Once upon a time, a very good friend gave me a pipe carving kit for Xmas. You have undoubtedly seen these. They are raw Briar blocks with the bowl and draw holes drilled and the stem attached. I thought it very clever, even if I had no interest in smoking pipe tobacco.
I had always had a vague interest in woodcarving, but never a good excuse to give it a try. After a few weeks, I dove in and created the pipe I use today (featured hanging from the face in the CDXX Logo). It was a decent effort, but I knew I could do better. I soon purchased two more pre-made kits and challenged myself to be more ambitious.
With my improved confidence in my carving ability, I wanted to try it from scratch. I found and ordered raw briar blocks from the Mediterranean and stems/mouthpieces from around the globe. I set about to match components, design, fabricate and finish as many pipes as I could.
What started as a clever Xmas gift has blossomed into a very satisfying hobby. It is my dream to develop my skills and clientele to a point where this can become my primary pursuit on this planet.
A word about tobacco pipes:
As I stated earlier, I am not a smoker of tobacco pipes. My pipe use is limited to herbal blends. The traditional tobacco pipe bowl chamber is generally too large and not shaped properly for use as an herb pipe. For these reasons, as I began to manufacture my own pipes, I designed a bowl chamber system that works for herbal blends. The primary difference is the size (generally much smaller), straight walls (vs. tapered) and a cooling chamber between the bowl chamber and draw hole.
Many hours of R&D have convinced me this is a superior design for Herbal Pipes. I am proud to be able to share the beauty of the briar burl, the craftsmanship of the traditional pipe-maker, and my own artistic sensibilities to the fine products of CDXX Pipes.

Peace,

-TJ