Wooden Reamer Pt. 1

Here's me turning a wooden reamer with a ratio of 55:1 (every 5.5cm the diameter is reduced with a millimeter). It's going from 19 cm down to 13 cm over (bear with me here... yes...) 33 cm exactly.

The ratio was derived from the actual Rudall & Rose measurements I mentioned earlier and actually matches them quite nicely: overall the measured bore is quite straight in its slope, and especially so in the mid-section, for which this reamer is intended.

The wood is maple; if I have to guess it's because it is smooth and malleable but at the same time strong enough and not particularly sensitive to friction. (That is, with pearwood at least you often smell smoke when drilling it...)

I started out trying to make the reamer in steps of 1 mm, until I was instructed to do it smoothly from the hand. Whew!

But I succeeded, as you can see below. Here, the next step is also done -- the cone is cut in half, using the blocks at the end as a guide for finding the middle. The part with just one block intact will become the reamer; a metal strip will be added, which does the actual scraping.

What I haven't quite figured out yet, is how I'm supposed to find the center of the reamer again to create a mount point, now that I've already cut the blocks in half.

Boring!

The previous week was mostly spent on creating the tool in the photograph below, by filing down a normal drill bit to somewhat more square proportions, and silver-soldering the piece of copper on its otherwise sharp tip. This copper piece has exactly the same diameter as the pilot hole that was drilled in the wood earlier, and ensures that the drill follows this guide exactly instead of scraping its own way. I also had to file down the width of the drill bit, since I required a somewhat irregular size for the socket. The piece of black tape marks up to where I want the drill to enter the wood.

Next, it was time to drill the actual bore. First the socket, using the drill I just made, then gradual steps from 14mm down to 11mm for the right hand / foot piece. (Luckily most of these drills were already filed down by people before me.) Finally I was able to use an already existing reamer, too. For the left hand (middle) piece, I'll have to make my own reamer, which will be mostly wood with a metal scraper, but that is yet to come.

To ensure a smooth flow of the reamer, some linseed oil was applied, which leaves quite a color mark on the wood (its first oil ever!), and actually makes it smell like a fresh salad.

Woodworm! (Again!)

In advance of the workshop I inquired on what wood I should use. Well, fate has decided for me. Or should I say karma, for wanting something environmentally friendly.

Yesterday I picked up a second hand piece of steam treated pearwood, originally apparently intended for a glassblowing mold. Only to find woodworm holes on it. Complete bummer (dude), because it is the third thing I get into the house with woodworm holes. I have to get really careful now.

Coming into the class it turned out that the wood that was ordered hadn't arrived yet, so I was bound to use my beam of pear anyhow. So I sawed it into smaller pieces, still finding woodworm traces on some cuts. Coming home I decided to heat-treat the li'l critters away; so now the house is filled with the smell of baked pears, smoked wood and old pizzas. I think I actually saw the tiniest little shadows of the buggers fleeing out of the wood (if so, then they're awfully small!) -- I am as of yet unsure whether I should be relieved or even more scared. (UPDATE: I just removed a ~7mm caterpillar from my kitchen wall, just above where I just layed the wood down. Now I'm really psyched out.)

Hmmm... pearwood...

As for the other items -- if this works, I should decide whether I entrust my flute case to my little oven as well. Just too bad that the button accordion (stripped of the tongues, of course!) won't fit -- I'll probably have to call an extermination service after all.

So, as for the flute: if the worms have only eaten exactly at the finger hole positions, I will be making a pearwood flute after all. Otherwise I may have to apply some filler. In theory I have enough wood for four flutes in that little beam anyway, and if it really gets bad I wouldn't mind going for a true hardwood after all. Can't say I didn't try!

In The Beginning, There Was A Design

Designing what you're going to make, well, that's the easy part. But since I want this blog to be in chronological order, I will have to post this first. Luckily it also makes for some nice pictures. Only things is, now I have to make up for it.

The design, by the way, is not all mine: the bore and finger hole placement are from an original Rudall & Rose flute (no. 5501), painstakingly measured and kindly provided by Jon Cornia.