How the Oboe is Made
Adjusting the pipe
How do they shave down the interior surface of the pipe?
The photograph depicts, held in the right hand, a tool called a reamer, which is used to shave the interior surface of the instrument's pipe. There are ridges and valleys with variances of around 0.05 mm, which form subtle curves. Incidentally, the photograph shows the interior surfaces of a grenadilla pipe being shaved. Although grenadilla is a black material, the shavings are reddish brown.
An oboe pipe and a reamer for shaving the internal surface
The reamer is placed inside the pipe.
Grenadilla shavings are reddish brown.
The interior of the pipe is shaved down over and over?
The interior surface of the pipe is shaved down again after the key posts are affixed. The reason for this is that the wood sometimes becomes subtly unbalanced when key posts or other metallic parts are attached. The wood always varies by around 1%. The wood is affected by humidity and temperature, and any shaving always gives rise to new distortions. Therefore, several shavings are required before the instrument is ready.
Musical Instrument Guide:Oboe Contents
Structure
How to Play
How the Instrument is Made
Choosing an Instrument
Trivia
- Why does the oboe lead the orchestra in tuning?
- Do the reeds have a front and a back?
- The keys recoil via springs!
- This is how the oboe and the cor anglais differ
- The charumera was the oboe's cousin
- You can reduce time spent breathing using circular-breathing techniques?
- The Wiener oboe that survived an existential crisis
- Oboe masterpieces: concertos
- Oboe masterpieces: chamber music
- What is the alto oboe?
- The heckelphone, which resembles the oboe
- The oboe is the bassoon's cousin