Flute Jouney

NAF Part 3

We went over most of the basic steps to get your flute started in my past posts like:
1, Wood section, I like pine or Fir but most woods will work.
2, Tools, a gouge and a block plane will do most of the work, and a coping saw for the bird effigy, or if your making a carved head
3, Dimensions, I like my flute to have a 7/8 bore but 3/4 and 1" will work. The length of the flute depends on the key.


Now here are some tips I would like to share. I drill all my holes before I glue the two pieces together, this lets me sand any splinters away that the drilling creates. I like to sand the inside to a 320 grit this I feel helps improve the sound. I also put 2 or 3 coats of mineral oil on the inside just be careful not to get any on the gluing surface.

Finishing the inside will stops the wood from absorbing moisture as you play it, giving it a more consistence sound. I also use a 1 to 1 glue size on the end grain of the sound block, this is the block that separates the two chambers this help to strengthen that area since its a weak area and its also a end grain that will absorb the moisture from your breath.


Next thing to do is glue the two parts together. I use plenty of clamps and don't over tighten the clamps since you are only gluing a 1/4 surface. I keep mine in the clamps for a whole day, and I use a waterproof glue like Titebond 3. Next you have to decide if you are carving a head on the end of the flute. I carved an eagle on this one. I glue an extra piece of 3/4 x 5 wood to the top.


Next comes the fun part shaping the flute, since I was carving a head I started my planing the sides flat and close to the 1/4" wall thickness, then I drew a out the lines of the eagle.

I used a coping saw to rough out the shape.


Then I planed the flute round. this is the part that most people every fears, but its really easy just watch the direction gain and take your time. You are looking for walls that are about a 1/4 " thick all the way around. If you tap the wood you can almost tell where you need to take off more just by the sound, when you get close its time to sand. I work my way from 100 to 220, and if you are carving now is the time to do most of your carving.


When you get the all the carving and the thickness where you want it, its time to work on the sound. I drill all the holes to a 1/4, then I use a fine file to clean the holes. I file the angle on the reed hole at about a 45* ankle.



Now before the flute will play you will need two more pieces, and they are the nest and the bird, the nest is a veneer that is 3/4 x 3" with a 1/4 x 1 slot cut into it, this lets the air from the first chamber go across the reed hole with the help of the bird, which is a effigy that sits on the nest.


I tie the bird to the flute with a leather cord with the nest under it.




You also need to drill a 1/4 hole in the mouthpiece end of the flute to the 1st chamber, now blow into it and get all the chips out.

When you get everything assembled blow though the mouthpiece and see if you get a sound, you may have to move the bird around a little while you blow to get the first sound, now just keep working it till you are happy with it, this takes a little while so stick with it. If you are planning to put a finish on I suggest a nontoxic one like mineral oil or walnut oil then bluff it with some beeswax.


most times mine play pretty well at this point, but if you are musical you might want to adjust the scale by filing the key holes till you match the scale.

I hope you enjoyed this project and if you have any questions please contact me and I will help anyway I can.

Joey

Flute Construction

This is a drawing of the lay out for the holes that need to be drilled. Pick the key that you would like your flute to play and follow that lay out. I drill my holes before I glue the two sections together, but I drill them under size then I enlarged the holes until I get the flute tuned.

One of the best resource I found online is a yahoo group called Native American Flute Woodworking

The craftsmen and women in this group have gotten flute construction down to a science. There is a wealth of information on the site that would take a forever for me to get across on my blog, so if you are serious about making a flute give this group a try, they are a bunch of friendly helpful guys that loves all things flutes.

My next post will have the finished flute with more construction details, and if I can swing it a recording of the flute.

Sorry about taking so long I have had both computer and camera troubles, but I have everything almost back to normal.

Flute Project, part one

The first thing you need to think about when making a flute is what type of wood you would like to use. This is an important consideration because the type of wood you choose will dictate the sound of the finished flute. You also need to keep in mind the tools you are going to use, hand tools or power tools. Softwood like pine or fir makes a mellower sound and is easy to work with hand tools, while hard woods like walnut have a sharper sound and is easier to construct with router. Out of all the flute I have made, fir is my #1 chooses for the sound.

To start, I use a ¾ inch thick piece about 24 inches long 1 ½ inch wide, unless I plan to carve a birds head on the end then I go with a 30 inch piece. If I am using a gouge to rough out the inside I like a wider piece of wood so I can carve both sides at the same time, usually 3 1/4” or a little wider works fine.

First I lay out the two chambers as you can see in the picture. The flute has a 1 inch ID and 1 3/8 OD. So I start by laying out a line ¼ inch from the edge, then I scribe a line 1 ¼ inch, this will give me a 1 inch inside chamber, Then I start removing the waste between the two lines. I use a gouge the scoop out wood in a half round shape to a ½ inch depth so that when the two pieces are glued together it will be a 1 inch round chamber, there is a ½ inch block about 7 ½ inches from the end and then another smaller chamber this section is the mouth piece. This is an air diverter that redirects the air out of a hole on the mouth piece side and then across another hole in the long chamber this is what makes the sound. Try to get the inside chamber as round as possible as you gouge the wood out. The sand it as smooth as you can this helps a lot with the sound.

Those who don’t want to do this project by hand can use a router with a 7/8 inch cove cutter to route out the two chambers, then you can go back and clean things up with a chisel. Be careful not to cut though the block. I normally do this on a router table.

When both sides are dished out and it is all smooth I like to drill my air holes and the scale holes. I drill the sound holes with a ¼ drill and the scale holes with a 3/16” drill. I do it this way so I can clean up any tear out. After the two sides are glued together I enlarge the sound holes with a round file to match the scale or in my case, what sounds good to me.

Native American Flute Project

Every time I make a flute for myself I end giving it away. I will enjoy them for a while then someone always seems to talk me out it. In this case it was my son, he wanted to give a way as a gift to a friend in Oregon who's house he was staying at while he worked. I have been without a flute now for a couple of month and I figured it was time to make myself a new one. The flute in the picture is one I managed to hang on too for a couple years.

I plan on posting instruction and pic's of the process. I use mostly hand tools for the work, but I will show how to use a router and router jig that I made to increase production when I need to build more than one.