okay..here is what i have that worked well. This does not include instructions for the cap or reed, but i’m sure those of you that are good enough to tinker with these instructions will have no problem tweaking holes or reeds. i recommend #5 recyc. plastic from a philadelphia regular cream cheese 12oz tub for the reed. I’m afraid it kept messing up my spacing, so I had to use underscores, sorry…
Cut all tubing to length with a tubing cutter and ream out well. Lengths are on the table below. Total chanter length should be 14 1/2"
brass tubing size______length of tubing
____________1/4"______3.16"
___________17/64"_____4 3/4"
___________5/16"______6 1/4"
__________11/32"______7 1/2"
___________3/8"_______8 3/4"
___________13/32"____10 1/4"
____________7/16"_____11 3/4"
___________15/32"_____14 1/2"
____________1/2"______4 1/2"(should overhang the bell end by 1/32-1/16" and cover only the two bottom holes)
Gently spreading a 1/4" band of superglue around the smallest tubing. Bracing it against something (a wall, your workbench) horizontally slide the next size tubing over it in one swift, steady, strong motion until it contacts the “wall.” The superglue will set almost immediately on contact. For this reason it is best if the band of superglue is near the reed end of the tubing, about 1/2" from what will be the “top” of the chanter. Repeat the process up to 15/32. 1/2" tubing will cover only the two bottom holes and must be done by eye. practice it without glue until you have it right. The chanter should be 14 1/2" in overall length. Clean up excess superglue at the reed end.
Drilling the Finger Holes
__________reed__backD____________________________________lowD
bit dia._________11/64__7/32__9/32__9/32__11/64__3/16__7/64__11/64
___________D==| ____O_____O____O_____O_____O____O_____O
space from_____11 1/4__10 3/8_8 7/8_7 1/2_6 1/8__4 7/8__3 5/8__2 3/8
bell of chanter (inches)
Start by drilling all holes 11/64 with a drill press. Widen the holes by using increasingly larger bit sizes until all play in tune. Test after each new size. Some holes may need to be slightly larger or smaller depending on hole placement and chanter length. A hole can only be enlarged to the diameter of the tubing in which it’s drilled. If a hole is enlarged that much and is still flat the hole can be elongated up towards the reed end, making it an oval (but very slight…imperceptable to the naked eye) or a round file can be used to lessen the thickness of the wall. Also, by using a triangular file at an angle, material can be removed from the inside of the hole. Be sure to ream the holes out well.