Tonni Nielsen

Tonni Nielsen is a Danish pipe maker who trained in Copenhagen and has spent most of his career in the United States. He is known for original shapes that follow the grain of the wood rather than classic proportions; his work is placed within the second generation of the Danish school tradition.

Apprenticeship at the Larsen Workshop

He entered the trade at sixteen, taken on at the workshop of W.Ø. Larsen, Copenhagen's storied pipe house. By his own account he was born in Copenhagen in 1953, and had considered going into tool-and-die making before giving up the idea. After a preparatory period of about three years, he began producing his own fantasy and straight-grain pipe designs under the Larsen roof. He counts bench colleagues Hans "Former" Nielsen and Teddy Knudsen as his mentors; in later years he himself taught pipe making to young makers who joined the workshop.

The W.Ø. Larsen workshop was one of the centers that trained masters in Danish pipe making in the 1970s, and Nielsen's generation is largely associated with these benches. Records indicate he founded his own business in 1978. From that point on, while sending pipes signed under his own name to various countries, he also continued supplying part of his production to W.Ø. Larsen.

The Kentucky Bench

In 1983 he settled in the state of Kentucky in the United States with his American wife and two children. He has worked from a basement workshop at his home ever since. He describes taking up tennis because pipe making was a solitary pursuit, eventually going as far as coaching in the sport and running both occupations together.

Material and Stem

The briar he uses is predominantly Corsican in origin; he occasionally turns to Greek blocks as well. Block selection weighs grain direction, the block being large enough to carry the shape, and the wood's flawlessness together. He produces both smooth and sandblasted finishes.

The effort he puts into the stem is a distinguishing trait of his style: he uses stem materials such as ebonite, cultured amber, and boxwood, keeps the bit thin and narrow, and finishes the stem's surface to match the bowl. The intermediate bands he places between shank and bowl — boxwood, zebrawood, cocobolo, ziricote, ebony, and tagua nut — are also considered part of his signature.

Shapes and Stamps

He says his designs draw on observation of nature. His work outside the classic shapes is seen as a personal interpretation of the freehand approach; among these, the shape known as "Walnut" is a standout. Among his cited influences are names such as Sixten Ivarsson, Lars Ivarsson, Bo Nordh, Jess Chonowitsch, and Poul Ilsted Bech.

He is reported to stamp his pipes with a two-digit year mark, and to indicate his top grade with a Viking ship symbol. This system functions as a practical record-keeping method that makes it easier to date and grade pieces as they leave his hand.