After a suggestion from another member, I thought I would put up a tutorial on making wooden Kazoos.
I have made these with many different groups from nursery children to scouts, and find them a great way of introducing basic knife work. And of course they have an easily made object that does something (make a noise) to show for their work. I cant remember where I got the idea from; it could well have been someone on this site (so apologies for pinching your idea if I did)
You can have them in various stages of readiness depending on group size and ability, but Ill show the main steps and you can adapt as you see fit.
The first stage is to select your wood. I have a willow coppice which I use, or some birch growing out the back. The best stuff I have found is around 2cm (1) in diameter. Cut into lengths of 15-18cm (6-7).
Smooth off any knots in the stick
Next split the piece straight down the middle. And dont lose the bits.
The pieces should fit snugly together, but for our purposes we need to shave the middle of the inside a little to allow air to pass straight through and allow space for vibration. So carefully shave down the interior near the middle.
You can see if you have done enough by putting the pieces back together (you need to shave some wood off each side), and you can remove the bark for a mouthpiece at this point.
Next you need something to vibrate, Ive found that Posties elastic bands work great. I have yet to experiment with natural items but if you come up with something better let me know.
Next hold both pieces together and check it does actually make a noise, blowing from either side will probably give a different tone. If needs be, at this stage you can shave a bit more off the inside of the stick.
Lastly, put more bands round either end, or if you have time you can whip them with twine, but the bands works fine.
Now youre set to have your own kazoo orchestra.
I have made these with many different groups from nursery children to scouts, and find them a great way of introducing basic knife work. And of course they have an easily made object that does something (make a noise) to show for their work. I cant remember where I got the idea from; it could well have been someone on this site (so apologies for pinching your idea if I did)
You can have them in various stages of readiness depending on group size and ability, but Ill show the main steps and you can adapt as you see fit.
The first stage is to select your wood. I have a willow coppice which I use, or some birch growing out the back. The best stuff I have found is around 2cm (1) in diameter. Cut into lengths of 15-18cm (6-7).
Smooth off any knots in the stick
Next split the piece straight down the middle. And dont lose the bits.
The pieces should fit snugly together, but for our purposes we need to shave the middle of the inside a little to allow air to pass straight through and allow space for vibration. So carefully shave down the interior near the middle.
You can see if you have done enough by putting the pieces back together (you need to shave some wood off each side), and you can remove the bark for a mouthpiece at this point.
Next you need something to vibrate, Ive found that Posties elastic bands work great. I have yet to experiment with natural items but if you come up with something better let me know.
Next hold both pieces together and check it does actually make a noise, blowing from either side will probably give a different tone. If needs be, at this stage you can shave a bit more off the inside of the stick.
Lastly, put more bands round either end, or if you have time you can whip them with twine, but the bands works fine.
Now youre set to have your own kazoo orchestra.