Ranz Freehands (Ron Smith)

Ranz Freehands is the brand name American pipe maker Ron Smith uses for his own work. Production is carried out single-handedly at a home workshop near Dandridge in East Tennessee. The name was not derived from the maker's own; Smith says he preferred a word with a pleasant ring, one that leaves his identity a little in the background, over direct options like "Ron's Pipes" or "Smith Freehands." By the records, he made his first pipes in 2015.

A Late Start in the Craft

Smith came to pipe making after finishing his working career. By his own account, the free classes Tennessee offers older state residents drew him to the art courses at Walters State Community College in Morristown; an interest that began with photography gradually shifted to sculpture, and it was there that the affinity between carving stone and carving a pipe took hold. His first attempts were made with purchased briar blocks, ready-made stems, and a handful of simple hand tools; his workshop equipment and technical knowledge expanded slowly in the years that followed.