Olsen (Henrik Olsen)

Olsen is the small pipe workshop that Danish maker Henrik Olsen (b. 1963) runs single-handedly in Grevinge on the island of Zealand. Olsen, who had no connection to pipe making until his forties, turned to the craft after leaving working life for health reasons and finished his first pipe in 2006. His output centers on classic shapes of moderate size and carries the "Olsen Denmark" stamp.

Workshop and Working Method

The workshop was created by thoroughly renovating an old barn next to the house: the floor was torn out and repoured, and the ceiling and walls were rebuilt. Olsen notes that this renovation was made possible with help from his family and friends. Fitting out the equipment was completed in January 2006; the first pipe emerged at that time as well.

Olsen says his approach to work rests on precision and care rather than speed, and adds that he enjoys working with well-maintained, functional tools. Production is one-man and does not follow a regular pace: he himself writes that pain left over from his accident keeps him from the bench entirely on some days. For this reason, briar pipes signed Olsen are seen less often than the products of Denmark's larger workshops.