Lasse Skovgaard Sandblasted Billiard Tobacco Pipe

Lasse Skovgaard already had pipes in his blood when he followed his father, Benni Jørgensen, into the business as a teenager to make tampers for W.Ø. Larsen. After considerable practice, he began to turn pipes for the venerable Danish firm. He finally ventured into the business under his own name in 2004 when he brought a batch of smooth pipes that he brought to the Chicago pipe show under the advice of family friend and fellow Dane pipe turner Teddy Knudsen. Lasse sold that batch, and the batch he brought to Chicago in 2005, and continues to turn pipes today with a style influenced by that of his father Benni and Teddy.

A lightly tapered Billiard bowl stands at the fore of this pipe from Lasse, sandblasted in waves to give a natural touch to the hand and stained a rich reddish-brown. The bowl is canted lightly forward from the shank and topped with birdseye on the smooth rim. The shank is straight and cylindrical and sandblasted most of the way to the saddle stem, which is made of vulcanite and features especially sharp ridgelines. Though the lines are straightforward, the colors and patterns that Lasse played with in this piece make it a particularly creative work.