Woods Used by The Mill for our Wood Pipes, Dugouts, & Bowls
Spectacular wood varieties from all over the world have inspired The Mill for over 40 years. Below are brief descriptions of some of our favorite woods or “ultra-exotics”:
COCOBOLO-“COKE” is somewhat variable in color when freshly sawn, with the heartwood usually turning to a deep rich orange, with black striping or mottling on exposure to air. Natural oils give the wood a good polish, helping make it one of the finest decorative woods in existence. From Southern Mexico and Central America, it is also known as Grenadillo, Funera, Palo Negro, Nambar and Cocobolo Prieto.
BACOTE-is tan to reddish brown with irregular blackish streaks and variations. The bold figure is sharply delineated, putting BACOTE in an elite class of decorative woods. It is found in Southern Mexico and Central America.
HONDURAS ROSEWOOD-is pinkish brown to purple with alternating dark and light zones, forming a very attractive figure. “HONDAROS” is used in high end musical instruments. It is dense, substantial and a star among ultra-exotics.
CANARY WOOD-the heartwood is straw colored with occasional”rainbow hues”. It has a high luster, a texture that varies from fine to coarse and grain that can be straight or irregular. Its low shrinkage rates make this wood useful where stability and fit are concerned.
PAU FERRO or MORADO-the heartwood is brown to dark violet brown, often streaked, and rather waxy. It has a high luster, a fine texture and is sometimes walnut scented. This wood is used for the same purposes as the extremely scarce BRAZILIAN ROSEWOOD.
EAST INDIAN ROSEWOOD-the heartwood varies in color from golden brown to dark purple with even darker streaks giving this wood a beautiful figure. This is one of the true ultra-exotics. Uses include fine furniture and cabinet work, musical instruments, decorative veneers and specialty items such as pipes.
TEAK -the heartwood is a dark, golden yellow, turning a dark brown with exposure. It is often variable in color when freshly machined, showing blotches and streaks of various shades. The grain is straight but with some variation. TEAK is one of the most valuable of all the timbers, dominating in the boating industry and highly coveted for use in architectural mill work. Due to its dimensional stability, the Mill uses TEAK for dovetail doors and other applications where shrinking and swelling must be kept to a minimum. The design for the original DUGOUT specified TEAK for the dovetail door and body and it remains popular to this day.
Comments (3)
Glad I found your site. I’ve been looking for a certain wood pipe with a swing lid for awhile now and was about to give up when I did a search again and found you. Thanks for a great product. I’ve not even received them yet but know I won’t be disappointed.
Wanted to give Hal a shout out. A few years ago I called and Hal was the only one there. He stopped what he was working on to take my call. He actually took a special order for 2 Z-4’s with no inlay on the lid. He said he would see what he could do. I say about a week later I recieved them as I wanted. I’m about to order a couple more and would love to have the old Mill stamp on the bottom like they did in the 80’s. I always liked the Z-4 because of the longer stem and no plastic mouth piece. Been a fan for quite a long time now.
I had Mills from as early as 1982 I believe. I also remember the non – Mill stamped period. Just recently in late 2023 we moved to a new address and my pipes were lost. My favorite one was a long stem. I had some other really nice ones from the period. I am a fine art photographer, and one of my pictures from 1982 was called “The Pipe Box”, and it featured Mills. I miss my pipes, and was quite sentimental about them. Would it be possible to get a teak long stem with “The Mill” stamp? It can’t replace my old vintage ones, but it would be a start. Thanks for the memories.
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