About the service
Every flute I make starts long before the drill touches the wood. I choose maple, pear, plum or boxwood with a straight, even grain, rough out the blank and let it rest for weeks so the timber settles and stops moving. Only then do I bore the channel in several passes, ream it smooth, and shape the windway, the block and the labium edge by hand — that is where the voice of the instrument is born, so I take my time with it.
Tuning is done hole by hole. I mark the finger holes from my own charts, open them undersized and then undercut and enlarge them slowly while checking every note against a tuner, so the scale holds together across both registers. I can build to any standard pitch or to a custom key, and I can make a matched set for an ensemble in one key so the instruments blend. Decoration is kept light: a simple carved band or a pyrographed pattern that never touches the acoustic parts. Before shipping I record a short sound sample of the finished flute so you can hear exactly what you are getting.
Please keep a few things in mind. A flute is a personal instrument and, for hygiene reasons, it is not passed from player to player. The bore is treated with food-safe oil and must be wiped and left to dry after playing, otherwise the wood cracks. Sharp temperature swings and drying the flute next to a radiator will ruin it.
What the work includes:
— selection of timber and seasoning of the blank;
— boring and reaming the channel, shaping the windway, block and labium;
— marking and undercutting the finger holes against a tuner;
— tuning to a standard or custom key, matched ensemble sets;
— oiling the bore, light carving or pyrography on request;
— written care and storage notes;
— an audio recording of the flute before dispatch;
— typical lead time 7–14 days, longer for sets.
Tuning is done hole by hole. I mark the finger holes from my own charts, open them undersized and then undercut and enlarge them slowly while checking every note against a tuner, so the scale holds together across both registers. I can build to any standard pitch or to a custom key, and I can make a matched set for an ensemble in one key so the instruments blend. Decoration is kept light: a simple carved band or a pyrographed pattern that never touches the acoustic parts. Before shipping I record a short sound sample of the finished flute so you can hear exactly what you are getting.
Please keep a few things in mind. A flute is a personal instrument and, for hygiene reasons, it is not passed from player to player. The bore is treated with food-safe oil and must be wiped and left to dry after playing, otherwise the wood cracks. Sharp temperature swings and drying the flute next to a radiator will ruin it.
What the work includes:
— selection of timber and seasoning of the blank;
— boring and reaming the channel, shaping the windway, block and labium;
— marking and undercutting the finger holes against a tuner;
— tuning to a standard or custom key, matched ensemble sets;
— oiling the bore, light carving or pyrography on request;
— written care and storage notes;
— an audio recording of the flute before dispatch;
— typical lead time 7–14 days, longer for sets.
