Making a toy wood xylophone

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Here's a Christmas gift idea you might want to try. The trickiest part is attaching the keys. My method works, but is not ideal. Post your xylophone making tips in the comments!
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Howto & Style
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Music from audionautix.com/

[@DaveBardin]

Steve I drilled my holes really large and used leather for a separator.Roy Underhill showed me the way to get the hole location. Set the slats on two edges such as a three sided board, sprinkle saw dust on the top. Start hitting the slat and the natural sine wave will make the dust gather in the location of the screw holes. Great project and the bit you were hitting them in mid air was kewl!

[@EmilTalen]

Musician here, drill holes through the sides of the bars/keys, put some string through, have them lifted up via pegs with slots in them. the string needs to be tight, but with enough space for the bars/keys to move about a 1/4 inch. Sounds good Steve, even without the 13th note!

[@StephenTimperley]

I'm sure someone has already explained this by now, since it's been a few years, but the best way to attach the bars to the frame would be to drill through the nodal points (the two points that sound the most dead when hit, the ones that you originally drilled through) from SIDE TO SIDE rather than straight down into them. Then, you would buy some kind of soft string to thread through all of the bars that also sits on the dividers (so the dividers need to be a little wider than a dowel, with a small cutout on the top to cradle the string). This method of using a string through the bars actually SUSPENDS the bars above the frame, allowing nothing to directly touch them other than the string itself and your mallets (and technically the dividers, with some padding around them). That suspension is the key component to getting that full sound you want. I hope this all makes sense and sort of helps. I love your videos, and I would love to see you maybe revisit this project and do it a little more properly. Keyboard percussion instruments are the coolest. Definitely check out the "marimba" if you've never heard of it. Amazing sounding keyboard using the same concept explained above.

[@jibicusmaximus4827]

interesting, i had no idea the marimba was constructed that way, thanks.

[@cncnutz]

Had a look at a toy one this morning and it used felt under each note and a dowel with a ball on top. The trick is the hole is very large compared to the dowel size. The balls keep the note from falling off and the large hole stops the dowel deadening the note. Cheers Peter

[@RickMcQuay]

Helped the kids make a xylophone last year and eventually we figured out the keys have to be really loose, like 1/4" dowels through 5/16" holes. And leather is an excellent padding material for underneath.

[@joeleustice]

I enjoy how you make your Audible ads more personal than a lot of other folks do. Makes me want to check out a certain book, rather than just skip the ad. Great channel, Mr. Steve!

[@codyhufstetler643]

you could put a hole horizontally through each end of the key, and then suspend them with thin bungees so they're just touching the felt underneath. just a thought.

[@cameronkaveney1325]

Good tip

[@MathAndComputers]

I love it! :) I used to play the xylophone and other mallet percussion, and I'd wondered why the backs were rounded! The usual approach to supporting the keys on a xylophone is to pass a thick string through a horizontal hole in all of them, then pass it again back through all the keys in the other direction, so you basically have a hammock of keys. The string then gets hung on dividers between the keys, keeping the keys in place and free to bounce. Each key also has its own tube for resonance. The glockenspiel (with thin, metal keys) supports the keys more like what you tried earlier, having felt strip backing, dividers, and one post, but the post has some fancy schmancy design work I don't understand to get it to work properly.

[@frankorona1]

Wonderful job, thanks Steve.

[@logycam10]

I've been watching your Channel for about 6 months now, and love it. I have been playing on marimbas and xylophones for quite a while now, and the best sound is achieved using the places you already marked, but drill through horizontally on the sound balance marks. Then make standoffs for a string that runs through all the keys, on both sides, then run the string though, and tighten at both ends. And perfect! It amazed me how easy it was to get a very full sound out of the blank. Thanks for the vids!

[@krn14242]

Lots of work Steve. Great job.

[@sushicatsan]

Hi Steve. I've been a percussionist for 16 years and played many a xylophone and keyed instruments in my day. I think what you're looking for is the marimba method of securing the keys. Take a cord and tie a cradle for each key, you may have to create a little notch for the cord to rest against in each key. Somewhere on the case you can make a peg that tensions the cord so that all of the keys are suspended and don't make direct contact with the case, but uses it to resonate. I think that would work. The real way to string a marimba is a little more complicated , but for a toy, it should work. Good luck!

[@stuartlightfoot1729]

Don't let any music snobs detract from this vid! ;) Tuned or not, the basic idea and instruction is there. Nicely done!

[@slayermonk007]

Neat project. As a musician the best method ive seen for xylophones is the string method. It requires that you drill holes parallel to the ground in the keys where your mounting points are (top and bottom). You use little risers with a U shaped channel between each key and the entire line of keys is strung together in a loop using springs and hooks at one end to keep tension on the entire rig. Also some cheap resonators made of some pvc or other form of tubing would greatly improve the sound of your xylophone. Love your videos

[@Tedoliv]

Hi Steve. I've been watching your videos about a year now, and love them. Thanks for making them. A suggestion on mounting the keys is to suspend them. Place two finishing nails, or whatever you want to use for posts, into your frame on either side of your keys. loop a rubber band across the point of the keys you located when tuning them. Now twist the rubber band on either side of the keys and loop over the posts with enough tension to keep it suspended above the surface of your frame... Just a thought. I'll have to give it a shot. Thanks again for the videos. They're awesome.

[@woodsmith_1]

I like to use cotter pins partially sheathed in a length of rubber tubing to support the keys. Drill appropriately angled holes through the nodes and run a string through the bars/pins. Maximum sustain! Finding the nodes after they keys have been tuned is best, because as you remove material from most locations on the bar, naturally the position of the nodes change. Nice video as always!

[@SteveSam66]

Steve, Very nice project.

[@mikeg103002]

I spent my younger years as a concert percussionist. Every mallet keyboard I have ever used with the exception of bell sets or glockenspiels have used string threaded through the sides to secure the keys to the base, this was a pretty good attempt though with decent results.

[@JeremieSantos]

how about drilling a hole across the width, and threading a cord and keeping it suspended?

[@jibicusmaximus4827]

outside the box thinking..nice, maybe 2 rubber rings around the string inside the hole, less points of contact? but would have more pressure, maybe that would be worse though?

[@jibicusmaximus4827]

i have 17 wooden slats, all the same size but they sound different notes already? i was thinking of hanging them like chimes, so far i have balanced two on each training shoe, i was wearing, as i wore them, i had to stand still for them to balance but had a tune going.. lol. that was prototype 1 i guess.

[@jibicusmaximus4827]

what about you fill the box with water, that conducts sound well, wonder what that would be like?

[@mons3020]

Wow, I love the editing in your videos! Great job!

[@caracampbell5772]

I'm a teacher at an online school where parents pay to join my class. I was wondering if I could share your video to my preschool students. Thanks!

[@micmajster]

You deserve way more subscribers

[@Wolf9326]

Love the stache!

[@BeeRich33]

Steve: felt. I used to play these. Thick felt.

[@drbren12]

Great video very creative !

[@MarceloFreitas70]

Great vídeo, as usual. Thanks for sharing.

[@cahproductions4695]

Hi I'm the band manager at my school and we have those in our band. I've spent weeks working with them! And what they are suspended with is rope. Like parachute cord

[@hotmec1]

at 4:22 it resonate perfectly !! loll

[@liamg1995]

you can also hang the keys off of elastic band, just drill a hole horizontally through the key on each end, and string them up and attach them to the stand (suspended). Worked great om mine! awesome project! and it sounds pretty good with the velcro too though. Liam

[@pctong5387]

Love your video. Well Done brother.

[@TheBonedady]

great video , i luv your projects

[@Woodentoolcompany2]

A piece of string run threw the keys.

[@hogarns]

There are several tips for making a marimba Attend a school or self-study with online lessons Make sure you are fully committed to it before you start (I read these and the reasons they work from Delfords Magic Plan site )

[@milestanoev689]

There are a few ideas for constructing marimbas Attend a school or self-study with online lessons Make sure you are fully committed to it before you begin (I discovered these and the reasons they work from Delfords magic plan website )

[@cargoshorts731]

Yeah that would work. that's how real marimbas work.

[@historicalape3882]

here's a few suggestions for making marimbas Attend a school or self-study with online lessons Make sure you are completely committed to it before you begin (I learned these and why they work on Delfords Magic Plan website )

[@fandrohyfaliarizao6954]

There are several suggestions for building a marimba Attend a school or self-study via an online course Make sure you are fully committed to it before you begin (I learned these and the reasons they work from Delfords Magic Plan website )

[@trentsmith3071]

Great vid

[@ChrisChapin_chapes]

Let me tell you I've watched a lot of men build mallet percussion instruments from home on KZbin None of them were this man.

[@ChrisChapin_chapes]

Okay, sincerely Actually watched past the first ten seconds. I love you approach. Very simple, straight-forward and intuitive. The velcro and felt combination is beautiful - I've never seen anyone try that. Far and away the best build I could imagine for someone's first try designing and building one of these (still not brave enough myself) and it really is a gorgeous final product and you really do make it look so easy. Subscribed! And I don't even know if I'll watch another video. Sounds mean but what else can I do! The content is too good. Well maybe just one more...

[@davig80]

I would go for the plastic tubing (or some sort of expandable string, not a rubberband) and try to suspend the keys in mid-air, above the box, and attaching the "mat" of keys to the ends with braces. If you separate the keys using for example rubber or felt "washers" you'll be able to get the entire contraption to resonate well.

[@pvfd512]

I used to play the xylophone and the keys had a hole going through them from right to left at the top and bottom. A string was used to suspend them and the string had knots in it to keep the keys from hitting each other. the frame had supports from front to back to support the string. The string was a paracord type material. Hope this helps!

[@umarthehedgehog8388]

Looks like custom instrument but now it's a real xylophone

[@thrjygdcmnbfdzfsa]

the xylophones at school have a rubber tube a bit like a gasket under each end. the keys are held in place by nails surrounded by more rubber, but the nails are a bit complicated for the weekend woodworker. i hope this helps.

[@paolofuria1994]

you're a number one!!

[@SteveCarmichael]

Great project Steve! That padauk sounds great. I will have to try it for the top of a tongue drum. I used a tuner app called PanoTuner and it was able to pick out the notes pretty well on my drums.

[@igontariu]

i think the best way to attach the keys is to drill the holes sideways so that you could run a rod through all of the keys at once and firmly mounted at the ends in the sides of the box. The holes should be a little bit bigger than the diameter on the rod so that it dosn't damper the sound. Also, between each key you could mount a spacer (a washer or a piece of hose that will fit snugly on the rod but not pass through the holes in the keys. The same thing could be done on the other side of the keys though it's a bit tricky because you should drill the holes at a small angle seeing how the keys kep getting smaller. All in all it was a great video and project. Keep it up.

[@braydschannel2077]

I know that I am years late, but I really appreciate the video. I'm looking into making the blocks for my science classes (K-5) to experiment with, and perhaps a something for my daughter, and you've really shortened my research time.

[@pumpkinhead002]

Classical Marimbas and Xylophones use string that runs down through the keys and back up to support the keys. There are bumpers to keep the keys from moving side to side just as you did in the video. Tighten the string to suspend the keys a little, allowing them to resonate.

[@djems1022]

The holes for the dowel rods should be larger than the Diameter of the dowel rod (almost double) that would allow the bounce for tune still use felt under the keys for padding. Could take wooden balls to dress up the exposed end of the dowels and also help hold keys in place. My son has a glockenspiel and I was looking at how that was made.

[@julieneliat6158]

greate vid steve

[@XylophonesongsChannel]

Great tips Steve! I really like the final product. Maybe I'll try making one myself too one day if I can only get all the necessary wood working tools to make one.

[@mek90703]

Hi Steve. As you found out the wood needs to resonate freely to produce a pleasing tone. I helped make a marimba for a friends daughter and the only way to attach the keys to a case is to drill holes in the sides of the keys and suspend them with a cord.

[@AlisdairMagee]

use a dowel and drill some holes into the keys but make sure the keys holes are 1 or 2 mm bigger so that there is room to move around in it also use your felt pads underneath the keys so that it isnt wood on wood when it night give a nicer sound! but you did do it well! (i haven't made one just thought it might work!) looking forward to the next video!

[@carloscordal6831]

Hey! it is a great job. I like your fearlessness (does this word exist?? hope so), you go through any project with an enviable conviction of being capable of doing it, no matter how many changes on your original idea you have to make for finding the solution. And you share all the process as a mere mortal. Thank you very much Steve!

[@dwschroe37]

Great video Steve! You should consider making a Cornhole Toss Game. Would be a great Christmas present for people and I can't find any videos I like.

[@mlutteral]

a xylophone is, by definition, made of wood. Xylos=wood

[@MeezctoW64]

Hi Steeve... When I was younger, I used to play musics on xylophone (nah !) but, in this case you ask us to tell if there are another methode to attach the pad. here is another solution : pierce 4 holes on your pad, put cotton on the base of your instrument to make a sort of shock absorber, and place on some smaller nails but bigger head than the hole... and here it is... I hope i'll help you...

[@robertcribbs]

next time you make one of these try drilling oversize holes and a nail with a cap on it so the noted don't fall pop off. the oversize might help the vibration flow better and make better sounds.

[@rifted]

If you could make Adam's Savege Box to transport his spider! would be a nice project! Inside Adam Savage's Cave: Awesome Robot Spider! Take care and keep the great work! Ed

[@ElEcodelTren]

great man

[@Rack405]

Drill holes through both ends horizontally and run paracord through them to hang them and put felt at the bottom and it will sound extremely rich and good. Personal experience!

[@PaulJosephdeWerk]

If you've ever looked at the real instruments, you'll find that the bars are suspended by strings. This allows the bars to resonate. Toy xylophones generally have the bars resting on felt or rubber, with a dowel going through it. The dowel should not be tight, the bar should be able to move freely. the dowels are usually capped off with a a larger ball or plug to keep the bar from coming off.

[@jonathanstorey4142]

You should've drilled the hole in the side of the key and run a piece of string threw all the keys. The plastic and dowel space is a good idea.

[@PinkyLuv56]

Velcro. Got it, Steve.

[@rubiwhite3841]

I made one at school once, we had the keys mounted on pegs made from a large nail with rubber hose over it, the key only touches where the head of the nail is. This is similar to what a 'real' xylophone uses.

[@bwaaron75]

Neil g Dickson's suggestion / solution is spot on

[@Ivar_Mennes_]

awesome

[@sinsilius]

I've seen keys attached to the base with some thick fishing line. Two pieces of fishing line along the longer parts of the base and through all keys. Between keys and the base - some thin felt.

[@RacinZ28]

The next t-shirt needs to say "I've cut it twice and it's still too short"..

[@daltondrummer]

drill holes left to right and run string in thos holes. use those pads you had for the bottom and drill holes in the dividers for the string to go though so 1 string holds all the bars

[@diylove5896]

You were more friendly looking when you had all the beard, not only mustaches! I hope i will adapt to this new look . Good show, keep doing it!

[@Wolf9326]

Maybe try string for the attachment part

[@loislaney23]

I love Audible too! The Hunger Games was one of the first trilogies I listened to.

[@jakeboekestyn2563]

It is beautiful

[@ZavalaRanch]

Real xylophones and marimbas have holes through the side if them where a string goes through and is streached accross the playing surface. They also have tubes underneath each key which are also tuned to the same resonant frequency which amplify the sound and give it some more sustain.

[@toolhog10]

From the looks of a simple kids toy xylophone, the dowel part has to be much smaller than the hole in the ringing board. Then mushroom out the top and leave it a decent space above the top of the board so as to simulate the thing just resting on the base. I think the screws were just to tight in the boards. Maybe smooth nails with a much smaller diameter would work in a larger hole.

[@bigracin16969]

nice! I racked my brain trying to figure out how to get a good tone also...can't imagine how it was for you

[@wangus]

I made one of these a few years ago. I had used a chisel to "hollow" and tune each key by hand. If you carve out too much, instead of cutting it shorter, you could have tapered the bottom face of the key up towards the top. That does the same thing as cutting it shorter, lowering the mass of the end of the key, and increasing its resonant frequency. But it's more inconspicuous, just making the end a bit narrower vertically To mount the keys, I had put in finishing nails in the frame; on one side, centered where each key would be, to fit into a hole in each key, and on the other side in the spaces between each key. Then I zig-zagged some surgical tubing along the rows of nails, for the keys to sit on. That worked nicely.

[@niccoli2004]

Try drilling holes in the sides of the keys and running a cord through them in a loop. Then you can suspend the cord on pegs between the keys. That should allow the keys to ring freely while keeping them in place. Some marimbas are made that way.

[@idopyrotechnics]

I play in percussion so what you want. To do is near the ends where it's thick drill holes through the sides and use two strings one on each end and use a separator to hold up the string so there suspended and then they sound beautiful.

[@wilsonflegler5455]

Muito bom!!!

[@mpcoleman]

Great job on a fun instrument, Steve. Just FYI, I have a doctorate in percussion and make drums/instruments of all sorts. If anyone would like further help in making a xylophone, I'd be happy to offer whatever knowledge I may. Please message me. Quick tip/factoid for those reading, the ratio of 2/9th's or 22% from either end of the xylophone bar will give the point of least vibration. Suspend the bar there. Drill the bar horizontally instead of vertically and use eyelet screws to suspend the bars with a soft string or rope. Just be careful to drill at the appropriate angle to compensate for the graduated lengths of the bars. Make sense? Hope this helps and keep up the great work.

[@guy872]

Not sure how it would be done but I know real mallet instruments are strung together with little spacers between them. So essentially you are suspending the pieces of wood allowing them to ring freely. Not sure what material you would use for the string but I'm sure you could find something in the hardware store. Hope this helps someone.

[@kupler]

Use springs or vibration damping balls.the plates have to be loose enough to vibrate freely

[@drytaffin]

Nice project. I think you should just have drilled bigger holes for the woodden dowels to let the wooden piece of wood jump.

[@bussyox10]

drill holes through the sides of the keys and put I bolt screws in the side plates. suspend the keys with para cord and keep them in place with knots in the cord. it will allow them to vibrate and create loud and clear notes. plus a toy instrument can be played professionally you just need to be familiar with it a little.

[@JoeDavis82]

OMG this looked painful to build. I'm glad building one of these isn't on my to do list, haha. Great video Steve!

[@Sho81]

The old one in my grandmothers basement while I was growing up as a kid had a long rod running from end to end on both the front and back with stoppers. So if you want to try that it should work. Just make sure the holes from side to side are loose.

[@cbassuarez]

So basically, where you drilled the holes vertically, drill them horizontally and run some parachute-type cord through it (make sure the cord is taught!). Then have dividers in place so that the keys don't move.

[@somethingsfishy2695]

When the camera is focused at the woods behind you

[@SunBitSynergy]

try looking up a marimba, the keys have a string or rope running the whole langth of the instrument though the keys while being supported by felt

[@sheyer4]

we need a "GOT CLAMPS?" shirt on the site!!!

[@constantout]

nice stash...

[@tgg_music2]

You made more of a marimba than a xylophone. If you notice on the real instruments, the holes are drilled on the sides of the keys, not the front. That's why they sounded better when you held them up. You were holding the sides of the keys, where a string would have gone through.

[@raiden1690]

In band we use metal pegs to hold them in line on one side then another peg that goes through on the other side

[@ehsansaleem9930]

nice

[@InfamousDoktorJackal]

Just an idea. What about dowels with springs between the base and keys?

[@macfarlands]

Perhaps using larger holes in the keys, and cloth/felt wrapped screws or pegs (dowels with "caps"), with cushioning under the key, and under the cap of the screw/peg, so there is no wood-on-wood or wood-on-metal to dampen the sound? The key has to be able to move and resonate in every direction I would think, because of its own inherent "dampening". Even the metal ones usually have felt underneath each key, although for some reason they still can be affix with metal nails/bolts/pegs directly resting on the keys. Guess metal has less resistance to resonance?

[@mennoh6847]

Whare is microjigg?

[@jeremiahwarner6096]

How about a rubber washer such as used on metal roofing screws? Should be some what loose and bouncy rather than the tight seal intended for metal roofing.

[@dan84054]

Elastic loops to hold it on the felt pads maybe?

[@B4its2L8guy]

What about using fishing line to secure one end of the tuned block?

[@Iliketomakestuff]

that was going to be my suggestion too :)

[@daidabus]

wow steve i didnt watch your videos for a year :D , and your editing and video quality is much better , nice to see you progres , but i have problem with that i am not wood woreker i am here just to watch your creativity and your own woodworing doing , sry for bad english :D

[@rhwoodshop]

This was a cool, but tedius project it seems. I think it came out great though! Should make a great Christmas gift for a little one or even a music instrument collector.

[@big1finger]

Maybe you should take up fishing in your spare time, you showed plenty of patience while building this. Warning there is going to be snow in your area this year, Portland and Northern California got some today.