Todd Johnson

Todd Johnson is an American pipe maker who grew up in Alabama. He is known for combining the technical discipline he gained from Denmark's high-grade pipe tradition with academic study of aesthetics. He is counted among the names that have shaped the course of the US handmade pipe scene over the past quarter century, not only through the work coming out of his own bench but also through the number of makers who passed through his workshop and later became known under their own names.

Greek References and Grading System

Ancient Greek architecture is an explicit reference point in Johnson's work; the stoa that gives his brand its name refers to a covered gallery lined with a row of columns. His grading system draws on the same vocabulary: the entry grade is Hoplite, the higher grade Phalanx, and the top-tier limited production is called Phalanx Q. The last two digits of the four-digit number stamped on his pipes indicate the year of manufacture; a pipe finished in 2025 accordingly carries a stamp ending in "25."

On the shape side, what stands out is his layering of Denmark's flowing lines with a pursuit of classical proportion and balance. Bamboo shank applications and freehand shapes evoking shells and seashells are among his best-known work.

Technique from the Danish Line

Having worked extensively with wood before turning to pipes gave him a ready bench and an established hand. By his own account, he made his first pipe from walnut in the spring of 2000. His guiding resource in the early years was the pages of Talbert Pipes, one of the few pipe sites on the internet at the time, and his correspondence with its maker, Trever Talbert.

Working at Tom Eltang's workshop in Taarbæk, north of Copenhagen, in the winter of 2001 changed the direction of his work. On top of the methods Eltang had inherited from the Poul Rasmussen workshop, lessons taken from Lars Ivarsson brought the Sixten Ivarsson line into the mix as well; Johnson thus found himself connected to several branches of the Danish school at once.

The most visible result of this training is a reversal of the usual working order. In common practice, the block is first cut in two dimensions, then thinned on the lathe. In the order Johnson adopted, the body is shaped by hand and the drilling left until last. Setting up the sequence this way allows the flow of the grain in the block to be factored in before the shape is finalized — an approach now widespread in high-grade pipe making.

Production and Students

Production has been kept small-scale from the start, with the top grade made only in limited numbers. Johnson has also treated passing on what he learned as part of the craft, running his workshop for a long time like an apprenticeship setting. By his own account, makers now known under their own names — including Adam Davidson, Brad Pohlmann, Grant Batson, Jonas Rosengren, Pete Prevost, and Micah Cryder — worked alongside him at one point or another.

He is also reported to have produced collaborative work with Hiroyuki Tokutomi and the S. Bang workshop. Such collaborations are notable for showing just how far an American maker's connection to the Danish and Japanese lines extends.