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The OoOPS Guide
to Indentifying Pipes

Briar pipes come in a tremendous variety of shapes, finishes, grain patterns and brands. When you also consider the endless variety of meerschaum, clay, cherrywood, and corncob pipes, the selections are limitless. Still, there are classifications that have become (somewhat) common and customary. A bit of knowledge about the terms used to describe pipes will save some time and effort when you try to convey your tastes to your local tobacco shop owner. In fact, he or she might be so impressed that you'll get you pipe for free (but don't count on it).

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Identifying Briar Pipes

COMING SOON
Shape Identification Diagrams-useful to identify a pipe you have or just to test your knowledge of pipe shapes; selecting a diagram takes you to a description of the pipe
Finishes-beauty is only skin deep, but ugly is all the way through
Grain-high in fiber (and cholesterol free)

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"Standard" Pipe Shapes

In a real sense, no two pipes are alike; they are like diamonds. However, there are some basic "classic" pipe shapes that most pipes are based on. The main shape names are given below, in alphabetical order, along with information about the shape components. If you wish to review the components, you can select the links just below. Selecting the link on the shape name will take you to photographic examples of the shape (more photos coming in the future).

The names of the shapes are followed by descriptions of its Bowl, Shank, Stem, Angle, (if these matter) and other characteristics.



acorn --occasionally used name for pear bowls, regardless of shank type, whether they are straight or bent.

apple --apple bowl, most often with round shank, may be bent or straight; apples often look like stout billiard pipes.

arrow --occassionally used name for tall pear bowls with round shanks that are bent, especially if the bowl reaches a point at the bottom.

author--round, almost spherical bowl, usually with a round shank; usually about 1/2 bent.

bent-- used to denote any pipe at which the shank an bowl meet at an angle less than 90 degrees. Often, the term is followed by description of the kind of bowl shape, as in "bent billiard," bent apple," and "bent bull(dog)."

billiard--billiard bowl, usually with a round shank, can be bent or straight; typically, a billiard will have a stem about half the length of the pipe. Billiards sort of all look inconspicuous; if undercover cops smoked pipes, they would smoke billiards.

brandyglass --brandyglass bowl, usually with a round shank, can be bent or straight

bulldog--a bulldog bowl, usually with a diamond shank, can be bent or straight; often, one or two thin grooves will be cut around the outside of the bowl at its outermost diameter (at the top of the Dublin part of the bowl). Most bulldogs have tapered stems, but this is not necessary. A bulldog is often referred to as "squat" if the bowl's outside diameter exceeds its hieght.

bull moose --a squat, stout bulldog bowl, with a round, bent shank; usually with a tapered bit. Similar to a Rhodesian, except for the shank.

calabash --technically, a genuine calabash is a S-shaped pipe formed by a special gourd, a rubber or amber stem, and a meerschaum bowl insert. Briar pipes having a similar shape are also referred to as "calabash." They are 1/2 to full bent Dublin pipes with a protruding lip around the rim of the bowl. Any resemblence to Mick Jagger is purely coincidental.

Canadian --any bowl shape (but most commonly a billiard, apple or pot); very long, oval shank; short stem (usually tapered); always a straight pipe. In other words, if the pipe is straight with a shank that is oval and very much longer than the stem, suspect a Canadian. Many smokers find that Canadians are lighter than other straight pipes of the same size, since briar (which makes up the shank) is lighter than the materials that make up the stem. However, the large amount of briar required to make these pipes sometimes makes them more expensive as well. Other long-shanked pipes include the Lovat, Liverpool, and Lumberman.

cherrywood -- poker bowl; round shank; long tapered stem (generally); 1/8 or more bent. Resembles a small log with a branch extending from it. Pipes made of actual cherry wood are especially prized if they are made of a section of branch, about 2 inches in diameter and 3 inches long, used for the bowl and a smaller branch (growing out of the bowl area) used as the shank. Briar pipes carved in this shape are also sometimes referred to as "cherrywood."

chimney --a pipe with a very tall bowl, usually a tall cylindrical billiard. Such pipes are also sometimes called "stack."

chubby --pot or apple bowl, somewhat squat or stout; round, large diameter shank; usually straight.

churchwarden --any bowl (usually apple, billiard or Dublin) with a short shank (usually round) and a very long stem (usually over eight inches); usually the pipe is bent 1/8 or more. These briar pipes are meant to resemble clay tavern pipes, "yards of clay," and "churchwardens" of the seventeenth and eighteenth century. The long stem cools the smoke, but requires use of special long pipe cleaners. With a churchwarden, a smoker can direct the smoke rising up from the bowl away from his face and out a nearby window or fireplace.

Crosby --billiard bowl; round, thin, long shank; long thin tapered stem; always straight. Shape preferred by singer/actor Bing Crosby and identified with him.

Danish --Just as in the case of Danish pastries and Danish modern furniture, an expressive style of pipe-making has been so identified with a country that it has taken on its name. Sometimes this name is given to describe a distinctive type of pipe in which the bowl (usually a Dublin or arrow) has been made angular or pointed towards the bottom; often the shank and bowl appear to meet abruptly. This shape was commonly seen in early freehand pipes from Denmark, hence the names "Danish style" or "Danish freehand.," names which are now used in some circles to denote the shape type in itself, regardless of country of production. Also see freehand.

diplomat --prince or squat apple bowl; oval shank; tapered stem; usually slightly bent. Similar to prince except for shank.

Dublin --pipe with a Dublin bowl; can have any kind of shank and stem; may be bent or straight. Very common shape.

egg --pipe with an egg bowl; can have any kind of shank and stem; may be bent or straight (bents tend to be more common).

four-square --pipe with a four-sided panel bowl , and square shank. Usually, it is straight. The sides of the bowl are flattened so that the bowl takes on a cube or box shape (with rounded corners), and thus resembles a square when viewed from above.

freehand, freeform --any pipe that does not fall into other shape catagories, or that is difficult to describe in terms of bowl shape, shank type, etc. Usually, the pipe-maker allows the shape to be guided by the grain of the briar rather than by other considerations. The term "Danish freehand" is sometimes used to denote a shape type in itself, regardless of country of production, but the same term can be used to describe any freehand from Denmark.

horn --a pipe that looks like a bull's horn, or a bent cone.

Liverpool --billiard, apple, or pot bowl; long round shank; short tapered stem. Differs from a Canadian in that the shank is round, and the stem must be tapered. Similar to Lovat except for the stem.

Lovat, Lovat-Fraser --billiard, apple, or pot bowl; long round shank; short saddle-bit stem. Similar to the Liverpool, except for the stem.

lumberman --use is not standardized. Some pipe-makers use this term to denote a pipe which is a Canadian is all respects but has a saddle-bit stem. Other people use this term to denote any long-shanked pipe that might not qualify as a Canadian (if the shank is oval), or Liverpool or Lovat (if the shank is round).

Oom Paul --tall billiard, egg, or pot bowl; full bent. Named after the first President of South Africa, whose nickname was "Oom Paul," or "Uncle Paul."

oval --pipe whose bowl is wider in the direction of the stem and shank; the bowl thus appears oval or eliptical when viewed from above. This type of bowl is supposed to be good for carrying in one's pocket, thus these are sometimes called "pocket" pipes.

panel --any pipe whose sides have been flattened into planes, so that the bowl looks like a regular polygon from the top. Panels with four sides are most common, but they may have five, six or eight sides. Shank shape is generally unimportant, except in the case of four-square or quaint pipes.

pear --any pipe with a pear bowl; can be straight or bent.

poker --a pipe with poker bowl, a cylindrical bowl not rounded at the bottom; usually stem connects to bowl at abrupt angles, without any sort of contouring or smoothing. Straight pokers with round shanks look like judge's gavels. Pokers with bent stems may be called cherrywoods.

pot --a pipe with a pot bowl, provided it cannot be described any other way. May be bent or straight, and may be found with various shanks, but round or oval seem most common.

prince --bowl resembles squat apple or apple with flattened bottom; shank is round and short, stem is long and almost always tapered; there may be a slight bend, but never more than 1/8. Sometimes called "Prince of Wales," or "Prince Regent," this shape was designed for Prince Albert (Edward VII) of England. A prince with an oval shank (usually bent) is a diplomat.

quaint --name sometimes applied to panel pipes with more than four bowl sides, especially if the shank has as many sides as the bowl.

Rhodesian --bulldog bowl (usually squat); bent diamond shank; tapered stem. Similar to a bull moose, except for the shank. Attempts to rename this shape "Zimbabwian" have been thus unsuccessful.

sax --name applied to either a horn-shaped pipe or a bent pipe with pot bowl (some pipe-makers use this name on what would otherwise be called an Oom Paul).

stack --a pipe with a very tall bowl, usually a tall cylindrical billiard. Such pipes are also sometimes called "chimney."

Woodstock --Dublin bowl (usually), bowl is bent away from smoker; shank is usually oval. Some pipe-makers use this name for any pipe in which the bowl's top is tipped away from the smoker, but the Dublin is most common.

yachtsman --Dublin bowl (usually), bowl is bent away from smoker; shank is usually oval.

Zulu --Dublin bowl (usually), bowl is bent away from smoker; shank is usually oval. Usually, a Zulu's bowl is tipped away from the smoker at a much greater angle than would be typical of a Woodstock.





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