Going Old School

I am trying to make flutes. I have had some success. The last two that are finished look very pretty. They just don't play as well as I would like. They're both a bit touchy with the amount of breath that goes into them and the tuning is just a hair off. It's all a learning experience.

I was in the process of trying to figure out how to get my wood pieces centered accurately on my inexpensive router table when I thought, "Why not start with the router, even if it's not centered, and finish with the gouge." After all, that's what started this. In Rhode Island, I was almost finished with a branch flute. Well, I thought I was. After the few I've made here, I realize I had a long way to go. When move time came, the two pieces of the branch had warped so badly that it couldn't be salvaged. Another learning experience. So I took the piece I had routed as a centering test and put the gouge to it. It opened up to just over an inch diameter main bore.

I followed that with gouging out the Slow Air Chamber. Then I realized I had no way of accurately gauging how round it was. Back to the computer. I had bought this plastic material to make templates. Why not make a template to test the shape of the bore? Sure enough it was a simple task. It also showed just how much more I needed to take out! That initial test body is now ready for sanding. Once it's sanded, I can start the Slow Air Chamber Exit Hole and the True Sound Hole.

Today I decided to continue in this vein. I have two more bodies measured and marked. Got way ahead of myself thinking about the specifications of the two critical sound holes. I drew in the shape and position. Then I realized those are usually done on the top of the two halves. What I ended up with was rotating my split plane 90 degrees. It will make getting the angles of the holes a little easier, but it also means I have to do them VERY accurately. Once that part is done, they get glued together and I find out how difficult it is to adjust for mismatched sides. Oh, then I get to drill the tuning holes along the seam. Which then means I'll be making tuning adjustments in wood AND glue. I see another learning experience on the horizon.