Ok
Many or most of the makers’ flutes are based on an old maker’s design such as Rudall, Pratten, etc etc. My question is this: Do today’s makers have a master/original/whatever that they copy from, or are the dimensions of the Prattens, Rudalls, etc generally well known and easily obtainable? If so, where could a person find the plans for these different styles of flutes?
Thanx
The answers are: yes, yes, and several sources, including museums and other flute makers.
Dimensions are available, you can get plans/drawings from museum and other collections, and there are direct measurements of old flutes as well. (See McGee’s GLP for one example of a direct copy)
Aodhan
And there’s lots of info on http://www.oldflutes.com in case you’ve not seen it,
Ah, and Edinburgh Uni sell plansheets, at http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/euchmi/uwl.html although not all the links work on my machine, you can contact them.
enjoy,
Julia C
Hi Jonathan, I sent away to the U. of Edinburgh and got plans for an R&R flute. I have sent copies to a half dozen or so members of this group. It is easy because they copy on a xerox 18inch x 8 1//2 inch sheet. Let me know your street address and I will send you one, if you want to turn a flute.
Nelson
Wow thanks! I’ve sent you a private message.
Thanks for the info everyone.
Jonathan, if you’re serious about this, you should check the FLUTEMAKERS group at Yahoo.
Fantastic. Thanks Glauber
Shark in the Morning has a bunch of books on flute design, as well as drawings. http://larkinthemorning.com/category.asp?c=254&start=0&x=23&y=8
There’s lots published on flute design. How much ya got? 
djm
A lot of these plans are very bad. If you want to spend money on a flute plan, i’d highly suggest getting Terry’s:
http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/Plans.htm
The usual advice is to try making a recorder first, because it’s simpler.
Clive Catterall has a lot of good information on tools and methods for flute making:
http://www.flutes.fsbusiness.co.uk/methods.html
Glauber,
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve disagreed with you here, so I hope you’ll forgive the following out burst
In regards to Glauber’s comment above, I must emphatically say: Absolutely, positively, and without any doubt - Untrue!!! A decent recorder is far more complicated to make than a flute, mostly due to the block/windway and ramp/window configurations, which require far more skill and tooling to do properly than a simple embouchure hole. (I’m leaving cosmetics out, which would put a recorders off the scale relative to simple system flutes.)
Loren
Allrighty then!
It’s been a long time since i had a chance to use this image too! 
Well, that was what somebody said in flutemakers. I think the idea was that the recorder may be complicated, but it’s easier than cutting a flute embouchure, or maybe easier to tune, because there are fewer variables.
But Loren actually makes these things and i don’t, so listen to him.
g