Scott Thile's Journey
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 9:33AM | Neill Archer Roan | Permalink tagged Artisans, Scott Thile, Todd Johnson | in Artisan, Artisanal Pipes, People 
Last month, when I was at the Kansas City Pipe and Tobacco Show, I purchased one new pipe: a square -shanked smooth bent egg by American artisan Scott Thile. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed getting to know Scott while watching his pipe-making skills develop.
When I walked up to Scott’s table, it was immediately apparent that his work had markedly improved. There were several very nice pipes on his table, most of them smaller, lighter, and with more sophisticated shapes than I had heretofore seen from him.
The quality of the finish work, especially Scott’s contrast staining, struck me as particularly attractive. Contrast staining can sometimes produce a slight gaudiness, but Scott’s stains were subtle and restrained. They enriched the briar grain without unduly distracting from the whole.
When one has repeatedly walked pipe show aisles, looking at work for sale, it is easy to write off this or that carver. It is all too easy to appraise someone’s work as good, but not great.
I have often thought how difficult it must be to have one’s pipes picked up and examined, only to have them put back down over and over again, knowing that the work arrayed on the table represents a lot of time, no little money, and one’s best efforts. Often, these carvers will ask for a straightforward, critical appraisal of their work. “Tell me what I need to do differently,” or “What is it that I need to improve on?” are statements I’ve heard more than a few times.
Personally, I think I’m the wrong person to ask. While I know what I’m looking for and the dimensions with which I appraise quality, the feedback I might offer is unlikely to be all that useful. When I have decided to offer feedback, it is only in the context of a friendship within which I believe the person asking knows, by saying something, I am showing respect and trying to be helpful. Still, how helpful can I be? I’m not an artisan nor do I have an artisan’s eye. As much as a collector’s eye might be helpful, I can’t explain how to operationalize my observations.
American pipe maker Scott ThileI have had a few such conversations with Scott Thile in the past. He is a gentle bear of a man – soft-spoken, warm, and thoughtful. His easy-going, direct gaze inspires trust. I have always liked him and I have always wanted to buy a pipe from him, so I always go by to see his work.
This year I could not help but notice that his work had transformed. I’d told Scott that when he made a pipe that had it all – compactness, light-weight, good balance, a capacious bowl, good graining, and an impeccable fit and finish – that I would add his work to my collection.
Following the trajectory of an artisan’s development has surprised me at times. Like many developing carvers, I found most of Scott’s previous work to be too large for me and also too heavy. I thought he left too much wood on the pipe. While it must be scary to keep removing material when the grain looks good, it is required to make a fine pipe. As Tom Eltang once told a good artisan friend of mine when asked to look over a pipe, “There’s a good pipe in there somewhere.”
It can seem like some artisans become good overnight, but in actuality most develop over a considerable period of time. When an artisan’s work comes into its own, the sense of immediacy in terms of attracting attention can be remarkable. I wondered, “What bellwether event had occurred to propel Scott forward so far so fast?”
I learned, once again, that Todd Johnson had made his mark on yet again another aspiring pipe maker.
When I spoke to Scott yesterday by telephone, he described his experience. “I learned more from Todd in three days than in all my other learning combined,” Scott exclaimed. “Watching Todd detailing a pipe out with such precision was amazing. There is a really phenomenal level of precision, beauty, and attention to detail that goes into one of his pipes. I suspected that was the case, but seeing it happen opened the world up for me in terms of looking at my own work. He helped me raise the bar for my own work and get it to the next level.”
“His whole approach to working with the sanding wheel is phenomenal. He has a gift for seeing what’s in the block and for working with that 36 grit wheel–a pretty coarse wheel. With that wheel, you’re looking at removing a lot of material at once. It seemed to me at first like approaching a block with a jackhammer, but Todd has perfected the art of approaching the wood with that wheel. He is able to remove very small amounts of material when he is finishing the shape.”
“Todd is capable of incredibly precise work with that tool,” Scott explained. “A huge part of the actual pipe is done right there at that wheel, including the stem. It is remarkable. He has a wonderful way. And he’s so young, too! When you think about people with that level of mastery and experience, you usually think about someone a lot older. Todd reminds me of my son, Chris, in terms of his commitment to his own talent and his degree of accomplishment.” (Chris Thile is an original member of the band Nickel Creek, a current member of Punch Brothers, and is considered by many musicians to be one of the world’s best mandolin players.)
Brad Pohlmann, Jeff Gracik, Todd Johnson, Steve Morrisette and Lars Ivarsson discuss a design.Scott’s enthusiasm for Todd Johnson’s mentorship did not beggar my belief at all. Having witnessed similar impacts on Brad Pohlmann, Jeff Gracik, Adam Davidson, Steve Morrisette, and Bruce Weaver, I found his testimony like déja vu all over again. Todd Johnson is a formidable artisan, to be sure, but he is also equipped to teach others. More, his generosity with those who want to learn from him is often spoken about.
Mentorship can sometimes lead to aesthetic homogeneity. It is not at all uncommon for developing artisans of any sort to go through an imitative period in their development before they emerge with their own voice. I was pleased to see how differentiated Scott Thile’s work remained. None of the pipes on his table looked like anyone else’s work, particularly the pipe I selected, however one collector-friend of mine saw me smoking Scott Thile’s pipe and asked if it was a Bang. Another forum colleague made the same observation in writing. I suppose if one’s work is going to be compared to someone, being compared to the Per Hansen and Ulf Noltensmeier is no insult.
This Thile pipe surprised me in some ways. For example, I generally do not like square-shanked pipes, especially with billiard or apple bowl shapes; they seem clunky to me. However, the square shank on this pipe is elegant and creates an interesting geometrical counterpoint to the sweeping arc of the shank bottom and the bowl curvature. I quite like how Scott used the delicate boxwood floc to transition to the stem.
I am also very impressed by the exquisitely articulated transition from bowl to shank. Both the shank and bowl edges are sharply defined and the curved line marking the border between the bowl cheeks and the shank end is clean, sharp, and continuous. I understand from conversations with other artisans that this is not simple or easy to accomplish, and Thile got it right.
This pipe is a very good smoker–cool, dry, and flavorful. The draw has that barely noticeable resistance that I personally prefer because I find it helps concentrate the smoke flavor to my palate. Obviously, its weight is amenable to clenching, and the hand feel is what one would expect from a bent apple; it is comfortable.
As I wrote above, this is a relatively small pipe. It measures 5.25 inches (133 mm) in length, 1.8 inches (45 mm) bowl height, and weighs 45 grams. The chamber bore is .75 inches (19 mm) in diameter and 1.4 inches (36 mm) in depth.
When I inquired about Scott’s briar source yesterday I learned that this pipe was fashioned from Calabrian briar that was sourced from Vito Carlino. “The wood is very good,” Scott said, “but there is a little more work to find the pipe inside the block.” From these pictures, you can appraise for yourself how well Scott did in locating the pipe within the bloc.
Recently, Scott has been buying briar from Manno in Italy. “He’s an up-and-coming cutter who has been cutting a long time. A number of people have been having conversations with him in Chicago and have also been buying his wood. I saw Jeff Gracik speaking with him and four or five of the Danes also came over and talked with him through an Italian interpreter, including Tom Eltang and Teddy Knudsen. “I’m also looking forward to being able to buy wood from Mimmo,” Scott said. “A lot of the best pipe makers work with Mimmo’s wood.”
Looking into the future, Scott is planning on making more pipes, but he hopes to enhance his shop facilities and improve his tools. When he worked in Todd Johnson’s shop he appreciated the quality of tools.
“Todd has a very large lathe that facilitates some different approaches to things. It is so much more rigid in construction and is capable of finer, more stable cuts. Certain kinds of finishing work end up being much more precise with that machine. I’m hoping to make a change up to that larger lathe, but right now it is quite a bit beyond me. It will be expensive to buy a larger lathe. Then, there is the matter of having the space for it, too, but I think I’ve worked that out.”
Like many other pipe makers, Scott Thile has not yet reached full-time status as a pipe maker. He also is a piano technician. He spoke a bit about the similarities between the two worlds. “There are so many little details when it comes to pipe making. It reminds me a little of regulating the action on a piano. Regulation involves many different steps. Every time you take a step in one direction, it affects all the other steps. There is a circle of refinement. Pipe making is that way, too.”
Reader Comments (4)
Neill, having met Scott at the Kansas City show, observed his work and handled the pipe you are referencing, I completely agree with your assessment. I only wish that I had come home with one of his pieces but others beat me to the ones that caught my eye.
It was also a pleasure to meet and spend time with Todd Johnson. That he gives so much of his talent, time and encouragement to those sharing a passion for the hobby was not lost on me.
Articles like this do so much to enhance our knowledge of the carvers and also those helping them along the way. To me, acquiring a pipe from these gentlemen has a personal element that goes beyond the briar.
Neill, I really enjoyed this blog post. Usually I'm focused on the pipe you post about (and it is a beauty) but this time I learned so much about both the process of collecting and even more about the process of creating. This was one of my most enjoyable reads to date and I thank you.
Scott is a wonderfully kind and generous fellow. He is one of those guys that you meet every now and again that strikes you as a genuinely good man,
Like you Neill, I have greatly enjoyed watching Scott grow in his pipe making. And that piece that you bought is obviously very nice. As one who dabbles at pipe making myself, I've had the privilege of talking with many, if not most of the pipe makers in the world. A semi-regular question that is discussed, especially among us hobby-ist newbies to the craft, is who's work do you most admire? The customary names all quickly have representation, but in my experience it is striking how often S. Bang comes to the top as a master of shape. For Scott's pipe to have been mistaken for the work of Ulf or Per is perhaps the second highest compliment a pipe maker might receive.
I suspect Scott is well on his way to hearing the highest compliment:
OH! That must be a Scott Thile? That's marvelous!
It won't be long.
Tyler
Neill, When I first saw the Thile pipe I liked it so much that I wanted it. You know it takes a lot for me to be drawn to a pipe that isn't made in Cantu, Italy. Thile's pipe, now your pipe, is simple enough and straight forward enough to be so tempting. The square shank and the lines of the bowl are done extremely well. I need to mention the stain choice gives the pipe an image from the past like the color of pipes from England, made back during the glory years of English pipe making. I no longer feel that I want the pipe, but if I should come across Mr. Thile at a show and all is right it might mean there could be a Thile in Castello land.