Things You'll Need:
- Blackwood/Rosewood
- sheep skin/cow hide
- bag pipe bag
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Step 1
The pipe maker imports African Blackwood for the chanter and drones in the form of logs. These are sliced into planks and then into squares and are stockpiled for air-drying for a period of three to seven years. Some manufacturers have begun reducing drying times because of the related expense, and there are methods for kiln-drying the wood.
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Step 2
When the moisture content of the wood makes it suitable for working, the pipe maker can use a single-flute drill, twist drill, reamer, or gun drill to bore out the cylindrical drones. The single-flute drill makes the cleanest bore, although the carbide-tipped gun drill is a state-of-the-art tool because it uses a coolant hole to blow air or fluid in the bore to clean out chips.
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Step 3
The completed bore becomes the center for turning the outside shape of each drone on a lathe. The ferrules (protective metal bands and tips) are press-fit and glued in place, and projecting mounts are threaded on. The drones are finished with applications of wax, oil, lacquer, or varnish. The surface finish depends on the type of wood used, considerations such as humidity, and the pipe maker's style and preferences.
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Step 4
The chanter is made like the drones with two major exceptions. First, the bore of the chanter is conical, so it is step-drilled with twist drills then reamed with a singleflute tapered reamer that is 13 in (33 cm) long. The narrow end of the reamer is about 0.13 in (0.32 cm) in diameter and the wide end is approximately 0.87 in (2.22 cm) in diameter. Proper boring of the cone inside the chanter is critical to the tone it will produce. The second process exclusive to the chanter is the drilling or milling of finger holes into the turned bore. After the finger holes are complete, the chanter is surface-finished to match the drones.
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Step 5
The stocks are made along with the wood pipes. They are simply straight holes with tie-in grooves at the bottoms. The stocks have to be long enough to accommodate the reeds for the drones. Each stock is equipped with a ferrule at the top to prevent it from splitting.
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Step 6
The bagpipe bags are cut from elk or cow hide; typically, four or five bags can be cut from a single side of a cow hide. The hide is folded, and the bag sides are cut out as a mirror image. The seam is glued with contact adhesive to hold it temporarily until a leather welt can be put in place and the welt and seam are stitched together. The seam and welt are hand stitched with double needles; stitching a single bag takes approximately two hours
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Step 7
The 14 pieces comprising a Great Highland bagpipe are assembled by tying. The five stocks are tied into the bag using waxed linen, hemp, or nylon. Some makers use corked joints much like those in clarinets, but they are generally not as popular in pipe manufacture. The chanter and drones are connected to the stocks; only the reeds have to be added to complete the pipes.
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Step 8
The final finish is applied to the wood pipes by smoothing them with 80-to 120-grit sandpaper and working up to 400-grit wet sandpaper. Heated oil or wax is then applied by hand using a fine cloth.
If the maker chooses to finish the pipes with lacquer or varnish instead of oil or wax, 220-grit sandpaper is used to smooth the wood before the lacquer or varnish is applied with camel-hair brushes. The lacquer or vamish may be sprayed on in a spray-paint booth. -
Step 9
The reeds are hand-made from metal tubing and water reed. The chanter takes a double reed that is begun with a brass of copper tube. The tubes may be cylindrical or conical. Two slices of reed are placed against the tube and wrapped in place. Reeds for the drones use tubular lengths of cane or reed instead of slices. On the cane, nodes mark the places where leaves sprouted when the reed was growing. Above a node on the cane, the pipe maker cross-cuts a slice and then makes two parallel cuts perpendicular to the slice. The small tongue made by the three cuts is raised up with the node as a kind of brace at its base. The tongue is about one-quarter to one-half of the diameter of the reed. As air passes through it, this tongue will vibrate to produce its tone. The opposite end of the cane length is tapered and attached to the drone. If modern materials are used, a plastic tube is used for the drone reed with a separate piece of plastic for the tongue. Insertion of the reeds in the pipes completes the bagpipes.
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Step 10
BLOW PIPE
Air Resistance:
Many blowpipes, and not just older ones, restrict airflow because of a too-small bore size. Pipers are often surprised by how much easier it is to play a bagpipe through a blowpipe that has just a little bit bigger bore than their old one. Anything less than about 3/8 inch is too small for a Great Highland Bagpipe. One reason why many wooden blowpipes have a too-small bore is because the maker is trying to delay inevitable cracking and splitting. In the long run even fine, well cared-for wood can't stand the strain of constantly being steamed in warm moist air, especially in dry and/or cold weather, and thinner walls mean an earlier demise.
Fit:
Ideally, a bagpipe would be custom-fitted to each piper in regard to bag size, shape, and positioning. It should be the piper's hand, body and head position that determines where the mouthpiece tip is, not the other way around. In practice, it's not quite one-size-fits-all but close to it. With the exceptions of choosing among three or four bag sizes and fitting an appropriate-length mouthpiece (choosing from one-inch increments), the piper is forced to adapt to the pipe, with the blowpipe position often being the thing most out of place. When setting up a new leather bag, an experienced piper will try to choose the correct spot to make the hole for the blowpipe stock, and some further adjustment can be made when tying the blowpipe stock into the bag. But the result is often not quite perfect, and of course it can be set up only for one piper playing in one position (standing, usually). If the pipe is to be played, say, while sitting, or while wearing significantly bulkier or thinner clothing, or by another piper, then the fit will be compromised. The situation is worse with synthetic bags, as these are provided with special fittings for the stocks and the positions cannot be modified.
Valve:
Almost all bagpipe blowpipes are equipped with a one-way valve that allows the piper to take a breath without the bag deflating and without trying to keep air from backing out by closing the tip with the tongue. The most ancient sort of valve is a simple hinged flap at the bottom of the blowpipe, formerly made of leather but today usually rubber. Flap-valves are quite effective but have limits as usually designed, especially in regard to unimpeded airflow, and they can be cranky about sealing completely
