The first thing about making flutes are
1. You will need a Tuner, which you can get at a music store, tell them what you are planing to use it for and they should help you with that, I believe you can be one for about $30.00 or less. I wouldn’t spend to much money on one. I have two kinds, one that was about 75.00 used.
2. You will need a router that can hold a 7/8 (mm 22.225) router bit, and if you think that you will be getting serious about making alot of flutes you might want to consider a Router that holds a 1/2 (mm 12.7)and 1/4 (6.35 MM) shank. The bit you will need for this project is a core or round nose bit, because you are going to route two wood halfs and when you glue them together they will make a perfect circle that is 7/8. I will explain this later. If you have every drilled or think that you would like to drill a bore of 7/8, (which I have had no experience in) then have at it. You will be dealing with a bore length 17” (431.8 mm) long.
3. a Lathe would be helpful, but you can handplain one if you don’t.
4. Some common sense; don’t know were you can get that.
5. Drill bits, small files, or fingernail files. If I miss something I will tell you as I go.
The type of wood is personal, I prefer Cedar and Redwood, you can go to lowes or a hardwood store and buy polar wood already cut to size / sanded etc. To me it’s ideal , because this is your first attempt in building a flute I would highly recommend that you do that.
The wall thickness of your flute will be 3/16 (4.7625 mm) of inch thick when you are done rounding it; So buy material that will give you 7/8 bore and when your finished rounding your flute your wall thickness will be 3/16.
You can make flutes with walls that are different in thickness, it can be 1/8 (3.175 mm) 3/16 (4.7625 mm) or 1/4. The wall thickness of a flute can change the sound of the flute, and by changing the wall thickness of a flute will change where you put the finger holes in the flute. We will be dealing with a 3/16 wall.
I will conclude this part of my flute tutorial by saying. That the size of the TSH (True Sound Hole/ which I will discuss later) the size of the bore and length base upon the key chosen, and where the finger holes are place in the flute will determine how sweet the flute sounds.
Den
14 comments so far
hootr
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133 posts in 246 days
posted 83 days ago
good start
i’ll be following this
-- Ron, Missouri
Craftsman on the lake
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819 posts in 337 days
posted 83 days ago
Thanks. Still listening with great interest, still here.
What’s nice about LJ’s is that sometime in the future I can google flutes, or your name and the entire tutorial will be on my screen to see again.
I’m going to horn in a bit here, I hope you don’t mind. I just see an opportunity to save some $$ and make things easier regarding the electronic tuner.
If I may mention… At a download area like versiontracker.com, there are lots of other places too, often have digital freeware computer tuners. Just type in ‘tuner’ in the search field when you get there. I have a computer in the shop and many have laptops so one could save the price of a tuner.
Here’s a freeware one I use on my Mac. It works well. The address for this download is HERE. PC users will have to search for their own. I wouldn’t know what to recommend.
-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html
patron
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2465 posts in 241 days
posted 83 days ago
den :
ive been watching this with interest ,
and am still waiting for some pictures ,
to go along with the words .
i spent 1 1/2 years in the “country club ”,
before watergate . it was still just a maximum security fed. prison
in those days , not the ” ritz ” it later became .
i started in the plumbing dept, and made maybe 20 flutes out of copper
water pipe , in trade for cigarettes .
from 1/2” to 2” pipe . i had the big one ,
but they confiscated it , more like a club !
then i finaly got into the building trades dept ,
and made them out of beveled strips .
i never did learn how to tune one ,
but you could hear guys playing theirs at night ,
when it was quiet .
as they say ,
a picture is worth a thousand words ,
so let’s see some , you can talk with them,
and explain .
thanks .
-- david ,new mexico ,allheart
firecaster
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482 posts in 318 days
posted 83 days ago
I would like to see pictures also.
Looking forward to another installment.
-- Father of two sons. Both Eagle Scouts.
lightweightladyleftie
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419 posts in 612 days
posted 82 days ago
This sounds like it will be a fun project. I’ll add my request for pictures, too.
-- "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6
Den
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56 posts in 89 days
posted 82 days ago
I would like to thank everyone for there imput and interest, I promise that I won’t let you down. I have been somewhat in volved with family problems and have not been able to get started. I will send pictures of everything because it’s important to and understand what I am talking about. As for a download a tuner on the internet, I’m not sure how perfect it is. I know several that have used it, I must admit I haven’t attempted it so I can’t say one way or the other how good it is. The Gentleman who calls himself “Ron” from Missouri has be most helpful in getting me to understand bloging, thank you, Also the tuning download is a great Idea, I want everyone to feel free to contribute to flutes,. I appreciate your interest.
As far as downloading pictures or diagrams I still am lost with that. I belong to facebooks, but do not know how to transfer pictures to this sight either., so, until I can figure that out, I was wondering if all of you who are interested email me at dhhepler@msn.com and I can copy pictuires and diagrams and send it to each of you individually. Because I know how to transfer pictures and diagrams through email. Anyway it’s just a thought. Den
Den
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56 posts in 89 days
posted 82 days ago
Hi everyone, Andy wrote me from another country and ask me to including MM in my measurements, which I though was a great Idea. So along with inches or fraction I will include MM and CM it will appear like this 7/8” (MM 22.225) (CM 2.2225) etc.
Thanks Andy.
lightweightladyleftie
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419 posts in 612 days
posted 81 days ago
Den,
Here’s a very helpful tutorial that might be of assistance to you in uploading photos to your blog. http://lumberjocks.com/msojka/blog/4031
-- "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6
Den
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56 posts in 89 days
posted 81 days ago
I just wanted to thank Dan “Craftman by the Lake” who took the time to help me figure out how to put a diagram on my 2 tutorial
I will be puttings pictures up too, shortly. Thanks again Dan
propcarver
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50 posts in 729 days
posted 81 days ago
Really looking forward to this tutorial. Can’t wait to get started.
Thanks,
Bill
patron
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2465 posts in 241 days
posted 81 days ago
i hear
a few soft notes
from the future !
-- david ,new mexico ,allheart
Den
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56 posts in 89 days
posted 80 days ago
I will be uploading some picture in the next couple of days, thanks for your patiences,( very busy)
Den
a1Jim
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17169 posts in 477 days
posted 80 days ago
good blog
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture ,maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com
Den
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56 posts in 89 days
posted 77 days ago
check blog again and then move down the page and see if you see any pictures, I went on line and looked and I saw the address but your right not picture, I don’t understand, how every if you look down where the comments are I believe that you will see a picture, if so then I will again attempt to follow that same process, sorry about this.