagreement and consensus as to how these features of a pipe should be designed and accomplished, and the extent to which they contribute to a pipe’s superior smoking qualities.

Discussions concerning chamber geometry have been relatively absent, especially compared to discussions regarding how how open or constricted a draft hole should be. All other things being equal, my hunch is that there is no more important design variable than chamber geometry, especially when it comes to how amenable specific pipes are to different tobacco types and blends.