Anyone Dislike Billiards?

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sasquatch

Lifer
Jul 16, 2012
1,683
2,862
I never liked or understood billiards for years, and my pipe collection reflected that, and my carving reflected that too. Then I went back a learned how to make a billiard. That was about 10 years ago, I've made about 300 since, and I'm honestly starting to really feel like I understand them now. The shaping is so subtle, the difference between the bowl shape on a billiard and a Canadian for example, for the whole thing to look right... it's interesting stuff, and yes, difficult as hell. It's one thing to hit the mathematics of the shape, another entirely to make it look nice on top of that.

The are a great all purpose pipe, comfortable, low maintenance, light and classic. The truest of the true gentleman's pipe in my book. So I've come full circle, I see just about every other production pipe as being an expression, a derivative of the billiard, a sort of evolutionary branch. It's not true of course, there were thousands of pipes before the billiard proper was a thing. But if I see a briar pipe, I see a pipe that owes it's heritage to billiards in some way.

I was told a long while back: "Classics done right always sell. And if they don't, they aren't done right." That's true, as far as I have experienced, and I sell an absolute pile of very simple, very dressed-down pipes.

IMG_0640.JPG

And in fact I've seen a resurgence of this in the pipe making community, particularly American, where Jesse Jones, Ryan Alden, Scottie Piersel, they sell plenty of these things too, and there's a new crop of carvers aiming at it, learning the ins and outs of these old shapes. It's a very good training ground, whether you move on from it or not, but really understanding billiards is very very helpful as a carver.
 

RookieGuy

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 2, 2021
238
559
Maryland
I have a few billiards, bent and straight. They smoke good, but it's not a shape that really does anything for me. I really like the variants in the family (pots and brandys and I have a panel on the way), and I'm more drawn to the bent anything than the straight. But in the end, a straight billiard will be one of those pipes that I'll always have one or two in my collection but it won't be my soul stirring pipe. They smoke to well to ignore, but lack panache.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I find the simplicity of the billiard the key to its expressiveness when it is done with craftsmanship and feeling. The proportions and balance of the shape are widely variable, and canting the bowl a little or tapering the stem just right give a whole new feel. All billiards, bent and straight, have wide latitude in craft and artistry, but the straight billiard, being about the simplest of designs, can give the most excitement when done just right. Some of this is true of other shapes, like the poker and the apple, but for shear intensity of nuance, the straight billiard is a major shape.
 

tobefrank

Lifer
Jun 22, 2015
1,367
5,005
Australia
I never liked or understood billiards for years, and my pipe collection reflected that, and my carving reflected that too. Then I went back a learned how to make a billiard. That was about 10 years ago, I've made about 300 since, and I'm honestly starting to really feel like I understand them now. The shaping is so subtle, the difference between the bowl shape on a billiard and a Canadian for example, for the whole thing to look right... it's interesting stuff, and yes, difficult as hell. It's one thing to hit the mathematics of the shape, another entirely to make it look nice on top of that.

The are a great all purpose pipe, comfortable, low maintenance, light and classic. The truest of the true gentleman's pipe in my book. So I've come full circle, I see just about every other production pipe as being an expression, a derivative of the billiard, a sort of evolutionary branch. It's not true of course, there were thousands of pipes before the billiard proper was a thing. But if I see a briar pipe, I see a pipe that owes it's heritage to billiards in some way.

I was told a long while back: "Classics done right always sell. And if they don't, they aren't done right." That's true, as far as I have experienced, and I sell an absolute pile of very simple, very dressed-down pipes.

View attachment 89480

And in fact I've seen a resurgence of this in the pipe making community, particularly American, where Jesse Jones, Ryan Alden, Scottie Piersel, they sell plenty of these things too, and there's a new crop of carvers aiming at it, learning the ins and outs of these old shapes. It's a very good training ground, whether you move on from it or not, but really understanding billiards is very very helpful as a carver.
That is a really nice classic billiard. Very close to a lot of Dunhill billiards. I think this one is nicer.

I personally like a less classic Danish take on the billiard. Would it be correct to say that the Danes seem to add more taper and 'bulge' to the bowl, which often makes them borderline brandies?
 

sasquatch

Lifer
Jul 16, 2012
1,683
2,862
That is a really nice classic billiard. Very close to a lot of Dunhill billiards. I think this one is nicer.

I personally like a less classic Danish take on the billiard. Would it be correct to say that the Danes seem to add more taper and 'bulge' to the bowl, which often makes them borderline brandies?
Yes, in fact I'm going to go and steal a picture from a promising carver, be right back.

Aidan Hesslewood posted this in a pipe making group, asking for critique. It's a great looking pipe, cut cleanly, no wobbles, all the proportions are lovely, and that's mostly what people were saying. I offered him a sort of meta-critique, suggesting that everything about the pipe was super old-school, except the bowl shape, which is not a "classic" billiard shape at all.

Aidan.jpg

And that kind of bowl is what we see in Danish handmade billiards, and it has started to infiltrate even "The White Spot" pipes.

Compare with a really wonderful example of "British" billiarding: barlingbilly.jpg


And you see how much lighter the cut of the Barling's bowl is, for example, so much less chin and "skirt" - the mid point of the bowl is probably the fattest part, like a very subtle barrel. And particularly on a long thin pipe like Aidan's, my eye would rather see that, expects to see that.

We had a nice little discussion about this on pipemakers the other day too: gets pretty dry if you aren't a billiard nerd. Billiard profile reference photos - pipemakersforum.com - https://www.pipemakersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12500
 

tobefrank

Lifer
Jun 22, 2015
1,367
5,005
Australia
Yes, in fact I'm going to go and steal a picture from a promising carver, be right back.

Aidan Hesslewood posted this in a pipe making group, asking for critique. It's a great looking pipe, cut cleanly, no wobbles, all the proportions are lovely, and that's mostly what people were saying. I offered him a sort of meta-critique, suggesting that everything about the pipe was super old-school, except the bowl shape, which is not a "classic" billiard shape at all.

View attachment 89632

And that kind of bowl is what we see in Danish handmade billiards, and it has started to infiltrate even "The White Spot" pipes.

Compare with a really wonderful example of "British" billiarding: View attachment 89633


And you see how much lighter the cut of the Barling's bowl is, for example, so much less chin and "skirt" - the mid point of the bowl is probably the fattest part, like a very subtle barrel. And particularly on a long thin pipe like Aidan's, my eye would rather see that, expects to see that.

We had a nice little discussion about this on pipemakers the other day too: gets pretty dry if you aren't a billiard nerd. Billiard profile reference photos - pipemakersforum.com - https://www.pipemakersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12500
That's is a nice nerdy discussion on billiard shaping, but great to see some examples. Thanks.
 

jpberg

Lifer
Aug 30, 2011
2,904
6,540
Yes, in fact I'm going to go and steal a picture from a promising carver, be right back.

Aidan Hesslewood posted this in a pipe making group, asking for critique. It's a great looking pipe, cut cleanly, no wobbles, all the proportions are lovely, and that's mostly what people were saying. I offered him a sort of meta-critique, suggesting that everything about the pipe was super old-school, except the bowl shape, which is not a "classic" billiard shape at all.

View attachment 89632

And that kind of bowl is what we see in Danish handmade billiards, and it has started to infiltrate even "The White Spot" pipes.

Compare with a really wonderful example of "British" billiarding: View attachment 89633


And you see how much lighter the cut of the Barling's bowl is, for example, so much less chin and "skirt" - the mid point of the bowl is probably the fattest part, like a very subtle barrel. And particularly on a long thin pipe like Aidan's, my eye would rather see that, expects to see that.

We had a nice little discussion about this on pipemakers the other day too: gets pretty dry if you aren't a billiard nerd. Billiard profile reference photos - pipemakersforum.com - https://www.pipemakersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12500
Did Wayne call you George?
That’s quick escalation right there.
 

jon11

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2013
619
591
I thought I was done with my 'collection' of 10 pipes, but then I started thinking that I would really want a straight saddle billiard to round it out.

I'm typically not a fan of billiards unless they have a saddle stem and (near) perfect proportions. I'm mostly drawn to Danish style billiards.

I may have to commission one when I have a suitable occassion to justify it. I found this one on Suhr's website that looks perfect to my eyes.

View attachment 89411
View attachment 89412
That does look pretty damn perfect!
 
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