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How to Make a Wooden Kazoo

SAFETY FIRST: Ask an adult to help with tools you haven't used before.

You can’t exactly lug your guitar and drum set in your backpack, but campfire sing-alongs really rock with musical instruments. A kazoo is the perfect answer.

kazoo-feature

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • A piece of one-inch-thick hardwood, 4 inches long by 2 inches wide
  • Two 1/2-by-4-inch roundhead wood screws
  • Plastic garbage bag
  • Sandpaper
  • Drill and bits, up to 1/2 inch
  • Crosscut and rip saws
  • Screwdriver
  • Scissors

WHAT YOU’LL DO

kazoo-1

Step 1: Saw off a strip 1/2 inch wide.

kazoo-2

Step 2: Measure and mark positions for three holes on top of the strip. Measure 1 3/8 inches from one end and make a centered mark.

Step 3: From that mark, measure 3/4 inch in both directions. Clamp the two pieces of wood together to ensure drilled holes will line up.

kazoo-4

Step 4: Use a 3/32-inch bit to start the three pilot holes. Drill the center hole 13/16 inches deep and the outside holes 1/2 inch deep. (Wrap a piece of masking tape around the bit to mark where to stop.) Gradually increase the center hole’s diameter: 5/32 inch, 13/64 inch, 1/4 inch and then—by 16ths—to 1/2 inch. Redrill the outside holes 1/4 inch deep with a 7/32-inch bit. Drive the wood screws so the heads are beneath the surface.

kazoo-5

Step 5: From the end of the base you began measuring from, drill a 3/32-inch pilot hole 1 5/8 inches deep. Gradually increase the hole to 1/2 inch, as before, creating an “L”-shaped airway between the base and the strip.

Step 6: At the opposite end of the base, drill a 1/8-inch pilot hole at the center all the way into the blowhole. Increase its size to 3/16 inch.

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Step 7: At the same end, drill a hole all the way through the strip for a leather strap.

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Step 8: Cut a strip from a plastic garbage bag, 11/16 inches wide and 2 inches long. Remove the screws and lay the plastic over the holes in the base. Replace the top and redrive the screws. Smooth the entire instrument with sandpaper. (Wrap a strip around a piece of dowel to smooth the inside of the airway holes.) Apply stain or varnish.

HOW TO PLAY YOUR KAZOO

Bring the blowhole firmly against your lips and hum loudly into it. With your tongue against your palate, create sort of a “duh, doo, duh” sound. Practice your favorite songs, as well as some classic camp tunes. You’re ready to rock your troop all night long!


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29 Comments on How to Make a Wooden Kazoo

  1. I’m a little puzzled by the size of the wood screws mentioned.

  2. Snipa-X-Killer // April 24, 2016 at 4:09 pm // Reply

    I’m just wondering, about how long would this take to make? It doesn’t look too hard, but I need to know if I would be able to make it in 1 afternoon. Thanks guys.

  3. Awesome project! Easy to build and works great!

  4. Quad riding boy 790 // July 24, 2014 at 10:19 am // Reply

    Is it hard to make

  5. AWESOME!!!!!!

  6. Chill out man.

  7. your real name // May 15, 2013 at 3:02 pm // Reply

    Is it hard to make?

  8. washboard hank // December 8, 2012 at 11:28 am // Reply

    drill your holes before you cut , then it will line up no clamp needed

  9. brickmaster 242 // May 13, 2012 at 6:30 pm // Reply

    almost every boyslife magezine i get’ the project is made out of wood.

    • Do you not have access to wood brickmaster 242? For many projects you could probably use cardboard instead – though it would not last very long. Glue a few sheets of good quality cardboard together to thicken it up a bit, then cut it out with a box cutter or a saw. You could coat it in some mod podge or similar to keep it from melting from your spit.

  10. brickmaster 242 // May 13, 2012 at 6:28 pm // Reply

    awesome

  11. mountainer 101 // December 19, 2011 at 6:23 pm // Reply

    I gona try to make one. I hope it works. Does it?

  12. i want one

  13. banana boy // March 24, 2011 at 8:13 pm // Reply

    wow this looks like it will really annoy my mom, its cool

  14. I need to make one 😀

  15. that is cool

  16. KAZOOS ARE AWESOME!

  17. Whats a kazoo?

    • taco1234567890 // July 12, 2010 at 6:11 pm // Reply

      TO JAKE a kazoo is a small tubular instrument that has an opening in the middle where tisue paper or cling wrap is placed over and then a latice is placed over the tissue paper or cling wrap to make a soft vibrating noise………….but that is the irish midevil way to make it……..you know like the 12th and 13th century midevil way to make one. This is the new upbeat and hitech way to make one.

    • thats cool i will totaly make that

  18. I likey

  19. your best friend // July 1, 2010 at 10:08 am // Reply

    sounds annoying…..I like it

  20. taco 1234567890 // June 22, 2010 at 6:21 pm // Reply

    I will try it. It looks really cool.I have made one out of tin but never out of wood.I wonder if they will have it at the boy scout jymboree this year and if not I can make it at home.My final words on this subject before I leave and write about this again when I have tried the project are …….Its America and we never run out of wood, drils,screws,drillbits trashbag or any of that stuff,even during the great depresion.

  21. it is fun

    • taco 1234567890 // June 23, 2010 at 8:53 am // Reply

      TO RACER have you tried it? and when did you try it? Or are you saying it is fun because it looks fun?

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