Wind Chimes

2014-01-28

For our grandma's birthday we built her some wind chimes. We were pressed for time and managed to complete it in only a few hours.

Inspiration came from Steve Ramsey, a woodworker on YouTube. We also used the website "An Engineering Approach to Wind Chime Build and Design" to calculate what lengths of pipe to use to achieve the desired musical note.The first step was to cut 3/4 inch diameter electrical conduit pipes into various lengths. After some research, we decided on using the notes C, D, F, G, and A. This meant cutting pipes ranging from about 21 inches all the way down to 16 inches. We used a pipe cutter to cut the steel to length and filed off the burrs from the rough edges. Then we drilled a hole about 20% of the way down each pipe to create a way to hang them. Next we cut out two circles of oak. The first was to hang the pipes from. The second was the striker, which is the piece that actually hits the pipes to make a sound. We used a router to bevel the edges and then touched them up with some sand paper. After that we put screw eyes in the appropriate places in order to hang the pipes, the striker, and the whole wind chime. Some fishing line was used to hang the various parts. We used chain and a homemade “S” hook to hang the whole thing. Only now were we able to see what is sounded like. This was the moment we had been waiting for because before we had little idea if it would make a pleasant sound. I have to say, we were both very impressed with the music it produced!Next we hung a circle of dark hardwood from the striker to catch the wind. After painting the pipes metallic silver, and lacquering the wood, it was all finished (with only five minutes to spare before our grandma came over!)All in all it was a very successful project and we will probably be making some more as gifts.Here is a short video so you can get an idea of what it sounds like. Enjoy!