Any tips before I start on this Vermont Freehand kit?

Get a good idea of what you wamt it to look like and draw it on the block. Remove anything that isnt pipe like.

That's my one big problem. I only have a small bench vise, and it's a real hunk of junk.

Don't cut yourself.

Don't shoot for an entry in the ugly pipe contest. That's all I got.

Haha thanks everyone!
This is quickly becoming a great learning experience for me. I've already cut myself twice, stained part of the wood with blood, learned the importance of being patient, and discovered firsthand exactly how HARD Briar really is.

I'm also learning how poorly most of the Dremel brand bits work. Most of them just spin on the wood, leaving a bunt mark.

But no matter what problems i find myself running into, I am also finding this to be quite therapeutic for me. I either put on a movie or some music, and start tinkering.

Tip 1: Do not hold the block in your hand while removing wood. Sounds like you’ve already found that out the hard way by cutting yourself. Use a leather padded vise.

Tip 2: Get a Flexi-Shaft attachment for your Dremel tool. It gets the vibrating motor out of your hand so you can be steadier. I hang my Dremel from a hook near my vise.

Tip 3: If you are not already skilled with a Dremel, practice on something other than your briar block to learn the techniques. I was already very skilled with a Dremel from my historical miniatures and model making days before I shaped my first pipe.

Tip 4: For my shaping work with a Dremel, I use almost exclusively high speed cutter bit 117 and the sanding drum. These are much much easier to use with the Flexi-Shaft attachment,

Tip 5: Watch what direction you move the bit in contact with the wood. You'll know your going the wrong way when it catches on the material and runs away from you. With the Flexi-Shaft in my right hand pointing towards my left and the bit above the material, I draw towards me to remove material. The same motion you’d make if whittling with a knife. You aren’t going to remove a lot of material at one time.

Tip 6: Like with anything involving pipes: patience. You aren't going to shape your pipe in just an hour or two. Take your time.

Tip 7: Steve Norse (Vermont Freehand) sends out pretty much the same stem with every pre-drilled block whether it is proportionally right for that block or not. For almost all the pre drilled blocks that I’ve gotten from him, I’ve fitted a more appropriate stem. (I have a tenon turning tool.)

Curious to see how it turns out.