When I used to make folk instruments (mainly hammered dulcimers and
Celtic harps), I inscribed them with a Latin poem that was my trademark
for years:

 "I was alive in the forest
  Silent and without care
  I was cut by the cruel ax
  Now in death, I sweetly Sing"

What I'm about to say might sound rather corny "New Age", but I believe
that an instrument or organ pipe is a somewhat of a living thing that
comes to life, or should come to life when air passes though it.

Wood and other natural materials incorporated in the making of musical
instruments (pipes) give tone, character, and life in a way that
plastic cannot.  It is the natural inconsistencies in wood that
determine the personality of the instrument in which it is used.

As much as plastic is touted for its durability, I have seen that it
does not stand the test of time.  Either it gets brittle, breaks down,
or just plain begins to look or smell awful.  I haven't been working
much with pipes lately; I'm out of freins (and looking for a source)
and I'm currently embroiled in designing and building xylophone bars,
but I'll tell you a bit of what I have done.

I haven't had much trouble making a pipe which out-performs pipes in
the traditional orchestrions.  The real trick is making the _remainder_
of the set sound just as good.  In the first set of pipes I made, there
were only about 14 out of 24 that I was really happy with.  This ratio
improves with each set I make, but I'm still not yet at 24 out of 24.

A lot of it is still hit-and-miss for me.  Even when I painstakingly
copy a pipe from an original, the sound I want won't come forth.  It's
time to leave a burnt offering to the Muse of Organ Pipes...

In designing my pipes, I use Weber and Welte Violin pipes as a basis.
Violin pipes in most European orchestrions are longer and have a
lighter construction than their American counterparts.  Most American
violin pipes sound like a glorified flute with added overtones, whereas
the European pipes have much more of a _bite_.

When you blow into a Weber violin pipe it comes alive, and the whole
pipe vibrates.  I think this is very important, as it follows the idea
of sound dispersal in a real violin, so following Mr. Stradivarius
ain't such a bad idea.

For the sides and backs of the pipe I have used spruce (from old piano
sound boards) and redwood.  What is important in selecting wood for
sides is the tightness of growth rings: 10-14 rings/inch for pipes
longer than 10 inches, and 15-20 rings/inch for smaller pipes.  Tighter
rings means a lot more rigidity and sound conductivity at thinner
thicknesses.

For the front cap a hard wood with tight pores, like hard-rock maple or
walnut, is preferred.  Getting a good knife-edge at the speaking end is
very critical.  The problem I see in some orchestrions and many band
organs is that, over the years, dirt suspended in the air has eroded
away these edges enough to alter the airstream and significantly affect
the tone.

Slow-setting hide glue is a must for the final phase of assembly.
I find that being able to move parts around for the best tone really
helps.

What I strive for is to get the characteristic tone out of the pipe
without the frein attached.  I find that the frein is more of a starter
and stabilizer.  If I can get a good tone out of the pipe without it,
then the tone will be that much better when the frein is attached and
properly adjusted.

Brian Thornton, Short Mountain Music Works
109 North Cannon Street, Woodbury, TN 37190
Ph: (615) 563-5814
http://www.mindspring.com/~goatboy/smmw.htm