The Amateur Wind Instrument Maker

Rating:
Summary: It's woth it for the plans.
Review: Any where you go the price of even a poorly made fife is around 40$ Then you have things like crumhorns and racketts. Racketts list from 250 on up and good luck even finding a Tenor recorder for less than 300 (U.S.) So just on a plans basis the book is a good investment.
It's not a shop how-to manual. The book assumes you allready have and know how to use your tools. The author provides the needed information to make simple (Renassance-ish time period) wood wind instruments. It's exactly what it says is, an amature guide and from the stand point, it's an excellant book and an excellant buy

Rating:
Summary: The best reference on the subject
Review: I purchased this volume about two years ago and finally had the chance to make some instruments based upon it. Overall the book is extremely good and it appears to be the only reference of its sort. I enjoy broswing the book and reading Robinson's informative essays on each instrument. It is an enjoyable book even if you never actually make any of the instruments in it.

I have looked for other references, but this seems to be the only one of its kind. Although there is a need for a more detailed construction-oriented manual of this type, I was able to make a quite satisfactory tenor cornamuse and a slightly less satisfactory tenor racket from Robinson's instructions.

If you intend to make instruments I would recommend that you find examples of the instrument you wish to make since there are many details that no description could adequately deal with.

My two major complaints are as follows. First, the instrument dimensions are given in metric units but the grid upon which the drawings are placed is in inches. A consistent use of one system or the other would make the drawings much easier to follow. Second, the drawings are vary highly in their quality. The baroque rackett, for example, is very clean and easy to follow, but the oboe and shawm drawings are of much lower quality.

The best thing would be a second, expanded edition of the book with better drawings.

(As one last note, if you are trying to find the "shell auger" mentioned in the book you will need to search for it from a wood turning catalogue as a "lamp auger")

Rating:
Summary: very good on recorders and other early woodwinds
Review: This book covers early wind instrument construction with the hobbiest in mind. It includes construction drawings and measured pictures. I felt it was best in covering recorders. The Brass instruments were a little shortchanged. I was hoping for a later model clarinet but the one illustrated would be eaiser to build. If you are a woodworker with a Lathe this is a neat book.