Wooden Wind Chimes

[Matt Wolboldt]

So I was asked if I could make some wooden wind chimes that weren't bamboo. I have a few long drill bits, but I'm not sure the best way to hollow out the wood to make tubes. Besides a long bit, any ideas? Thanks

[keith ouellette]

I saw some non bamboo wood chimes but they were not tubes. They were like 1/2 or 1/3 of a tube Like if you had a half round and scooped out the inside. I don't remember exactly what they sounded like but they were not as loud as the bamboo ones.

[Jeff Willard]

Seems like the best approach to this-in my eyes anyway-is to bore them, and then turn to the desired wall thickness.

[glenn bradley]

Think marimba (or xylophone). Tubes are not mandatory ;-)

[Jeff Willard]

If not bamboo, what species?

[Gary Breckenridge]

Do a quick Google search for Orff instruments. Some of them are made from reoswood.;)

[Josiah Bartlett]

Think marimba (or xylophone). Tubes are not mandatory ;-)

You could also use box sections. You could get creative so they turned into organ pipes if the wind was strong enough.

[Brian Kent]

Glenn's got it.

My marimba has Honduras rosewood bars. No need for a tube. One of the middle bars would be about 1-3/4 inches across, 10" long, and about 5/8" thick on the ends. They are sanded a little thinner in the middle to about 3/8".

Thicker means more brittle sound (like a xylophone) and thinner means a mellower sound. Tune them by varying lengths.

I am doing a project using Padauk, which is much cheaper than rosewood but has a beautiful tone.

Brian

[Matt Wolboldt]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to try the marimba route and see how it sounds :)

[samson smith]

So I was asked if I could make some wooden wind chimes that weren't bamboo. I have a few long drill bits, but I'm not sure the best way to hollow out the wood to make tubes. Besides a long bit, any ideas? Thanks

If you want to hollow out the wood to make tubes then you want the spring at the bottom of the tube to launch the ball. You also require a wooden stopper to design it so you attach string to the stopper and draw it through the spring at the bottom.
In this way when you pull the spring it back the stopper and apply tension on the spring.When you release the string it push the stopper and ball is out the end of the barrel.