Make a flute on a Sunday afternoon Pt 1
Make a flute on a Sunday afternoon Pt 1
During some random internet walks biased towards understanding the physics of the flute, I came across this amazing website that describes everything wind instruments. I also came across this video on making your own flute out of a PVC plumbing pipe and figured it might be a fun project. It worked out better than expected, so I decided to put together what I did, if anyone is interested in the details. To the right is a picture of the finished product. Here is an audio sample.
Here’s what you’ll need – I found everything at Home Depot.
A PVC pipe ~ 2$. I used a 2′ cut section of the 3/4″ variety. It has an inner diameter of about 20mm and a wall thickness of about 3mm. You’ll find it in the plumbing section.
A tapered rubber stopper ~ 1$. The small end should easily fit into the pipe, and the large end should not. That way you can cut it to size. You’ll find it in a drawer near the screws in the hardware section.
Emery cloth. Fine and coarse grained are needed. I used a 1cm x 2cm piece of each, so no cost here. In the paints section.
Power drill and a set of bits. I had one. You’ll need a full set of general purpose bits (more on this later). The largest should be about 1cm in diameter.
A length measuring device. A simple well marked ruler will do. Calipers are better.
So, the flute costs about 3$ in materials, not counting tools.
Important safety information
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Drills are dangerous. They are designed to put holes through things. Keep all body parts far away from the drill bit and preferably use a vice to hold the pipe while drilling. If a vice is not available, secure with your feet on either end of the pipe. Plastic pieces seem to violate conservation laws, so it’s safest to wear goggles. It is also very important to start with small drill bits and progressively enlarge the holes you’ll be making (therefore the full set of drill bits). Being lazy can cost you with a broken drill bit, a burnt out motor, a broken limb from a spinning PVC pipe, or a drill stuck in the floor/table, or all of the above. Lock the drill or unplug it while swapping out drill bits.
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Emery is abrasive. Use gloves especially if you have sensitive easily bruised skin.
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PVC is a hard and heavy material. If it strikes you by spinning out of control, it will hurt, badly. So make sure it is secured properly before drilling.
Article by Deepak Iyer – http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~deepaki/flute/