How to Make a Corncob Pipe

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 Corncob pipes vary in size and shape, so tailor yours to fit your hand comfortably.
 Corncob pipes vary in size and shape, so tailor yours to fit your hand comfortably.
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Use the larger blade of your penknife to dig out the pith to a depth of two inches.
Use the larger blade of your penknife to dig out the pith to a depth of two inches.
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You'll note that the author's corncob pipe is of the
You'll note that the author's corncob pipe is of the "extra-large" variety.
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Employ your finger and knife blade as a gauge.
Employ your finger and knife blade as a gauge.
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Make a hole for the stem with a twist drill.
Make a hole for the stem with a twist drill.
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Prepare the end that presses into the bowl with a diagonal cut.
Prepare the end that presses into the bowl with a diagonal cut.
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Your corncob pipe's stem with a diagonal cut.
Your corncob pipe's stem with a diagonal cut.
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Cut your wild rice stalk above the joint mouthpiece and trim to desired length.
Cut your wild rice stalk above the joint mouthpiece and trim to desired length.
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Press-fit the bowl with a U-shaped cut upward, and there it is. Your dandy new corncob pipe.
Press-fit the bowl with a U-shaped cut upward, and there it is. Your dandy new corncob pipe.
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Clean out the stem joint.
Clean out the stem joint.

True, nobody ought to smoke . . . but if you haven’t kicked the habit yet, you could try doing it in a way that’s safer than cigarettes. Cheaper, too. In fact, the equipment’s free for the making, so… would you like to know how to make a corncob pipe?   

Everybody knows the “farmer’s meerschaum”. At least, we’ve all seen factory-made corncob pipes in the stores — for 50¢ or a buck each — complete with plastic stem and, sometimes, a metal filter that filters nothing, but does heat up the smoke so that it burns your tongue.

It’s pretty certain, however, that the kind of old-timer who made the corncob pipe famous didn’t go to the store when he needed a new one. In the first place, there was probably nowhere to shop within a day’s ride of his place . . . and besides, the thrifty farmer thought, why buy what you can make? If a return to that kind of self-sufficiency makes sense to you — as it does to many folks these days — you may want to try your hand at a homemade smoking tool.

To begin, you have to get hold of a good corncob. I’m serious! Just any old cob won’t do. For one thing, the best pipe material is a recently grown ear that’s still firm and not soft with age. Moreover, I’m told that the new hybrid corns are no dern good for pipe making because they’re bred to produce as much kernel and as little cob as possible. In other words, the pith — the soft core of the ear — is too small to hollow out properly. Corn of the old Yellow Dent variety is probably best, if you can find it.

At any rate, select some likely looking cobs and pick them over to find one that has [1] an end that will fit your hand comfortably and [2] plenty of pith. Needless to say, you’ll have to break a few ears to find out what their structure is like.

  • Published on Jan 1, 1973
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