Regarding UP chanter reed construction, how important is it to roll your own staples? This additional step seems to add an element of complexity to an already complex process, but this is just coming from a smallpiper.
Any experienced UP reed makers care to weigh-in on this one? Thanks in advance.
This seems to be a matter of personal preference. Rolling your own staple gives you more control of the taper and the width of the staple at the eye. With tubing, you can crimp around a mandrel, but you can’t get rid of the excess material in the tube. Enough people are using tubing that it would seem that it doesn’t matter a lot, or that you can work around the differences. I’m sure there are people who are absolutely convinced their method works best either way. 
djm
I’m certainly not an experienced reed maker, but I will pass on something I have found using a 3/16" brass tubing for a staple.
I found that if I make the staple about 3/8 " longer and make the reed as usual, I will end up with a first octave in tune and a second octave that is flat. I then take my trusty tubing cutter and cut off the end of the staple in 1/16’’ increments until the 2nd octave sharpens into tune. This worked on 5 chanters of different makes. I don’t know if it applies to places with actual humidity, but it does work here in the high, cold desert. I would have made rolled staples, but “a man has got to know his limitations”. 
John
(I now have 2 working bass G and D brass/plastic drone reeds in my new Roberts 1/2 set, only 3 more to go. God watches over drunks, fools, and reed newbies. 
)
What plans did you use for the drones?? Wally Charm from the Seattle Pipers Club supplied me with a set of plans using square tubing for the bodies. Works great. I’m sure there are threads for this in the forum…
I find that I can make a reed that plays in tune with less bag pressure changes. If you get the A and G tuned right, with a hobby tubing staple, you need to change the pressure (much more) from note to note to get it to play in tune. I have much better luck with a rolled staple (I just hate makeing mandrils) so I think it is worth the effort for a rolled staple.
I have a D chanter supposidly “designed and tuned for a tubing staple”, but playing pressure changes lessened considerably from my modifying the reed seat to accept a rolled staple and making a reed design that was posted on Seth Gallagher’s reed making page.
A little more time and strength to make a few more and I will have a couple of good reeds for that one and I might possibly be talked into selling it for more flat stuff if I can keep my Hillmann chanter going good.
I didn’t have any plans. I did have a non-working quill reed to look at and I just approximated the same thing in brass. I tried a brass tongue (sounded good and was stable, but took too much pressure. I’m going to try thinner brass) and two thicknesses of styrene (0.5mm sounded good but too hard, 0.3mm is good). I just stepped up tubing sizes and glued the pieces with polyurethane glue. I used small hairbands for a bridle. Teflon on the whole bottom end and wrapped with prewaxed hemp.
John