One of my goals for quite some time has been to create a Native American style flute for myself. I've done the research, contacted other flute makers, even had a couple custom built for me. Upon arriving in Fresno, I determined that I should acquire the tools I would need. Table saw, router table, drill press, belt sander, scroll saw and bench grinder. (Don't know why the grinder, I've just always wanted one.) I picked up a piece of wood that I thought would work as a flute, actually two because of the length. I have a garage full of fifty years of living. I had a plan for making the space for these tools. I even bought an honest-to-goodness workbench. Then Spring became Summer. In Fresno, that means triple digits for nearly four months. Sure I could have gone out in the early morning hours. Who wants to get up that early?
Well, toward the end of the hot season, I went ahead and assembled all the power tools. Keep in mind I'm not a wood craftsman. In fact, wood and I haven't exactly gotten along in the past. Nearly thirty years ago I built a bookcase. It was custom designed to fit the space I had and for paperback books. It's really pretty good except for the bottom. You see, I didn't have any fancy tools then. I used a hand saw. So it leans. Forward. My daughter can attest because she still has it. I digress. So now I have all these really pretty tools in my garage. I now have considerably less space than I expected. No matter, I have become accustomed to shuffling this to make room for that.
I don't know if you've ever worked with power tools on wood. I have, a little, and I knew that sharp things moving very fast through wood can spread a lot of dust. I had no idea the potential volume! Let's just say that when you're warned to wear a mask, DO IT! I have a series of pictures at Facebook and Flickr that show the process and some of the dust mess. I have several friends who like to track my progress. So I stop, take a picture, move on. Sometimes I forget. Sorry. I have at least one friend that wants me to make a video of the whole thing. She's sweet and funny and I love her dearly but I'm not sure I want to subject my photographic equipment to that environment!
So, I've cut and drilled and sanded and glued. I've cursed and laughed (at myself) and questioned my sanity. Through it all, however, I have asked Creator and Mother Earth to help me get through it. Yesterday I glued the two halves back together. I clamped them and set them aside. The bottle says thirty minutes to set and 24 hours for something approaching permanent bond. I left it alone for 7 hours. The result is a square tube with a couple holes in the top. I took the fetish from one of my other flutes and set it in place. I raised the rather sad looking thing to my lips and blew. To my very great surprise, it sounded like a flute. Considerably higher pitched than I expected, but a clear tone nonetheless.
In a reply to my status at Facbook, a dear friend said, "Satisfying isn't it?" I'm still waiting for the surprise to wear off, but satisfaction is quickly replacing it. Prayers do get answered. I've been trying to maintain my focus on doing this the "right way." That's an expression from indigenous peoples that means "do it with respect" for all things. I guess I'm on the right path.
No comments:
Post a Comment