Gabrieli Pipes: A Pennsylvania Maker Who Moved from the Kitchen to the Bench

Gabrieli Pipes is the name of a pipe bench Dan Chlebove runs single-handedly in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The brand carries the name of the master's son, Gabriel. Its scale of production is small and does not rely on a lathe: every pipe is shaped by hand, and no two examples are alike. Gabrieli is counted among the generation of small American benches that found buyers in the early 2000s through online communities and auctions.

Shaping and Material

The rough shape is not turned on a lathe; the master works with a rasp and a sanding wheel. This method is preferred because, rather than leaving symmetry to the machine, it allows the work to proceed according to each block's own grain pattern. By the master's own statement, annual production does not exceed sixty.

The briar used for the bodies is mostly plateau block from Italy and Corsica; source texts occasionally mention Algerian briar being used as well, though this has not been independently confirmed. On the mouthpiece side, German ebonite and mottled ebonite (brindle) are prominent, with acrylic also worked on request.

Regulating the airway is one of the details the bench pays attention to. The bore is drilled conically down the shank so its diameter does not narrow; the slot in the mouthpiece is cut by hand and funneled outward to open the draw. A delrin tenon is used at the point where the shank meets the mouthpiece.

Finish and Stamp

The bench turns out both smooth-polished and textured (rustic) surfaces. The tool used for texturing is a simple device made of nails fixed to a perforated aluminum plate; according to accounts in restoration writings, this tool was given to the master by Italian pipe maker Alberto Bonfiglioli following a meeting in Richmond. This information rests on a single source.

The stamp sits under the shank: the name Gabrieli arranged in an arch, with USA below it, and a cross mark referring to the city's Moravian history.

The Master's Background

Chlebove turned to pipe making late in life. Because his father was a carpenter and furniture maker, he had an early acquaintance with wood, but he carried on his own profession for decades in the kitchen, as a cook. In his first attempts he bought his blocks from suppliers of ready material and also bought his mouthpieces, altering them by hand himself.

His recognition grew through competitions a pipe magazine opened to amateur makers. According to records, two of his pieces were published on the honorable-mention list in the 2000 competition, and five of the six pipes he submitted in 2002 found a place in the magazine; since these numbers rest solely on the master's own account, they should be read with caution. In later years his work circulated first through online auctions and then through the brand's own promotional page.