DIY Didgeridoo

The didgeridoo is a traditional Australian icon. It is an aboriginal instrument that has a unique and instantly identifiable sound. Try this DIY option to make a didgeridoo out of a few simple supplies.

Original Didgeridoo's can by purchased at local Australian markets made out of eucalyptus wood. Traditional methods use termites to eat out the centre of the cut branch. To make your own didgeridoo is simple. All you need is a few found at the local dump's (tip) recycling area or from your hardware store.

Difficulty Level:

Can be considered challenging but a lot of fun.

What You'll Need:

Glass wine bottle or similar
Dust mask (to protect yourself)
Spray lubricant
Heating gun
Rounded wooden handle
Beeswax
PVC pipe

Here's how to do it:

Head to the nearest recycling area at your local tip or to your local hardware store. Get at least 3 feet (1 metre) of 2-inch (50mm) PVC pipe.

While you’re there, pick up some primer and spray paint to decorate your didgeridoo. You will also need some type of wax, usually beeswax, for the mouthpiece (a honey supplier at your local markets, will have beeswax).

Tools you will need:

The following are ideal - a bulb planter, one round-head bolt, a glass wine bottle, spray lubricant, a rounded wooden handle (for instance, a shovel), a hot-air gun and a dust mask.

Using the PVC pipe, construct a bell-shape at the end. Spray the lubricant on the wine bottle and the bulb planter.

Heat the PVC pipe with the hot-air gun. Heat an area about 6 inches in length (150mm) around the end of the pipe until the thickness has visibly decreased.

Stand the wine bottle on a table or workbench. Place the heated end of the pipe over the wine bottle and slowly ease the pipe farther down, gently widening the sides of the pipe. Keep the PVC pipe on the wine bottle until it’s cool to touch.

Remove the pipe from the bottle. Heat the end of the pipe again and then insert the bulb planter. Continue to heat the pipe as you rotate the bulb planter around the end. Continue to do this until the diameter at the end of the pipe is about 3 inches (75mm).

Make dimples and indentations in your didgeridoo. Heat the pipe with the hot-air gun. Push the rounded end of the bolt into the pipe without poking a hole. Spread the dimples evenly around the PVC pipe. Shorter didgeridoos should have about thirty dimples.

Make protrusions in your didgeridoo. Again, heat the pipe until it becomes malleable. Insert the wooden handle into the PVC pipe and push out on the heated area. Hold it there until the pipe cools.

Build a mouthpiece. Melt the wax in a bowl and then apply it to the end that you did not mold into a bell-shape. Spread the wax with a putty or butter knife around the edge of the tube, enough so that you will be able to cover the end with your mouth.

Create a beautiful didge sound and you are away!