How to Make an Irish Wooden Flute
Irish wooden flutes are an instrument created from a solid piece of dense wood that is carefully bored out and tuned. The Irish flute originated in Renaissance Europe and were originally created to produce mean-tones instead of the modern chromatic scale. These instructions are for a key-less Irish wooden flute.
Things You'll Need
- Flute timber (African blackwood, mopane, European boxwood or Cooktown ironwood)
- Circular saw
- Beeswax
- Wood-lathe
- Small wood carver
- Flute jig
- Gun drill
- Reamer
- Jigsaw
- Carving tools
- 220-grit sandpaper
- 0000-fine steel wool pad
- Setting out machine
- Fine hand carving tools
- Linseed oil
- Cloth diaper
Instructions
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1
Cut the timber into 1 1/2 foot pieces and dip the ends into wax to prevent degradation. The individual wood blocks are called blanks.
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2
Secure the blank in the wood-lathe and trim it into a cylindrical shape with a small wood carver.
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3
Fasten the cylinder into the flute jig and bore out the center with a gun drill. A gun drill is a long drill used for boring the rifles of guns. Bore the hole slowly to prevent the drill from biting off too much of the wood and cracking the blank.
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4
Store the bored cylinder in a cool, dark place with ample circulation for at least two years to properly season it.
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5
Ream the inside of the bored hole, slowly, with a reamer that will produce the desired hole width. Keep in mind that the larger the hollow area, the deeper the tones will be on the flute.
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6
Cut the flute into three sections with a jigsaw.
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7
Form the joints where the pieces will fit together by enlarging one side with a reamer and removing some wood from the other side with the reamer's complementary socket cutter.
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8
Realign the three pieces so that the grains match up and mount the flute on the wood lathe. Carve out the desired body shape using sharpened carving tools. If you are unsure of the shape you wish to achieve, consider doing some research on basic flute shapes. Websites such as McGee-Flutes.com show a wide range of flute shapes for inspiration.
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9
Finish the outside of the flute by hand sanding it with 220-grit sandpaper, followed by a 0000-fine steel wool pad. Finally, polish the outside with a buffing wheel for a smooth, shiny finish.
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10
Set the finger holes to the desired spacing and angle and drill them out on a setting out machine using the manufacture's instructions. A setting out machine is a machine used by instrument makers to ensure all the holes are cut to the correct size, and are in a completely straight line or at the necessary angle for proper finger placement.
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11
Smooth out the holes with fine hand carving tools by removing all the sharp edges, adding finger impression holes and shaping the embouchure to the desired profile. Undercut all the holes in all directions to ensure the greatest responsiveness from the flute and optimize tuning.
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12
Dip the flute into a container of linseed oil to coat all surfaces. The linseed oil will protect the wood from breath moisture, which prevents it from going out of tune. The flute will need to dry out for at least 48 hours so that the linseed oil is completely absorbed into the wood.
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13
Polish the outside of the flute to remove any remaining linseed oil.
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14
Test the flute's tuning by playing various pieces that will test the various positions and reactions. Make note of any offending positions and adjust the tuning.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not attempt to make an instrument that you are not proficient at playing. The intricacies of instrument making require an understanding of the components of the instrument and how each piece produces its necessary tones and pitches. It is also best if you have played multiple flutes prior to attempting to craft one, as you will have a better idea of what feels and sounds the best.
References
- Photo Credit playing with a flute image by IKO from Fotolia.com
