Making Your Own Xylophone

You can use common electrical conduit piping to create a xylophone at home.

Playing a xylophone is a melodic way to satisfy the urge to make music by banging on an instrument. A xylophone is comprised of a frame supporting bars or pipes of graduated lengths, which the player strikes with a pair of mallets to make different tones. You can make a simple, pleasant-sounding one-octave xylophone at home using items you can easily obtain at your local hardware or home improvement store.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape with both inches and millimeters
• Pencil or marker
• Hacksaw
• Flat metal file or black silicon carbide sandpaper
• Vise
• 4 feet of 1/2-inch PVC pipe
• 4 PVC elbows to fit 1/2-inch pipe
• 4 large, sturdy rubber bands (the kind in which your letter carrier wraps your mail)
• 8 feet of either 1/2-inch metal electrical conduit pipe OR 1/2-inch PVC pipe
• 1 pool noodle
• 24 inches of 1/8-inch dowel
• 2 wooden drawer knobs

Instructions

1. Measure and mark four 2-inch segments on the pool noodle. Measure and mark the 4-foot piece of PVC pipe into two 12-3/8 inch segments and two 11-3/8 inch segments. Measure and mark the 8-foot piece of either electrical conduit pipe or 1/2-inch PVC pipe as follows: 258 mm, 245 mm, 230.5 mm, 223 mm, 210.5 mm, 199 mm, 186.5 mm, 181.5 mm. These graduated lengths will give you a G major scale, but be careful: a piece that is too long or too short will be off-pitch, so measure twice.

2. Put the tubing in a vise. Cut along each mark with a hacksaw, repositioning the tubing in the vice after each cut so the short end of the pipe is outside of the vise, with only one mark at a time showing; the long end of the pipe should trail out of the back of the vise. Use a metal file or silicon carbide sandpaper to smooth the ends. Cut the four 2-inch segments off the pool noodle.

3. Fit two sections of pool noodle onto each of the 11-3/8 inch pieces of PVC pipe. Fit an elbow onto each end of each piece. Fit the 12-3/8 inch pieces into the open ends of each elbow to create a rectangular frame with four foam feet. Stretch the rubber bands onto the long sides of the frame.

4. Lay out the graduated lengths of pipe in size order. Cross each rubber band at one end and insert the shortest piece of pipe so that it is suspended about a quarter of its length from each end. Cross the rubber bands again, and suspend the second tube. Repeat until all tubes are suspended between the crossed rubber bands. Center the tubes so that an equal amount of pipe is outside the rubber bands.

5. Measure and cut the 1/8-inch dowel in half. Force one cut end into the hole on the back of each drawer knob. You can put a little glue in the hole first, if you wish, for extra security. These are your mallets.

Tips & Warnings

• Metal tubes will produce a sweet ringing tone. PVC pipes will make more of a melodic thunk.

References

• Mother Eart News: The Pipe Xylophone
• DSO Kids: Build Your Own Xylophone
• DennisHavlena.com: Very Simple Xylophone