PHILIPPE BOLTON, RECORDER MAKER
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 Version française Home page Recorders page |
MAKING A RECORDER
The beginning
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The boxwood logs are first split to follow the direction of the wood fibres. |
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Roughing down the pieces of wood
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Each piece of wood is turned to a cylinder on the lathe. |
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Boring the instrument
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Spoon drills are used for this operation which is carried out on the lathe. |
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Reaming the bore
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Each reamer is made to measure for one specific part of the bore, to which it gives its final shape and measurements. |
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Turning the instrument
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In order to ensure perfect concentricity, the instrument is fixed on the lathe by its bore. The turning is done by hand. |
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The Windway cutter
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The windway is cut with great precision using this small hand-operated machine. |
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Cutting the labium or lip
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The labium is cut with a chisel. |
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Making and fitting the block
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The block is carved and fitted by hand. |
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Boring the holes
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The holes are bored undersize, so that the instrument can be tuned later on. |
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The thread joints
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The layer of thread makes the instrument airtight. |
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Voicing the recorder
This is a very long and meticulous operation requiring great precision in the windway and on the block.
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Working in the windway |
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Working on the block |
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Tuning the recorder
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The holes are undercut by hand until all the notes are in tune. |
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Testing and playing in the finished recorder.
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The recorder is played for several hours to ensure that it is stable in normal playing conditions |
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| Section view of a head joint | A recorder bore profile |
| Close-up view of the the undercut holes | Recorders page |
| How to make a recorder block | How the recorder works |
| Back to home page |
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Philippe BOLTON, |
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