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Turning flutes

I was at a local turning club meeting and the lady sitting next to me said that besides pens, she liked to turn flutes... I just figured that she meant a variation of goblets or something, until she added that they were "native American" style...

It seems that she and her husband make musical type flutes, starting with square stock that they route down the middle in a 1/2 round and then glue together and turn.. she said it was more accurate than drilling a hole that long on the lathe, unless you were set up to make rifle barrels.. *g*

I find it SO interesting that we make so many different things, in so many different ways, by spinning wood and touching tools to it.. Mac

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Reply to
mac davis
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If you dig around on the Net, you'll find a lot of material on making woodwinds. A lot of it applies to Native American flutes, but there also is material on Irish-style flutes, more modern flutes, and especially recorders. Bore a hole through the middle; form the internal profile with a home-made reamer accurate to the appropriate thousandth or so; bore, ream, and otherwise shape the toneholes; and--for a recorder, at least--turn the outside into graceful shape. A lot of the makers use machinists lathes, rather than wood lathes, especially for the boring and reaming.

For a start, take a look at Terry McGee's flute site,

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and Philippe Bolton's page on making recorders,
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Also, see groups.yahoo.com/group/flutemakers. If only I had the time!

Owen Davies

Reply to
Owen Davies

Hi Mac

The only "fluit as we call them" I make, is a whistle with a moving piston in it, to change the sound (noise), and I only make them when the kids can play outside !!!! (They will drive you up the wall if you let them use them inside) Made some "paddle wheelers" for in the bathtub, lots of fun with them. Yes there are a lot of different things we can make from some wood, a lathe, tools, and some imagination.

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Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Reply to
l.vanderloo

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