How to Build a Didgeridoo

Didgeridoos are traditional Australian wind instruments first created by Aborigines. Didgeridoos today can be made from plastic and copper pipe, bamboo and other materials, but the most traditional instruments are made out of eucalyptus branches that have been hollowed out by termites. There are a number of ways to make a didgeridoo. In this article, you'll learn the bore method of making a traditional wooden didgeridoo, without help from any wood-eating insects.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tree limb
• Drill
• Drill bits, 3/8 inch up to 1 1/2 inches
• Drill extensions
• Sanding heads for the drill
• Saw
• Woodworker's vise
• Sawhorses
• C-clamps
• String
• Weights
• Rasp
• Sandpaper
• 1/2 oz. beeswax
• Gloves
• Safety glasses
• Mask
• Paint (optional)
• Varnish (optional)

1. Select a suitable tree limb. The limb may be of any wood, but must be fairly straight and long. It should be at least 40 inches long and up to 5 feet long, with a circumference of at least 2 inches.

2. Put on your gloves, mask and safety glasses before doing any cutting or work with tools. Cut the limb with the saw so that it is the approximate length you want for your didgeridoo. Didgeridoo-maker Andrea Ferroni suggests making didgeridoos in the range of 40 inches to 5 feet long to capture the same pitch and timbre of traditional Aborigine instruments.

3. Cut the string to be a few inches longer than the limb and attach the weights to each end. You will use the string to help you drill straight as you hollow out the limb.

4. Clamp the limb to the sawhorses with the C-clamps and woodworker's vise.

5. Drill into the center of the limb. Go slowly and stop frequently to drop the string into the growing hole to make sure you are drilling straight. Drill from one end, then switch to the other, adding the drill extensions as the hole gets deeper into the limb.

6. Stop frequently to clear away sawdust and check that the bore is straight. Once the initial bore is drilled, go back and use a slightly larger drill bit to enlarge it. The finished diameter of the hole can be anywhere from 1/2 inch to 4 inches, depending on how big a limb you selected. The outside walls of the didgeridoo should at least 1/4 inch thick.

7. Use the sanding heads and rasp to smooth out the inside of the didgeridoo and to sand the ends. The inside doesn't have to be perfectly smooth, but you want to remove any large chunks of wood remaining after boring.

8. 
    
   A beeswax mouthpiece on a didgeridoo

   Warm the beeswax up in hot (but not boiling) water, and shape it into a long tube. Place the tube around the playing end of the didgeridoo. Gently sculpt the wax onto the didgeridoo to create a comfortable mouthpiece for playing.

9. Paint or varnish the didgeridoo any way you like and allow to dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wear gloves, a mask and safety glasses when working with tools.