So I have decided to undertake making a bamboo flute, as I have bamboo right down the street from me next to the river and I can use an Eb and an E flute. Any suggestions or tricks of the trade, if anyone has the flute making link (gives hole size and distances) I’d appreciate a hyperlink. Is a drill press absolutely necessary? Should I do anything to the bamboo to strengthen it or make sure it does not break or crack?
Thanks for the help
Here is a link that does wonders for hole size and key. Unless it’s changed recently, metric doesn’t always work. Use English measurements but convert them to decimal.
http://www.cwo.com/~ph_kosel/flutomat.html
This page is for PVC flutes, but many of the concepts are the same:
http://www.cwo.com/~ph_kosel/designs.html
Mark Shepard has a great book ( “Simple Flutes - Play them, Make them” that can be downloaded - do a google search) on making bamboo flutes that will teach you all you need to know. This book will teach you all you know. I think it’s $6 to download it, but it’s really, really worth it.
Some brief hints - You’ll need a butane torch to dry/fire the bamboo - either than or you’ll have to wait a year or so for the bamboo to dry but wiht this method the bamboo is not as hardened as with a torch. Here is a link that can help with this:
www.webspirit.com/fluteman/book/storing_and_curing.htm
You can either burn the holes into the bamboo with a hot poker/drill bit or cut them with a drill. I’ve just used a cheap hand drill, but be sure and put a piec of wood inside the bamboo so the drill doesn’t split the other side of the bamboo piece.
Drill or burn the holes smaller than you need (just barely) so you can enlargen them to get in tune.
I hope that helps. Feel free to post more questions, but do buy Mark Shepard’s book since it will walk you through most of the process.
Eric
The best way to bore holes in bamboo is to burn them with a red-hot poker. The heavy stranded grain of bamboo causes “rip-outs” if your bits aren’t razor sharp. Milling bits with center guides are best IMO if you don’t want to burn. Here is a very good site for making Japanese Bamboo Flutes.