Since the beginning of this blog, i had set aside an ash branch to season for a didgeridoo. I was finally able to get to it and carve it out.This first image shows how I split the branch. I would like to recommend not doing such a task by hand, such as this. This is much more suited for a bandsaw, which i do not possess. I started out with the small 6" Marples saw shown in the foreground. About 1' into the branch, which took 6-8 hours, it snapped at the handle. It was incredibly flimsy anyway, so this was expected. I then purchased the giant Japanese pull saw shown sticking out of the branch. With a sturdier build and course cut, i finished the job in 1/3 the time (which still took over 3 days of cutting).
Once split, I employed this King Arthur Lancelot 4"carving disk to hollow out the didge. This thing is a beast. Brand new and sharp, this blade removes a lot of material, very very quickly.
It attaches to a standard angle grinder as shown. I marked with a pencil an even amount down the side as a stop mark for carving. I made sure the cut was as round as possible on both sides.
A finished half. A propane torch to the inside removes any loose wood shavings sticking out. A light coat of polyurethane seals the inside before the halves are joined.
An ample amount of Titebond I was applied to the seams and the entire didge was held together with a few clamps. The cuts made earlier to split aren't the best and leave some large gaps in the seam. This will be sealed later with epoxy before final finishing.Since this, i've shaved at most 1/4" off all around, and sculpted the mouthpiece. I will eventually put in a beeswax mouthpiece after finishing.
Here's a sound bite of me playing the didge.
Didgeridoo sample
Still haven't gotten circular breathing down.
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I learned the piano to a decent degree since last christmas when i got a cheap walmart keyboard to practice. I found ragtime to suit me very well. It's very similar to my guitar playing style in the sense of bass and melody structure.
Here's me playing Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag on a Yamaha upright piano:
Scott Joplin - Maple Leaf Rag (Andrew's cover)
