Nils Frederiksen

Born in 1953, Nils always had woodworking in his blood. Some of his formative years were spent working in a cabinet maker’s shop, working on high end furniture from well know Danish furniture designers. In 1978, he qualified to be a wood shop teacher, where he passed his knowledge on to younger generations.

Nils had made pipes as a hobby, but in 1992 he took an apprenticeship with Danish pipe maker Flemming Petersen. It was in Petersen’s shop that Nils learned the finer art of pipe making, and even today, he regularly seeks out guidance and advice from other Danish carvers such as Tom Eltang.

Nils uses only high-grade briar blocks from Corsica, Greece, or Morocco, and his pipes are fitted with a comfortable hand-cut stem, usually made from German ebonite rod in black or red brindle.

While most of Nils’ work is fairly conservative, he makes creative use of finishes, from high contrast smooths to tactilely intriguing rustications. His use of accents typical includes whale tooth, horn, artificial amber, or bamboo.

We are more than thrilled to bring Nils’ work to our audience. His passion for the craft is evident, and shines through in his work. When asked what keeps Nils carving pipe after all these years, he says, “I do it because I cannot help it and because I feel…my next work: it will be the finest in the whole world.”