How to Build Bass Wind Chimes
Wind chimes are activated by moderate winds that cause the chimes to knock against a striker to produce sound. The tone and pitch of the sound is determined by the material of the chime, as well as the length and diameter of each chime. Bass wind chimes strike notes from middle C and lower, and larger diameter chimes have to be longer to achieve these notes.
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Things You'll Need
- Metal tubing
- Pipe cutter or hacksaw
- Tape measure
- File or grinder
- Drill
- Wire
- Wooden disk
- Wood striker
Instructions
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Measure and mark the metal tubing to make the longest and deepest-toned chime. The tone will depend on both the diameter of the tube and its length: tubes of larger diameter need to be longer to achieve deeper notes.
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2
Cut the first and longest chime tube and test the tone by holding the chime vertically off the ground and striking it with a piece of wood.
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3
Measure and mark the metal tubing to cut the shorter, higher-toned chimes. Changing from one full note to another requires a difference in length between 2 percent and a little over 3 percent, so plan to cut the chimes shorter by 2 percent for each higher note you want.
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4
Cut each chime tube and test the tone. Fine-tune each chime by cutting, filing or grinding off a little bit at a time until the desired note is reached.
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5
Drill holes for hanging the chimes. According to Creative Manuals, the point of least vibration of a tube is 22.4 percent along its length. Measure the length of each chime, multiply by 0.224, and mark the resulting distance from the top of the tube. Drill straight through the chime at this point.
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6
Make a hanging board out of a wooden disk to separate the chimes. The chimes can be arranged in any pattern. Drill two holes in the wooden disk for each chime and drill a hole in the center for the striker.
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String wire through the holes you drilled in each chime pipe and thread the wires through the holes in the hanging board to suspend the chimes.
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Hang a striker, a piece of wood suspended between the chimes that will hit the chimes when the wind blows, from the center hole of the hanging board. The striker is usually a flat disk but can be a sphere or other geometric shape of your preference. A heavier striker will make a louder sound.
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Tips & Warnings
Take care in choosing pipe for your chimes. An aluminum pipe 1/2 inch in diameter has to be about 20 1/2 inches long to sound middle C, while 1-inch-diameter aluminum has to be about 30 1/4 inches long to reach the same note. For the deepest bass notes, two octaves below middle C, 1-inch-diameter aluminum tubes have to be about 66 inches long.
Use a chain or rope attached to the center of the hanging board to hang the chimes. Make sure that the hanging chain is sturdy enough for your chimes before hanging them
References
Resources
- Photo Credit wind chimes in a tree image by MichMac from Fotolia.com
