How to make a didgeridoo when in South America

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John and Stephen have an interest in didgeridoos. About a year and a half ago we were on a hike on Ilalo when we came across a dead agave stalk, its shape and size perfect to construct a didg. After a comical journey home in which we held the 8 foot agave stalk parallel to the outside of a taxi cab whilst hurdling through Tumbaco traffic, we got our prize back to the house.

The Didgeridoo originated in Australia with it's indigenous people, the aboriginals,they traditionally use eucalyptus stalks which are hollowed out naturally by termites, it is then the instrument maker finishes the instrument and readies it for to be played and because of this the boys did not want to split the agave stalk and there had been no termites to help them with this part of the job, and so they set about hollowing it out with the aid of a drill with a long flexible drill bit and a wire brush attached to the end.
This went well for a while as the innards of the agave(which had been dead for a while) was rotten but proved to be more difficult as they hollowed out further up the tubular shaft and so it was abandoned.

Picking it up again a year and a half later they decided they had little choice but to split it if they were to ever finish their project.
Using a jigsaw it split clean and easily and from here the contents were scooped out with a hammer and chisel and various carpet knifes, the process was completed when the hollow insides were smoothed by means of the aforementioned drill and wire brush.

Using woodglue the two parts were stuck back together and adjustable clips (jubilee clips) were fastened around the instrument, they were tightened and it was left to dry.

A sealer was poured inside the didg and swirled around the inner walls, it was then placed on its end and allowed to drain.

Many hours of sanding came next and the previously rough bark became smooth and the natural woodgrain emerged

The mouthpiece was fashioned from beeswax while more beeswax was melted and rubbed into the bark, this filled the hairline cracks and brought up further the natural grain, After much elbow grease was put into a final polish with a soft cloth the didgeridoo was complete.

It has a very low bassy guttural sound and the finished result was worth the wait.
A rough piece of semi-rotten wood is now an impressive sounding woodwind instrument even if its origins are a world away.

In the meantime another one is in the process of its transformation, this one more complicated in its shape as you can see from the photos below.

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