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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.

kazoo-7

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

kazoo-8

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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54 Comments on How to Make a Wooden Kazoo

  1. Never tried it. I think i will .

  2. thats awesome

  3. this actually works it is great me and my grandfather made two of these and it does work.

    if you do what they say it will work and if it doesn’t check and make sure you did it right. and if it doesn’t sound right try different materials, like different plastics.

    oh and by the way it takes a little while sometimes to figure out how to blow right and make a sound so don’t get discouraged if you can’t get the sound right at first.

  4. outdoor man // March 5, 2010 at 8:18 pm // Reply

    This is neat!Going to make this

  5. Fun

  6. jack sparrow // February 7, 2010 at 3:42 pm // Reply

    it looks too complicated

  7. this is hard and it really didnt work when i tried it. my freind made 1 and it worked.

  8. I made this and it sounds better than my mettle kazoo.:)

  9. I collect wooden kazoos, and making my own will be a great addition to the collection. This looks like fun. I actually have one I bought that looks very much like this one will turn out.

  10. sweetalijah // October 4, 2009 at 1:19 pm // Reply

    i wish i had time to build it

  11. interesting but difficult to make

  12. Me and my dad made one this weekend out of an old piece of hickory. It took us around 20 minutes to make and works great. Ive been humming into it all week.

  13. Back Stop Billy // September 1, 2009 at 5:23 am // Reply

    clever and cool

  14. It looks like a lot of work for one kazoo, not to say that its bad or anything. Its just that I don’t see the point in going through all that trouble just for something that you could buy in a store for 10c.

  15. I want to but i cant

  16. i an legemd // August 25, 2009 at 4:53 pm // Reply

    totally sweeet

  17. i wish i had a machine to build it. it looks hard. but fun!

  18. wow. a wood kazoo. very original

  19. thats cool

  20. COOL!

  21. flying eagle // July 10, 2009 at 5:46 pm // Reply

    i built it and it works great

  22. Thats very cool.

  23. crockid800 // June 4, 2009 at 2:35 pm // Reply

    I thought this was so great, I copied the directions

  24. jjgbhvggf // May 28, 2009 at 1:31 pm // Reply

    that is cheting

  25. jordan4762 // May 26, 2009 at 6:43 pm // Reply

    Any1 Know Where Pedro Is (4 The Contest)?

  26. the kazoo is a really cool item

  27. scoutsislife // May 26, 2009 at 3:22 pm // Reply

    this is so cool
    i didn’t know you could also do it this way
    that is really cool

  28. IT is awesome

  29. cool

  30. : ) thats cool

  31. fire scull28 // May 23, 2009 at 9:46 am // Reply

    it looks really hard

  32. That is cool!

  33. COOL!

  34. very cool for a music lover-like me!

  35. im makeing it now and i only need the screews and sandpaper, keep these cool ideas comeing BSA ty.

  36. thats great

  37. I’ve made ten so far!!

  38. It looks cool and I’ll try making it.

  39. pretty cool 😐

  40. Your missing the point. It’s about making something . Anyone can go and buy something for that instant gratification fix, but that can’t compare with the feeling you get when you produce something with your own skill and intellect.

  41. pretty cool but u could just buy 1 4 five bucks

  42. i could do that 4 4H

  43. Kenny876543 // April 23, 2009 at 8:15 am // Reply

    Thanks for the idea i’m going to use it on my next troop outing.

  44. Bubba Gump // April 20, 2009 at 6:45 pm // Reply

    Wax paper works better than garbage bag!

  45. it does not work

  46. Anyone know if it works?
    Add a comment when your done for the rest of us. 😉

  47. THAT looks HARD!

  48. that looks harrd!

  49. that is sooooo cool I’m going to build it today

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