How to Make a Flute Out of PVC

A flute is a particularly satisfying instrument to make by hand, because it can be made in a variety of styles and sizes, and from a variety of materials. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, commonly used in plumbing, is an easy and inexpensive material to make flutes with, and can produce an interesting sound. The following is a general procedure for making a flute from this type of plastic, and assumes that you want to make a flute without specific tuning--in effect, that you will be creating your own scale. If you wish to tune your flute to a standard scale, consult a table of precise measurements such as the one provided in the link below. These directions are for a transverse (horizontal) flute, as opposed to a recorder.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• PVC pipe Saw Drill Vise Felt-tipped marker Wooden dowel or cork File and/or sandpaper

1. Select a piece of PVC pipe, and using a saw, cut off a section to the desired length--at least two feet long. A hacksaw works well. Either 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch pipe will produce good results.

2. Make the embouchure, the hole through which air is directed. Use a file to flatten off the curvature on one end of the pipe. About two inches is a good length for this flattened area. Then, drill a hole in this flattened space and enlarge the hole a bit with a knife, giving it a somewhat square shape. Then, smooth the edges of the hole. Insert a piece of wooden dowel or cork, the same diameter as the inside of the pipe, into that end. Sand the dowel a bit, if necessary, to make it fit, but it does need to seal the air off at that end.

3. Holding the flute in playing position, note where your fingertips touch the pipe, and make corresponding dots with a felt-tipped marker. (This assumes you will not be making precise measurements.) These are to mark the positions of the fingering holes, which need not, and really should not, be in a perfectly straight line. You'll maximize fingering comfort by offsetting some of them.

4. Put the pipe in a vise and drill the fingering holes where marked by the dots.

5. You now have a flute. You might want to make some adjustments in pitch before you finalize it, and there are several ways to do this. Cutting a bit off the open end will raise the overall pitch of the instrument. Enlarging a finger hole will lower the pitch of the particular notes produced with that hole. Pushing the plug (dowel or cork) in a bit will raise the overall pitch, and pushing it out will lower pitch.

6. Once you are satisfied with your tuning, smooth off the finger holes and all other rough edges.

7. Decorate your new flute as desired. One drawback of PVC is that it's rather drab, and it doesn't hold paint readily. But you can increase its paint retention by scuffing the surface with a file or with rough sandpaper. You might also want to apply strips of colored tape or plastic sheeting affixed with contact cement.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you've had the experience of making a flute or two this way, you should be ready to tackle one of standardized pitch. The Flutomat Javascript Flute Designer (link below) will calculate the measurements for you. Simply enter the key you wish to play in and the dimensions of the pipe. Schedule 40 half-inch PVC pipe has an inside diameter of 0.622" and a wall thickness of 0.109". Schedule 80 half-inch PVC pipe has an inside diameter of 0.546" and a wall thickness of 0.147". Schedule 40 three-fourths inch PVC pipe has an inside diameter of 0.824" and a wall thickness of 0.113". Schedule 80 three-fourths inch PVC pipe has an inside diameter of 0.742" and a wall thickness of 0.154".
• As always, exercise caution when working with tools, and beware of possibly sharp edges when PVC is cut. Minors should not attempt this project unsupervised. Use only PVC pipe, and not other types of plastic pipe, which could be toxic. For the same reason, avoid using PVC cement on your flute.

Resources

• Flutomat Javascript Flute Designer

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on 8/10/2009 sketches from step 2 onwards would help