Turn a Used Christmas Tree Into a Didgeridoo

A didgeridoo is a primitive aboriginal wind instrument. If you are unfamiliar with what they are or how they work, you can learn more about them here.

Last winter when I was taking down our Christmas tree, I decided to save the trunk just in case I came up with something to make out of it. I trimmed off all the branches and stuck the bare trunk in the corner of my garage. It sat there drying out for almost eight months waiting for me to come up with a good project for it.

I eventually decided to try to turn it into a didgeridoo. This ended up being a fun, challenging project, and I was happy with the results. Here are the details.

For most traditional-Christmas-celebrating people, acquiring a used tree should be easy.

For everyone else, check around your neighborhood after Christmas. Really, any type of appropriately-sized tree or large tree branch should work for this project. I believe this particular tree was a noble fir.

You can see this actual tree in action in the background of the intro pictures in this instructable.

I left the tree in its stand to make it easier to trim off all the branches.

I used pruning shears for most of the smaller limbs, and a hand saw for some of the bigger ones.

I trimmed off the top of the trunk before setting it aside to dry out.

Over the period of eight months while this was just sitting there, I was tempted to throw it out many times. But I've learned to hold on to neat stuff like this.

With the trunk all dried out and a plan in place, I used a reciprocating saw to cut off all the branch nubs.

This saw also worked well to carefully shave off the outer layer of bark, along with much of the remaining bark underneath.

I used clamps to secure the trunk to my work table while I was sawing.

The reciprocating saw left a lot of tooth marks in the wood.

I used 80 grit sand paper on my palm sander to remove any remaining bark and smooth out the blemishes left by the reciprocating saw.

A line was drawn along the length of the trunk which helped while reassembling all the pieces (as explained in the steps to come).

I used spade bits to bore out the center of the trunk a few inches at a time. Each bored out section was then cut off with a miter saw.

I began with a 3/4-inch bit, and ended with a 1 1/2-inch bit. The idea was to bore out the center as straight as possible, while keeping the sidewalls around about 1/2-inch or so.

For sections of trunk that were more straight, I was able to make deeper bores. For areas that were twisted or curved, shorter sections had to be bored out and cut off.

I began with my normal drill, but soon switched over to a high-torque, low-speed drill. This worked much better.

After boring out the center a few inches deep, I measured the distance in and placed a mark on the outside, taking a little off my measurement to ensure that the entire piece being cut off had been bored through completely.

I continued boring out the center and cutting off sections until I reached the other end of the trunk.

I lined up all the pieces in order in preparation for reassembly.

Starting with the base, I began gluing all the pieces back together. The line I drew on the trunk earlier was used to help match up all the pieces correctly.

I used clamps or weights where I could to ensure a good bond.

When gluing, it's important to put an even layer of glue on both surfaces to be joined. The glue immediately grabs the wood and begins seeping into the tiny pores, preparing for a good bond. Plus, if you let the two pieces sit for a couple minutes, the glue will start to get tacky. When the two pieces are joined together, the two sides of tacky glue will grab onto each other and create a really solid, fast bond. This is an especially useful technique when clamping is not feasible, which was the case with the upper half of the trunk.

With the entire trunk glued together I sanded all the joints smooth.

I found that mouth-end opening needs to be at minimum about 1 1/4-inches wide to work properly. The original opening was too small, and the only sounds I could make through it sounded more like a trumpet.

I fixed this by widening the mouth-end opening of the didge using a rotary rasp attached to my drill. I fluted out the bottom end as well, just for good measure.

I wanted a plain, natural finish so I opted for no stain and only a light coat of lacquer.

I gave the entire didge a few final sandings with progressively higher grits, and then gave it three light coats of spray lacquer and a light sanding to finish it off.

I used some sugru to make a mouthpiece. The stuff reminded me of trying to model with silly putty, but it cured to a nice soft-touch rubbery finish.