i do woodworking on stuff from time to time, and i was curious what experiences anyone had with making flutes. i understand there is alot of science behind making the tonal quality good and whatnot, and alot of it has to do with length and hole positioning, but mainly just for the fun of it, what is necessary? do you need a lathe? i figured if you just took some bamboo and put holes in it (strategically of course) and did the research beforehand it could work. i guess im jus curious to see what you all got to say on it.
peace, take care.
Evan
For bamboo flutes, you might like to check out http://www.eriktheflutemaker.com/. He even has a flute-making kit for sale!
Some real fine flutes are made from bamboo… Olwell, I believe (?) does this. One of his Bamboo flutes just sold for $265 on eBay. the problem with this is that about every 6 inches, bamboo seals itself off, and must be drilled out. If you intend to do this more than a couple of times, a lathe is a must unless you’re married to a shop teacher. One problem: you need to figure out a way to make a taper either in (1) the flute head or (2) the body. However, you can make one using PVC tubing, and the cost of materials is quite low…plus all you need is a drill, a tubing cutter or hacksaw, a couple of jewelers files and some patience. If you are planning to make this a garage hobby, get a tabletop lathe though, with at least a 24" distance between centers, ideally 40" if you’re planning to shape and bore your own wood. I’m sure there are others that are waaay more knowledgeable about flutes out there…
Dave
Just go for it. Any of the PVC flutebuilding sites will get you making ok instruments in an afternoon, and more time and research will make the flutes even better. Keep it simple, so you can spend more time playing.
Not all bamboo has nodes at that distance. My E bansuri (key of low B) doesn’t have any nodes. I’m sure that if you search the flutemakers list at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/flutemakers/, you’ll find all the info you need.
Good luck!
True.
All my Olwell bamboos are of a single node.
Doc
Getting back to the original question, yes, it is possible. [Actually, I see this is not the original question, and that others have been answering it much better. Maybe this will be useful to someone, though.]
It’s not easy.
To make a tapered-bore wooden flute you must have a lathe. If nothing else, making the tenons to fit into sockets requires one. Once you have one, you will use it to shape the outside as well.
Drill the long end-grain hole for the bore undersize for each segment. Then ream it. Directions for wooden-bodied reamers can be found online. Details of bores are on Terry McGee’s web site. The taper is too gradual for commercially-available reamers to be used. Some of the later (i.e., large) bores are actually conical; the earlier (narrower) ones vary quite a bit from conical.
Getting the bore smooth and shiny is important. Careful construction of reamers is critical.
Cutting the embouchure is critically important and very tricky. Getting it right is a major step in making a decent flute. Getting it precisely right is much of the difference between a $300 flute and a $900 one. There is some excellent discussion of chimney shape in the archives. Expect to make several headjoints before you get one you like.
When drilling holes, whether embouchure or finger, always drill into a softwood core turned the shape of the bore. The core is useful for other operations as well.
I’m still working on getting all this right, but I’ve made a couple of flutes I’m happy to play in sessions.
– Don
Sorry, I stand corrected about the bamboo nodes… too used to seeing Arundo Donax and thought everything in that family grew in a similar fashion. Thanks for clarifying that. 
Dave