Here's how I made the kalimbas.   Of course, the dimensions aren't
critical, but I'm giving them anyway. 

  Materials needed: 
    2 wood screws (they need to be about 0.75" long)
    2 pieces scrap lumber, 
      one 3.5" X 6" X 0.75" (The "sound board")
      the other 0.25" X 3.5" X 0.75" (The "bridge)
    Piece of 3/16" wooden dowel, 3.5" long.
    5 popsicle sticks

 Tools needed:
    Drill (for the screw holes)
    screwdriver

  To assemble: 

    Drill screw holes in the bridge about 0.5" from each end.  Start screw
holes in the sound board on the big flat side about 1.25" from the 3.5" side
and about half an inch from the 6" side. Place the screws in the holes of
the bridge and screw them loosely into the holes of the soundboard.  Leave
about an eighth of an inch or so to slip the popsicle sticks under the
bridge.  Now, with the dowel about half an inch from the bridge, on the flat
side of the soundboard, slip the popsicle sticks over the dowel and under
the bridge.  You can adjust the tension by tightening the screws or pushing
the dowel closer to the bridge.  The popsicle sticks can be tuned by varying
the length over the dowel. I like to have the middle one be the longest, and
the others slightly flare out, making a pentatonic scale.

 Illustration: (bird's eye view)

               ________________________________________
              |                                        |
              |          /  /            \  \          |
              |         /  / /  /    \  \ \  \         |
              |        /  / /  / |  | \  \ \  \        |
              |_______/__/_/__/__|__|__\__\_\__\_______|
              |                                        |
              |    0                     screw  =>0    |
              |               bridge                   |
              |________________________________________|
              |     /  /  /  /   |  |    \  \ \  \     |
              |____/  /__/  /____|  |_____\  \_\  \____|
              |___/  /__/  /_____|  |______\  \_\  \___|<=dowel
              |  /  /  /  /      |  |       \  \ \  \  |
              | /  /  /  /       |  |        \  \ \  \ |
              |/  /  /  /        |  |         \  \ \  \|
              |  /  /  /         |  |          \  \ \  |
              |    /  /          |  |           \  \   |
              |      /           |  |            \     |
              |  popsicle stick=>|  |                  |
              |                                        |
              |                                        |
              |                         soundboard     |
              |                                        |
              |________________________________________|
      
    
  
Dorothy May                                 ***************************
Professor of Biology                          "We don't need no 
Park College                                    stinkin'
Parkville MO 64152                             key signatures!"
                                            ***************************

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