A little tool talk...

It would take many volumes to go through all I do and use and why and how I came to those decisions...but in this forum/format I can throw out tidbits willy-nilly that will give you a fuller picture of what drives me in my flute-making.

ALWAYS remember that, to coin the phrase, there's more than one way to skin a cat. In flute making, there's no one way to do anything...we all find our groove and hone in on our 'truth' and the chips fall where they may. And with those chips fall all that fine dust that gets EVERYwhere...

I don't use a lathe. Never been around one or used one. No doubt they significantly speed up the rounding process, but I don't go that route. I use my DeWalt 735 13" planer for squaring up a glued-up flute blank, a pricey but invaluable tool for me. A Delta router-shaper table knocks off a 45-degree angle to take my flutes to a hexagon stage, ready for rounding.

I'm leaving out the voicing and key determinations...'nuther post for a 'nuther day. Skipping to rounding the flute out. My go-to tool has for years, now, been the Ridgid Oscillating Belt Sander. Slap on a 80-grit belt and I can start shaving off the corners and getting a general roundness to the flute. It's not a quick process, mind you, and you have to constantly remind yourself to let the tool do the work and not to force extra pressure, etc.

Once I'm content with the general shape (albeit rough), I switch to a Porter-Cable oscillating 5" palm sander, starting with the same grit. Even with an anti-vibration glove, you can only work with this tool for so long before the vibration gets to you (that and the grip needed to one-hand the tool). I may can work 2 hours with it, but that's about my limit. Whether I lay the flute in my lap or hold it in my left hand and brace it into the upper part of my left arm, I constantly move the sander in small circles that wrap around the barrel as I go. There are no short-cuts to these steps. Move to a grit too high too soon and you'll have to back-track to the lower grit. There really is an art and science to the sanding process.

In an earlier post I mentioned the water stage I do at 320-grit, so I won't repeat that here...I do have 600 and 800 grit discs for the sander, but once at the 1,000 grit stage I'm working it by hand. Total sanding time will vary with flute size and wood type. Cedar shapes quickly and easily, where an equal flute in Bubinga will take a minimum of twice as long given the hardness of that wood.

I had used an oscillating spindle sander that Ryobi used to make, but I haven't seen it in years. I like the Ridgid, though in 5 years I've burned through 3 motors. I wish it were more industrial and beefy, but in its defense it's the only sander like it on the market. There are some 'tougher' spindle sanders out there, and in time I just might switch to one when I burn out my current Ridgid sander. A matter of when, not if, unfortunately.

Anyway, that's how an Ugly Boy gets its shape!

A little flute philosophy...

Each of my 'kids' has had all 4 elements put into them: earth, water, fire, air. While it may seem like no big deal, I like to think it's kind of neat. Those of us in love with the Native American flute appreciate it's spiritual roots, and almost all of us sense that each one has its own spirit. Once I began making flutes, I quickly realized just how much spiritual energy is in each piece of wood. To that effect, I refer to flutes/woods as 'talking to me' as I'll get these constant intuitive 'gut' calls to do something one way or the other, or choose this key or that key, or make it with this motif or that...it is most interesting. Oh yes, there have been those flutes that sit for months and give me the message of 'don't touch me right now!', so I expect nothing so I can be ready for anything.

I begin with 'earth' in terms of the wood. I use 'fire' in the form of a burning tool that I do all of my sound holes and flues with, as well as tapping finger holes. Take off the block and you'll see signs of the fire used...once I get that perfect sound quality I'm looking for, I quit filing, leaving the marks where they are. What's really neat is that as I burn openings, then stop and file away the charcoal, then burn some more, I hold the flute up at an angle and blow to send the smoke on its way (away from my eyes!)...so here you have these early flutes with thick coils of smoke going through the entire flute, as if smudging it clean. I use stones to finish out the finger holes, so more 'earth' involved.

As I sand the flute down (and sand, and sand, and sand!) I stop at the 320-grit stage and sponge a light coating of 'water' over the flute. You don't want to soak it, of course, just lightly wipe it on and shake off the excess. I put it on a dowel rack to dry...very important step, this one. The water 'pops' the grain...320 is smooooth, and after the water it's 'rough' again. When you sand at 320 again, the surface starts to feel like glass...and as you move to higher and higher grits, it's more glass-like. This is especially important when using woods with a lot of curl and figuring in them, which I will hand sand down to 1000-1200 grit.

There is the voicing which is the 'air' part, of course...and outside of creating a honey-dripping voice in a flute, my favorite part is when I put on an oil coat after all that sanding. WOW! There's nothing like that instant rush of beauty. I'll detail particular fluids I use in a later post.

And so when a flute is done, it's the 'earth' to begin with that has fire, water, and air run through it. The player adds their spirit to it and, voila, sweet music goes out into this world. And we can never have too much of that, eh?

Blessed be.

New 'kids' in the making!...

Just some pics of flutes I've recently taken to the hexagonal stage for further voicing and finishing...

(click on pics to enlarge)


First is a group of open-end flutes that are right at the key of G. The Walnut has a bird beak end and by the looks of the figuring will be gorgeous when sanded down to 1000 grit! The Ambrosia will have one larger tuning hole cut on the bottomside of the flute, while the Yellowheart has the more traditional 4 tuning holes around the flute. The Black Limba is a wonderful compact 'standard' flute. FYI, I almost always make my blocks last and don't know what I'll make for each flute until I get to it. The Black Limba may look snazzy with couple of turquoise bands...and the Ambrosia and Yellowheart will have added length at the foot ends, which would be good for some inlay.

Next is a trio of 7/8" bore closed-end flutes that will key out in the G-A# range, more than likely. My closed-ends usually pitch a little higher than open-end counterparts, for some reason. Each flute has a solid rectangular foot for carving 'stuff'...I'm pretty sure I'm going to use the Ambrosia one for a special carving of a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker...closed-end flutes are truly unique, but they are labor-intensive!

Above is a group of flat-bottomed "Half-Pipes" of mine that will be fairly high in pitch. The Aspen neck flute will probably be a high F# or G...not sure where the Makores will fall, but they'll be lower than that. Note that all the Makores are the same length in the playing barrel (going left)...they differ in the lengths of their slow-air chambers (SACs). Makore is a wonderful tone wood, and I imagine these will be quick, lively players.

These are 2 slightly larger flutes...the quartersawn Sycamore is a special order flute...nice lightweight wood with great marbling. Papua New Guinea Walnut has a gorgeous light tan luster, and is a fairly lightweight wood, itself. When it's finished, you just twist it in the light and it really glows. I added some detail pics of the spalting below:


For you inquiring minds, you can read more about spalting (caused by fungus) by clicking on it's fancier scientific term:

intraspecific antagonism

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As always, stay tuned for more!

Experimenting, here...Blogger is doing some funky things this morning, and as I write this the title bar is missing. Ugh.

Below is a real sweet player, a mid Bb (A#) in Brazilian Cherry with Bloodwood end caps and bird. Playing holes are slightly champhered and quite comfortable


For being a higher key flute, tt's got a little heft to it given the density of the woods involved. Just over 21" long. 190-

I have this idea to use the blogger format to post pictures of works in progress as well as finished flutes...sure is a lot easier to update! Just my preliminary thoughts as I am ramping up my flute-making activities. Keep checking back for new 'stuff' as I get around to it, which I hope to be daily or close to it!



Woke up thinking about the above flute I made a good while back for a museum display...one of those flutes I wish I could have kept! Too, remember that any picture in a blog post cana be enlarged by clicking on it.

Enjoy!