fipple flute making - step by step

[Ionut Batrinache]

I have a few questions.
for you.
What diameter is the chisel you are using for starting the bore and how much you go inside with it (how deep is the starting hole)?
In the pictures the chisel used for starting the hole looks like it have a bigger diameter than the D Bit, doesn't this make the D Bit wander in the starting hole, or the round tip of the chisel help the D Bit to center?
After you drill full lenght with the D Bit you simpli enlarge the hole with thd spade bit? I think that the 4 mm bore made with the D Bit is used to keep the spade bit centered, but i am not sure if i understand the "phenomen" correct.

Now i am planing my homemade lathe, so i need to fully understand the process. I hope you will have the time to answer my questions.
Thanks!

[Yuri Terenyi]

Sorry for being late. I haven't checked out this thread for a while.
The tool for starting the hole is exactly 4mm, the same as the D-bit. I go in maybe 5-6 mms. It's done by eye, so can be a bit different. Basically, enough to establish a straight, centered starting hole. I use the spade bit to enlarge the hole to the smallest diameter. For most instruments I make, the bore is not cylindrical, so reamers come into it as the next stage, which I did not illustrate. And even for the cylindrical ones, I use a reamer. For example, if the bore is 15mm, I use a spade bit somewhere between 14 and 14.5 mm, and finish off with a straight reamer.

[Yuri Terenyi]

Actually, I have a while ago uploaded a short clip about how I bore the 4mm pilot hole.
Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKtTvDnJ1bU

[Ionut Batrinache]

Thank you for your reply. The starting hole tool looks a lot bigger in the photos.
I can't wait to try what i learned from your tutorial. The video is also great, any others with the rest of the process will be very apreciated, if you have the time to film yourself working.
Can i get your email for another questions in the future?

[Stephen Bacon]

Great job Yuri.

[Adam Beaudoin]

In the off chance you're still monitoring this old thread, can you explain the purpose of the cedar "slip"? Is it just a wedge for clamping? If it's integral, why are you making the plug out of two pieces rather than one? Surely it would be easier to shape with a single-piece block?

[Yuri Terenyi]

No, I wasn't. But as it happens, looked in (nearly a year after the question... Anyway, no, it's actually harder. Carving out the block from solid is the traditional way, That means, no matter how careful you are, the round part will never be absolutely exact. because you are fitting a hand-carved cylinder (or cone) into a drilled hole. (while leaving an elevation for the bottom part of the windway, which makes it even trickier). I simply turn the plug to fit the bore exactly, and glue on the slip to make the bottom of the windway channel. Takes about 10 times less, and is more precise.