Guidance on how to make the tapered bore on a high end flute.

caddguy · Dec 4, 2017

I am trying to figure out how I can replicate how this guy is making the tapers within the bore of these wood flutes. http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/making.html
I believe that the whole process can be done on a metal lathe much more accurate than a wood lathe. I am literally stumped on how to machine the internal bores on these things if I have to use a gun drill to take it to the smallest diameter and then somehow get the finished taper bored out. It appears he's got some tapered reamers (possibly custom made). Should I be considering using a long boring bar to establish the rough taper and then having a custom tapered reamer made for the finished bore? Anybody that thinks these instruments are an easy thing to make, need to reconsider the idea!

Thanks for your ideas and wisdom!

Dave

TGTool · Dec 4, 2017

Tapered reamers shouldn't be hard to make for what you're doing. You'll have complete control of the contour. Machine the external from O-1 steel (drill rod) than machine away part of it to create a cutting edge. Musical instrument reamers used to be made with just a groove cut in the side by (what appears to be) a ball end mill. Photos I've seen make them look like it's removed about a third of the circumference. That generates a more positive cutting action than the D-bit machinists more commonly use. After hardening you've got a reamer.

EPAIII · Dec 4, 2017

If you read his page carefully you will see that he answers your questions, at least to a basic level. He is not giving away decades of knowledge that he acquired with endless hours of work, but he does a pretty good job of describing the process. Read his words, not mine.

boslab · Dec 5, 2017

It's not like your trying to shove a tapered hole in tool steel, although some woods are super abrasive, loads of silica sucked up by big capillarys I'm informed, even a unhardened steel d bit or reamer will do it, hardened is better though.
Philippe Bolton, Recorder Maker - Making a Recorder: the Reamers
Mark

caddguy · Dec 5, 2017

re:

fyi...Yes I read the webpage carefully. I realise he's not going to tell how he makes each thing that is required to build a flute. I was looking for direction on the building of the reamers as it is something that I have never done before. I am not a tool maker. It just seems to me that it requires a little more than turning the taper on the lathe and then indicating it flat on my mill and cutting a groove in it length wise to some depth and expect it to cut the wood to finished bore. Sure seems like I could use a long boring bar and get it very close that way first, otherwise I am not sure how to establish the initial tapered bore otherwise without stepping the bore with different sized drills. How does the reamer even cut anything if the cutting edge is in the same plane as the reamer's taper? Seems like it may put alot of pressure on the work piece when feeding it in.
I found some interesting Vids on youtube that help understand the process for making different reamers.

Limy Sami · Dec 5, 2017

Boslab, Camscan, we have a major problem.

It's a known fact, 99.9999% of American machinists don't know what a D bit is, .......and as they can't buy it off the shelf, no doubt made from some super duper material, which will of course be heat treated to 1/10th degree F ........and within 100th of a second (probably for 00's if not 000's of $ as well) won't be interested anyway.

caddguy · Dec 5, 2017

Here we go...sarcasm.

randyc · Dec 5, 2017

caddguy said:
Here we go...sarcasm.

If you hang here, you'll get used to it -

Oldwrench · Dec 5, 2017

caddguy said:
Here we go...sarcasm.

Yeah, but it's the accent that adds the humor. Oh, sorry, humour.

jariou · Dec 5, 2017

Look caddguy,

You can conjecture thousands of complications or you can simply follow the advice offered so far.

Build a reamer as described.

Understand it probably won't be perfect (hardly anything ever is)

Try it honestly.

Look at the results.

See what you can improve in the production or use of the reamer.

Rinse and repeat.

Good luck!

Limy Sami · Dec 5, 2017

caddguy said:
Here we go...sarcasm.

No, the Yanks belittle us Brits, so we take the piss out of them back - it's the system.

boslab · Dec 6, 2017

Turn a tapered plug the right angle, gash a few flutes(nice pun eh)heat til glowing dip in oil, don't bother tempering, it's cutting wood.
Mark

Rickw55 · Dec 6, 2017

I used to have a copy of a book called"The Amateur Wind Instrument Maker" by Trevor Robinson. In it, he describes how to make various reamers, both straight and tapered.One method he describes for a tapered reamer is to make the tapered portion from wood,and to cut a thin slot in it lengthwise. A single thin steel blade is then inserted in to the slot and sharpened as a scraper.
Later, I found out that some Windsor chair makers use that type of reamer to ream the tapered holes in the seat for the chair legs.
Anyway, good luck with your instrument making! I've never made a wind instrument, but I have made some stringed instruments.
Rick W

dsergison · Dec 7, 2017

I cant imagine boring working. that's very deep small hole to cantilever a very long boring bar into. Maybe not technically impossible but certainly not easy, not the way McGee does it, and not necessary.

awake · Dec 7, 2017

Limy Sami said:
Boslab, Camscan, we have a major problem.

It's a known fact, 99.9999% of American machinists don't know what a D bit is, .......and as they can't buy it off the shelf, no doubt made from some super duper material, which will of course be heat treated to 1/10th degree F ........and within 100th of a second (probably for 00's if not 000's of $ as well) won't be interested anyway.

Here in Uh-mur-ca we don't bother with D bits - we use D♯ bits. Just be sure you get a D♯, not an E♭ - I don't care what anybody says, they just aren't the same.

Limy Sami · Dec 7, 2017

awake said:
Here in Uh-mur-ca we don't bother with D bits - we use D♯ bits. Just be sure you get a D♯, not an E♭ - I don't care what anybody says, they just aren't the same.

It's all that water.

Limy Sami · Dec 8, 2017

camscan said:
They don't call it water,they think it's strong beer.

Even you've missed it!

Stephen Baker · Aug 26, 2018

Kubrick perhaps
Steve

Guidance on how to make the tapered bore on a high end flute.

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