Evening star., 1896-12-26
Many a wassail bout
Wears the long winter out;
OFTEN their midnight shout
Sets the cocks growing
THE BRIER PIPE,
where the Material Comes From md
How the Bowl is Cut.
From tie New York SUM-

From tie New York Sun.
The orier used in the making of brier
pipes comes chiefly from France, and large
ly from the region of the Pyrenees: it Is
said that the very best brier comes frora
Sicily. Only the rot, or that part of the
wood that grows underground is used Ii
Is sawed into oblong blocks which have no
sembance to the form of pipe, but each
CT sufhcient dimensions to permit the fash
ionlns OF pipe from 1t. The sawed blocks
are soaked in salt water. dried and sea-
soned- They are imported into this coun-
try in large bags.
In the pipe factory here the brier blocks
are sorted out in sizes, for larger and small
er pipes, and then, if necessary they are
trimmed down before going to the ma
chitcs that are actually to shape the nine. j..
niue slabs or bits may be sawed OFF the
block to bring 1T down close to the size of
the pipe that is to be cut from it; but not
much needs TO be cut off. for the blocks are
sawed originally so that there will be as
little waste as possible. Then the brier
block gees to the borer. the first of the
machines employed in the actual fashion
ing of the pipe.
The boring machine has three knives. set
IN the same plane: the middle knife bores
out the bowl of the pipe, the two outer
knives cut away the wood on the outside
and form the shape of the pipe. These
hnlSes. SET IN lathe. make more than 4.0oD
revolutions minute. The middle knife
which bores out the bowl, is longer than
the two outside knives, which shape the
Fowl the borer cuts the pipe out to its
full depth. the cutters in the case of an
eeg-shaped pipe, dig down to the point of
the pipes greatest circumference In mak-
ing a wood pipe of the bulldog shane an
adoltlonal side tool is used to shape the
boWl for little space below its greatest
circumference. In making an egr-sbanei
pipe the knives are made to turn: in MAX
irg pipe Of bulldog shape the block is re-
rclved.
AS the brier block comes from the boreS
it is still brier block, with the pine bowl
bored down into one end of it and the OUT
SIDE OF the pipe bowl-shaped down for half
It's depth The block with the pipe thus
partly cut in it goes to a lathe similar to
the lathes used in cutting gun stocks and
other irregular fo-ms. The cutting foil
used with this lathe is circular. like a cir
GUAR saw: 1t has peculiar. knife-like teeth
1t Is revolved, like a circular saw. at hiyh
velocity. The brier block, with the bowl
partly shaped out, Is secured upon the
latne. 10 which has already been attached
metal patterns of the shape that ii is de-
sired 10 cut The block This metal pattern
Is made to turn against a smooth-edged
wheel attached to the lathe The brie-
Dlock turns with the pattern. and is brought
INTO contact with the smooth wheel AS the
pattern is turned the center line of the
block Is brought near to it or recedes from
the teeth cut into the wood deeply or light
ly accordingly. Whether the stem of the
pipe is round, oval or square makes no dif-
ference; the cutting wheel cuts AWAY the
wood so that the wood that is left is shared
In accordance with the pattern
The work of the irregular lathe is done
very quickly. and the pipe comes from IT
with the bowl and stem completely shaped
out. but there Is as yet no hole in the stem
The stem here spoken Of is the brier stem
continuous from the bowl, and not a bit
or mouthpiece.
The pipe is then rough finished and fine
finished on wheels covered, one with coarse
and the other with fine sandpaper and SUBJ
seQuently is further fine finished by POLISH
Ing 1t on wheel with ground pumice stone
After the first finishing the pipes are as
serted into firsts and seconds Firsts are
pipes without blemish: seconds are pipes
that have any outside defect.
The hole through the stem is bored with
a steel wire having cutting tip and turn
ing rapidly in a lathe. Fine pipes are cen
tered, SO that the hole through the stem
may be bored exactly in the center: orii-
nary pipes are held against the wire borer
by hand, but pipes thus bored are almost
without exception bored sQuarely In the
Then the pipe goes into another machine
which cuts the thread in the end of the
stem to hold the biz, or mouthpiece Then
the band, II 1t is to have one, around the
wood stem where 1t is Joined by the bit or
mouthptece, Is put on, and the bit is at
tachcd to the pipe.