I recently visited David Daye’s site on making a practice set. Is this a realistic endeavor? If so, is it worth the time, expense etc.? I would like to hear from anyone who has tried it or actually made a set. Thanks, Brian
I don’t know much about David Daye’ pipes but if you’re interested in alternatives to the conventional practice set, half set or full set, have a look at this:
I found it by accident. I was interested but unfortunately I’m too far from the maker. If I were in Scotland, then I might take the chance.
PJ
I sent you a PM.
-Dave
i have a decent pakistani practice set with a keyless chanter. i’d like a full set to bring to ireland in june, but even insured i don’t want to bring my good set.
soooooooo
i’m going to try to make the drones and regs and stock from wilbert garvin’s book, as i don’t have the time nor money to buy even enuff parts to make a half set.
anybody make the stuff in that book before? how’d it turn out?
I’ve built a set here. Sounds pretty awesome, if I may say so myself, although others here have turned their nose at Daye’s work, because it’s not wood.
My set is not pretty to look at since it has been a prototype build for myself, and I have a better idea how I want to build the bellows/bag/chanter. It is the Quinn/Rowesome copy model, so it’s got quite a bit of volume. If you live in an apartment (like I do) you may want to consider building his Medium Bore model, which I’m going to do soon. I messed up on the finger-holes, so my scales get progressively flat, which is my other reason for wanting to do a total rebuild (not to mention employing some beautification mods). Your total cost of actual chanter material will be about $25-$35. Frankly, I think it’s worth the time and effort. You get to earn the experience of learning a bit about pipe building, plus you get to own a pretty awesome chanter. Don’t get discouraged easily, though. Keep at it. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Also, David Daye does answer emails, though I would be considerate of his time. 
I’m also planning on picking up Garvin’s book at the library today, so I’m with you on that!
Here’s some advise: Follow Daye’s instructions like the Bible. That’s it.
At the risk of being flagellated by the resident naysayer, I’ll give it a go. I put together a practice set using Daye’s instructions several years ago. I found it to be a straight forward project that I was able to complete in a couple weekends. He recommends using super glue but I used a quick set epoxy instead. This increased the open time which I found to be an advantage when lining up the telescoping tubing. Nothing is more annoying than having the glue seize before everything is lined up. The primary tool requirement is access to a drill press. I wouldn’t want to attempt drilling the tone holes without one.
I found the chanter to be surprisingly excellent. The chanter, including the reed Daye originally provided me, is still in use by a local beginner. At least I think so…haven’t heard from him in a while. It plays in tune with a bright tone, making it a good session instrument. The only downside I can think of is it’s butt ugly. In my opinion, making a bag is tedious and frustrating work best left to a professional. I bought one from MacHarg and never regretted the extra expense. I built the bellows using information kindly provided by Wilbert Garvin. That’s a project in itself but is reasonable for someone with basic woodworking skills. All told I spent about $200 for all the components necessary for a working practice set. I have friends that own penny whistles that cost more than that. k
I too have been leaning towards this kit and would be very interested in any insight/advise that could be gleaned.
Yeah, I was thinking about using a silicone adhesive called “Goop”. It worked great for sealing up my bag, and it’s strong as heck. I figured with some of the errors I made on my last chanter, having an extra window of time to get the tubes lined up properly would be beneficial. Although, I’m willing to try the soldering method as well.
If you make a bag, JoAnne’s fabrics has vinyl with fabric backing that is a very heavy material, and it makes for a very strong bag. WalMart and JoAnne’s sell Goop.
Also, do yourself a favor and buy a reed from David Daye. It will give you the gratitude of playing while you learn to build a reed. You’ll find building the reed much more difficult than building your chanter/bag/bellows.