Chiff and Fipple Forums

I've been studying embouchure shapes and sizes on various antique flutes with a goal to exploring some alternatives to the ellipse shape that I already use and that seems quite ubiquitous today. One shape that I am particularly curious about is the large, almost round, embouchure that frequently occ...

Oh, and regarding silver, if I were you, I would start by using nickel silver (german silver) or brass. It is much less expensive, and perfectly functional. The tools and techniques you use with it are just the same as with real silver, so you can always switch to the fancier material later when you...

Loren's advice on seasoning and explicitly addressing the inherent instability of wood is really important! It is not just a matter of having wood sitting around for years before using it. You should approach this as a multi-stage process, and anticipate that wood will move and needs time to settle ...

I have a whole drawer full of steel mandrels I made for all the sections of all the instruments I make. Stupid question maybe - how do you secure the drilled tube to the mandrel to avoid it spinning whilst your turning the outside face down to its final size? Assuming we're talking about a straight...

When gun drilling or reaming the bore in unfinished billets, marring isn't a problem, but once past that stage you will be mounting the work on centers and/or on specially constructed mandrels which you will make on the lathe. I have a whole drawer full of steel mandrels I made for all the sections ...

That sounds like it could be perfect. I found the following information about the ML7-R online: Although called an ML7 - and you would therefore expect it to be a development of, or directly related to, the original machine of that name - it was actually a non-power cross feed Super 7, but without a...

I was in my original post looking at some of the Chinese lathes but in my research today that has become a hard "No". The Myford ML7 that I'm looking at now has a 42" bed length. To use the tool post as a holder for the gun drill I'd imagine the tailstock would be removed in a Myford...

As to the question of what is the minimum bed length you could get away with, that depends on a lot of factors, including the following: What is the longest section you will work with? For example, a two part low F whistle will typically have a body section that is about 15 inches long. To turn the ...

I've been through the stage you are at now and can share some reflections and suggestions, but I suspect they are probably not what you are really hoping to hear. You definitely will want a metal lathe if you get into this serioiusly, even though most of the time you will be working with wood. You'l...

I think I should go even narrower than the diagram suggests. It has the optimum place for a D whistle on 23mm, so to find for a D the equivalent of sub 19mm on an F whistle I'd have to aim for 21 to 21.5mm, and yet the modern orchestral flute appears to be only 19mm, and surely a low D whistle ough...

Can you give me the bore sizes in the Goldie and Grinter. I know they're low F rather than D, but I can still use that as a guide. I need to know how narrow I can go while maintaining a decent lowest note, and at this stage I'm not looking to maximise volume, though in any case, with the ability to...

I think it's already too late Steve!

I'm not sure where the magic is. I haven't examined the head, window or windway carefully enough to draw any conclusions yet. I've played a few low F whistles, and so far my preferences seem to go with bore and aspect ratio. My second favorite, which is a Goldie, had the second smallest bore, and bo...

I just stumbled across this "Comprehensive Guide to Reed Making for the Uilleann Pipes" video by the late Allan Moller. Almost 2 hours long, fascinating, and very nicely done. Apologies if this is old news. The YouTube video is only 6 months old, even though the content is clearly much old...

I mentioned the Grinter low whistles because I have the good fortune to own one of his low F whistles. It is the best low whistle I've ever played. My personal preferences in whistle design seem to align well with those of pancelticpiper who frequently posts on the topic. I tend to like whistles wit...