Creating your own briar pipe

[Opus X]

How many have done it?
I see numerous vendors selling blocks of briarn that are already drilled. Are these a decent option to start playing with?
They are probably easier for most since you don't require all the related drills and drill presses that are normally needed.
Is the briar quality in these blocks decent or is it a low grade of briar?

 

[Tracy]

I've looked at a few of them, but I do not have the woodworking tools needed to do the carving.
Yes, I could use a knife and some sandpaper, but it would look like something done by the boys in the hills of good old West Virginia.

 

[Opus X]

I think you could do a decent job with a nice pen knife if you took your time.
It is not like they had real fancy tools back in the old days.
And a rustic look could be better than one that shows it came out of an automation shop.