Demonstration of old techniques for making bagpipes

[OC Richard]

I've seen various videos of modern pipemakers using that same tool to create the bore.

Of course they're using a lathe to spin the wood, but the technique is the same.

About CNC v hand turned, my view is that a bore is a bore, and the wood doesn't care how it was created. The important thing is that the bore is the right ID and length.

Handcrafted bagpipes can sound mediocre or awful, CNC made bagpipes can sound great. What makes a great-sounding set of pipes is having the right specs.

Ditto the visual look of pipes: a handcrafted set can look butt-ugly if turned to ungainly shapes, a CNC turned set can have an elegant classic profile, if such is programmed in.

The influence of the material itself is debated. I know I had two sets by the same maker, one in African Blackwood and one in polypenco/delrin. The bass drones, having identical specs, sounded identical. The tenor drones sounded a bit different, but had different specs.

Yet I also play flute and headjoints made to the same specs by the same maker, but of different woods, have clearly different tone colours and playing characteristics.

[The Q]

As far as pole lathes are concerned my Next door neighbor has one. He builds houses (or did he's just retired) in a historical style, though recent regulations on energy conservation have altered what he can do. He's been known to turn stair spindle etc for these houses.

He did have a lady come to him to have alterations to her 16th century house (he also repairs churches and old houses) he had to point out he had built her house ten years before!
His own house is thatched, has mullioned windows, leaded glass in diamonds in them, oak stairs, and no ceilings, just the boards of the room above.. Until his wife had cancer a few years ago the only electricity in the house was for lighting! His house was converted from three pantiled 1 up 1 down labourers cottages.

I have a wood lathe and trying to make some bag pipes are on the bucket list, however there are lot of must do's above that!