Kids’ Toys from the Hardware Store: Musical Pipes

Lots of people seemed to like the PVC Pipe Construction Set I wrote about a few months ago, including Parent Hacks, GeekDad, and the FemiKnitMafia (whose son got one from us as a present). My partner, ever the engineer, thus set out to build another PVC creation, a musical pipe set inspired by those of Blue Man Group. (Call us the Blue Mom Group.) I’ll claim a minor role in design consultation, but give her full credit for construction.

When you whack the ends of the pipes with a rubber paddle (we use a flip-flop with the straps cut off), they make a pitched “doink” sound that entertains kids and adults alike. See video for a demo.

The project is slightly more complicated than the PVC Pipes Construction set, but should pose no problem to those with basic saw, drill, and hammer skills. You could do a full eight pipes and adjust the lengths to form a full octave; we went with the more manageable (and cheaper) five pipes in simple one-foot intervals. For just over $25, it’s an unusual item that could amuse kids at birthday parties and all year round. Make it educational and point out the correlation between pipe length and pitch. Read on to find out how it’s done.

Materials:

• Two 10′ lengths of 2″ PVC pipe, Schedule 40. (See note below about Schedule 40 pipes.) (2 x $5= $10)
• Two 8′ 2″x4″‘s (2 x $2.20 = $4.40)
• Ten 2″ copper hangers for 2″ PVC pipe (10 x $0.58 = $5.80)
• Twenty #8 1″ wood screws ($1)
• Eight 2″ screws or nails (for the wooden frame) ($1)
• Five 2″ elbow fittings (90 degrees) (5 x $0.88 = $4.40). Make sure they’re not threaded.
• One standard beach flip-flop (free if you already have an old one; $2 if you don’t)

Total cost = $26.60 (retail, Home Depot), plus the flip-flop if you need to buy one.

Tools needed:

• Saw
• File or rasp sandpaper
• Screwdriver
• Drill
• Right angle (useful, but not necessary)
• Mitre box and clamps or assistant to hold pipes while you cut

Instructions:
Click images to enlarge.

• Cut the first 10′ piece into 4′ and 6′ sections. Cut the second 10′ pipe into 2′, 3′, and 5′ sections. You should now have five pipes: in 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6′ lengths.
• Start at the left end of a 2″x4″. Leaving 3″ at the end, drill holes for the bracket of the first pipe. Fasten one end of the 6′ pipe under the bracket. (This means the longest pipe, and lowest note, will be to the left of the player, as on a piano.)
• Drill holes for the bracket of the second pipe so there will be 5″ between the centers of the two pipes. This will leave about a 2 1/2″ gap between the pipes. (Our son tested this, so the spacing is roughly calibrated for a four-year-old’s hand/eye coordination.) Fasten the second pipe and repeat until all pipes are attached.
• Leave 3″ wood at the end for the frame. Saw the board off. This makes the wood about 30″ long—the width of the frame.
• Cut an equal length board from a 2″x4″, mark the screw placements from the first, and copy them onto the second. Drill holes at your marks.
• Place the second board parallel to the first, less than 2′ away, so it supports the far end of the of the shortest pipe. Screw down the brackets on the second board to secure the pipes.
• Measure and cut two more boards so they connect the two boards supporting the pipes. These boards will complete the frame. You can use a right-angle to check that the corners are perpendicular before you start fastening.
• Screw or nail together the boards, using two fasteners for each corner.
• Tap the elbows onto the pipe ends. You could use PVC cement to affix them, but that’s probably overkill.
• File or sand down the exposed end of the pipes and the cut edges of the wood, so the kids don’t get scrapes or splinters.
• Cut the straps off a flip-flop and play! (It seems to work best if you strike with the smooth top side of the flip-flop. You can use an X-Acto knife or box cutter to shape one end into a handle, if you like.)

Our resident engineer comments:

A note about schedule 40 PVC: The “Schedule 40” refers to a building code that permits it to be used in homes. Sewerage pipes are Schedule 20—allegedly thinner, but I never actually found any to test, as Home Depot doesn’t carry them. The thickness of the pipe walls changes the resonance of the pipes. The 6′ length gives a satisfying “woong”, but the 2′ length is pretty close to a “thud”. The smaller diameter pipes we tried also went “thud”. But you might be able to use smaller diameter pipes if you can find Schedule 20 material. Also see if you can find ABS pipes—they may sound different.

As for the smaller diameter pipes that went “thud,” we found a different use for them, but that is a story for another post. Hint: It’s another musical instrument.

Stay tuned for more PVC madness from the house of Mombian . . . .