How to Make a Wooden Kazoo
You can’t exactly lug your guitar and drum set in your backpack, but campfire sing-alongs really rock with musical instruments. A kazoo is the perfect answer.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- A piece of one-inch-thick hardwood, 4 inches long by 2 inches wide
- Two 1/2-by-4-inch roundhead wood screws
- Plastic garbage bag
- Sandpaper
- Drill and bits, up to 1/2 inch
- Crosscut and rip saws
- Screwdriver
- Scissors
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Step 1: Saw off a strip 1/2 inch wide.
Step 2: Measure and mark positions for three holes on top of the strip. Measure 1 3/8 inches from one end and make a centered mark.
Step 3: From that mark, measure 3/4 inch in both directions. Clamp the two pieces of wood together to ensure drilled holes will line up.
Step 4: Use a 3/32-inch bit to start the three pilot holes. Drill the center hole 13/16 inches deep and the outside holes 1/2 inch deep. (Wrap a piece of masking tape around the bit to mark where to stop.) Gradually increase the center hole’s diameter: 5/32 inch, 13/64 inch, 1/4 inch and then—by 16ths—to 1/2 inch. Redrill the outside holes 1/4 inch deep with a 7/32-inch bit. Drive the wood screws so the heads are beneath the surface.
Step 5: From the end of the base you began measuring from, drill a 3/32-inch pilot hole 1 5/8 inches deep. Gradually increase the hole to 1/2 inch, as before, creating an “L”-shaped airway between the base and the strip.
Step 6: At the opposite end of the base, drill a 1/8-inch pilot hole at the center all the way into the blowhole. Increase its size to 3/16 inch.
Step 7: At the same end, drill a hole all the way through the strip for a leather strap.
Step 8: Cut a strip from a plastic garbage bag, 11/16 inches wide and 2 inches long. Remove the screws and lay the plastic over the holes in the base. Replace the top and redrive the screws. Smooth the entire instrument with sandpaper. (Wrap a strip around a piece of dowel to smooth the inside of the airway holes.) Apply stain or varnish.
HOW TO PLAY YOUR KAZOO
Bring the blowhole firmly against your lips and hum loudly into it. With your tongue against your palate, create sort of a “duh, doo, duh” sound. Practice your favorite songs, as well as some classic camp tunes. You’re ready to rock your troop all night long!
Never tried it. I think i will .
thats awesome
this actually works it is great me and my grandfather made two of these and it does work.
if you do what they say it will work and if it doesn’t check and make sure you did it right. and if it doesn’t sound right try different materials, like different plastics.
oh and by the way it takes a little while sometimes to figure out how to blow right and make a sound so don’t get discouraged if you can’t get the sound right at first.
you’re right always check yourself before blaming the manual
This is neat!Going to make this
Fun
it looks too complicated
this is hard and it really didnt work when i tried it. my freind made 1 and it worked.
I made this and it sounds better than my mettle kazoo.:)
I collect wooden kazoos, and making my own will be a great addition to the collection. This looks like fun. I actually have one I bought that looks very much like this one will turn out.
i wish i had time to build it