DIY Kalimba With Wood Inlay

Looking to make your own Kalimba? Also known as a thumb piano, a Kalimba can be a good project for woodworkers at any level. Plus, these make great gifts!

The modern Kalimba is a simplified, Westernized version of the mbira, an instrument that originated in Zimbabwe more than a thousand years ago. It is relatively easy to learn for beginners, with the sounds described as clear, bright, and even ethereal.

This tutorial will go over how to make a 21-key Kalimba with maple wood and walnut inlay.

Materials

1. 1 maple board, 6" x 12" x 1"
2. 1 walnut board, 6" x 12" x 1/8"
3. or walnut wood veneer
4. 17 or 21-key Kalimba kit
5. Masking tape
6. Wood glue
7. Superglue
8. Wipe on shellac, polyurethane, or other wood finish

Equipment

1. Laser cutter
2. Band saw
3. Miter saw
4. Power drill or Drill press
5. Palm sander
6. Optional: Spindle sander

Using the miter saw, cut out a piece of maple from the maple board with dimensions 5" x 7" x 1". Save the rest to create the 4 sides of the Kalimba.

Using a band saw, resaw the piece of maple into two 3mm thick boards. These two boards will serve as the front and back plates of the body of the Kalimba.

If you do not have walnut veneer, you can resaw a walnut board into thin pieces at least 2mm thick, to prevent the veneer from warping too much when laser-etched.

Select or design a black-and-white image. For best results, use an image with few details. Import into Adobe Illustrator or other 2D design software.

Create a 5" x 7" a rectangle to represent the size of the kalimba, and resize the image so it would fit in the rectangle. Change the line's color to red (for the laser cutter to cut).

Create a 1.5" diameter circle in the middle of the face plate. This will be the sound hole for the Kalimba.

In Illustrator, duplicate every image and shape from step 2. Select the black and white image and go to Edit/Edit Colors/Inverse Colors. This would ensure that the laser cutter is removing areas that are the reverse of the regions on the maple.

Then, flip the image along the horizontal axis. As the two etched surfaces will be facing each other while being glued, the inlay design must be flipped on any axis.

You can also download the dxf file I used below. Note that red lines are cut, blue as engrave, and black for etch.

Use your laser cutter to etch out the design on the two boards. This may take a while.

You should be left with two boards:

1. Maple board with engraved pockets in the shape of the mountain
2. Walnut veneer with the background etched out, should fit perfectly in the pockets on the maple

Fill in the pockets on the maple board with wood glue. Flip the walnut veneer over and carefully fit the design into the etched-out pockets of the maple.

You may want to use a rubber hammer to hammer in the walnut veneer, squeeze out excess glue, and ensure the two boards properly adhere to each other.

Sand the board with a palm sander or belt sander until the surface of the walnut veneer is flush with the maple.

Be careful not to remove too much material once the details emerge.

Using the maple wood left over from Step 1, cut out four sticks with the following dimensions:

1. For the left and right sides: Two of 3/8" x 7" x 1"
2. For the top and bottom sides: Two of 3/8"x 5" x 1"

Use the miter saw to cut out 45-degree angles on all four parts, so that the four pieces of wood can form into a rectangular frame of size 5" x 7" x 1".

Using wood glue, glue the frames together with the front and back boards.

Use masking tape to protect the surface of the design. Mark out a line parallel to and 1.5cm away from the top edge. The top edge of the backstop (the stick without the groove) should rest on that line.

Mark another line parallel to the top edge that is 2.5cm away from the bottom edge of the backstop. The top edge of the bridge should rest on that line.

Use super glue to glue on the backstop and bridge/saddle. You can also use epoxy or wood glue, but it may take longer to dry and you may risk the bridge sliding or moving if not properly clamped down.

Using any power sander of your choice, sand off excess material from the sides of the kalimba until all the sides are smooth and even.

Sand until 240 grits.

Attach a 21/64" (or 0.3") drill bit to a drill press or power drill. Drill two holes in the back of the kalimba that are 2.5" apart and 3" from the bottom edge.

Apply a coat of your preferred wood finish, whether it is shellac, polyurethane, or other oils. You may want to lightly sand between layers and let the finish fully cure before the next step.

Place the metal stick that came with the Kalimba kit on the groove in the bridge.

For the Z-bracket, mark the screw hole positions, then pre-drill into the wood with drill bits slightly thinner than the provided screws. The top edge of the Z-bracket should be directly next to the bottom edge of the backstop.

Insert the keys into the slots in the Z-bracket in the correct order, leaving out the ones that rest directly above a drill hole. Attach the Z-bracket to the main body of the Kalimba with the screws, then insert the remaining keys.

I use a free app called Smart Kalimba and tune the instrument to the C major scale. Simply pluck the key and the app will tell you what note it is currently making.

If a key makes a note that is higher than it should be, move it downwards, and vice versa.

Now you have your own hand-made Kalimba!

You can look on YouTube or other websites for inspiration on songs to learn.

Thanks for following along on this Instructable, and don't forget to follow me for more tutorials!