HOW TO MAKE A NICE 2-OCTAVE KALIMBA VERY INEXPENSIVELY
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Last updated 12/17/1997
NOTE: 7 additional photos
and a sound sample of this instrument are available. Click
here for information.
Made from:
- Old lawn-rake tines for the twangers (I've seen these tines in
varying widths, but the ones I used are 11/64" wide).
- A small amount of 1/8" plywood for the sound-board & bottom.
Discarded interior doors are a great source for this plywood.
- A few scraps of hardwood for the inner framework, "depressor
rod", "bridge" etc. I've had much luck obtaining large boxes of
such scrap wood at the end of the school season (for the asking)
from High School & Jr. High School wood-shop teachers who often
otherwise just burn the semester's scraps for firewood kindling.
- A 5-1/8" length of coat-hanger wire. Hangers are made from in a
variety of gauge wire -- look for the thicker gauge.
- Two fairly hefty wood-screws used to pull down the depressor rods
& thus "tension" the twangers.
Very little is critical -- not body size, shape, number of
twangers etc etc.
NOTE: NOTHING ILLUSTRATED BELOW IS NECESSARILY TO SCALE. RELATIVE
SIZES/SHAPES ARE OFTEN OUT OF PROPORTION & ANGLES ARE
EXAGERATED AS WELL (IE: THE SHAPE BELOW MAKES IT LOOK MORE
LIKE A HAMMERED DULCIMER THAN A KALIMBA). THE PURPOSE OF
THESE ILLUSTRATIONS IS JUST TO CONVEY ENOUGH BASIC IDEAS TO
ENABLE ONE TO BUILD THIS THING.
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Home-made KALIMBA - step by step instructions
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STEP #1
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/ front \
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Cut a piece of 1/8" plywood 7-5/8" front to rear, 6-1/8" along
front & 5-1/2" along rear.
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STEP #2
| 5-1/2" wide |
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/\ / / \ \ /.\
1" / / \ \ :
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_\/_ _ / /_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ \ \ :
/ / \ \ :
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/ / \ \ 7-5/8"
3/8" -/ /- 3/8" -\ \- :
/ / \ \ :
/ / \ \ :
/ / \ \ :
/ / \/ \ \ :
/ /- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - \ \ :
/ / 3/8" \ \ \:/
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: /\ :
: :
: 6-1/8" wide at front :
: :
Cut & fit-together four 1-3/8" tall peices of wood (only the rear
one need be hardwood). Glue these framing pieces together and to
the plywood as well.
The body of the finished instrument is about 1-5/8" thick
once the top and bottom plywood is added to the framework
(1/8" + 1-3/8" + 1/8").
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STEP #3
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Cut another piece of 1/8" plywood to the same dimensions as in
step #1 above. Drill a 1" (or so) hole in the middle of what will
become the sound-board. Glue to the rest of the instrument.
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STEP #4
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/ "BRIDGE" \
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/ (hole) \
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Make a "bridge" from a scrap of hardwood 1/4" thick, by 1-1/8"
wide by 5-1/8" long. Glue this "bridge" to the top of the
sound-board so it's backside is flush with the rear edge of the
kalimba.
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STEP #5
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/vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv\ - NOTCH for "nut"
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/ (hole) \
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About 3/16" from the front edge of the "bridge", scratch a slight
"v" groove to accept a 5-1/8" length of coat-hanger wire that
serves as a "nut" that the twangers ride over.
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STEP #6
CLICK HERE FOR AN ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATION.
CLICK HERE FOR YET ANOTHER "DRAWING".
CLICK HERE FOR ONE MORE ILLUSTRATION.
_______||_______ / || \ /________||________\ DEPRESSOR BAR- /| o o |\ "o" = woodscrews / ~~~~~~~~||~~~~~~~~ \ hanger-wire "nut"- /nnnnnnnnnnn||nnnnnnnnnnn\ /------------||------------\ / || \ / || \ Only one twanger / || twanger \ is shown here / || \ for the sake / \ of clarity / \ / \ / \ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now the depressor bar is added. It tensions the twangers and keeps them in place. This depressor bar is simply a 1/2" by 1/2" by 5-1/4" long piece of hardwood with the bottom rounded off (actually made "U" shaped). Countersunk holes are drilled 1-1/2" from each end. Two large wood-screws go through these holes, through the "bridge" & sound-board and into the hardwood framing member. These holes should be 1/2" from the rear edge of the "bridge". The twangers are routed under the depressor bar. Put 5 twangers to the left of the left screw, 4 to the right of the right screw & 7 in the area between the screws. "Fan" them out symmetrically. Only one of the 16 twangers is shown in the above illustration. "Exploded" side-view showing how twangers are mounted: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (much enlarged) * * * * * * * * Two hefty woodscrews * end-view of * that go through the * "depressor bar" * depressor, through the * * bridge and into the * * frame of the kalimba * * serve to push down on * * & thus tension the * * 16 twangers. * * * * ___________________________________________________T_W_A_N_G_E_R__ () |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/~~~~| The () represents | | an end view of | | the "nut" which -------------------------------------------- is a length of END view of "bridge" (twanger "base") coat-hanger wire that is glued to the rear edge of the instrument's top/soundboard. The ~~\/~~ represents the shallow notch or groove along the entire length of the "bridge" into which a 5-1/8" length of coat-hanger wire lays. This wire acts as a "nut" over which the 16 twangers ride. ******************************************************************* STEP #7 Making the twangers: The instruments I have made all are in the basic key of G. There's no reason you can't cut the twangers for any key you desire. g e f# c d a b f# g d e b c g a f# OVERALL length of twangers I used for the key of G: First octave: f# - 4" g - 3-7/8" a - 3-3/4" b - 3-1/2" c - 3-3/8" d - 3-1/4" e - 3-1/8" Second octave: f# - 3-1/16" g - 3" a - 2-7/8" b - 2-13/16" c - 2-3/4" d - 2-5/8" e - 2-9/16" Third octave: f# - 2-1/2" g - 2-3/8" - The rake-tines are easiest "cut" by breaking them with two pair of pliers, or by bending & hammering them over with one end in a vise. - I use a hand grinder to grind the finger-ends of each twanger to a "U" shape. Dull anything sharp on the other ends. - The existing paint on the tines does not seem to hurt the tone or volume, but I have scraped it off too. - When it's time to mount the twangers, slightly tension the depressor bar then insert the twangers under the bar in their proper order. Turn the wood-screws a bit & "fan-out" (properly space etc) all the twangers. Then crank down on the two wood-screws not too far past the point where the twangers are held securely & not too easily moved. - Tune each twanger to it's proper pitch by forcefully wiggling and pushing/pulling it. I find that even with considerable downward pressure from the depressor bar, the individual twangers can still be budged around enough. You DON'T want to have to loosen the two woodscrews to facilitate tuning. Use either a chromatic electronic tuner or simply compare the twanger pitches to the notes on a pitch-pipe, or properly tuned guitar etc. PS: Different width rake-tines should work nicely as well -- you'd just have to experiment some. ******************************************************************* Dennis Havlena - W8MI Mackinac Straits, northern Michigan
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