Additional Information for all Xylophone Kits - Rockler.com

www.triparinc.com
CP0205
Xylophone Bars, Two Octave, 25 Note Kit
Thank you for purchasing our two octave xylophone kit containing full & half
notes. The xylophone can be made from a simple plank of wood with the bars
evenly spaced and supported with soft foam or felt. Taper the plank for a more
purposeful look, or use slender bars of exotic wood for added pizzazz.
You will need 50 #10 x ¾” long screws. Pan or truss head work best since their
large head diameter will prevent the bars from inadvertently coming off. To make
the mallet you will need a ¼” x 12” piece of dowel, and optionally, a ½”-1” wooden
ball.
Simple Plank Construction:
1) Cut a piece of wood not less than ½” thick, 11-3/4”
wide x 22” long. If you plan on tapering it for
a more purposeful look, do so only at step
6, as parallel edges of the full plank will help
during construction.
®
2) As shown in Figure 1 , lightly draw directly on the plank:
a) The Outer Pilot Hole Lines (2)
b) 25 Vertical Centerlines as indicated.
Using an awl or other sharp marking tool, mark the 25 intersections of the Outer
Pilot Hole Lines and the Vertical Centerlines .
3) Lay the longest C note bar over the plank as shown in Figure 1 . By eye,
position the bar such that:
a) The hole at one end is centered over the intersection of Outer Pilot Hole
Line and the first Vertical Centerline , and ,
b) The hole at the opposite end is centered about the same Vertical Centerline .
Using an awl or other sharp marking tool, and being careful not to shift the bar,
again by eye mark the center of the hole at the opposite end of the bar. Repeat
this step for all 25 bars.
4) With all bars removed, drill 1/8” pilot holes (50 in all), at all marked locations,
which may be through holes.
5) Optional : To improve sound quality, drill ¾” through holes along each Vertical
Centerline , roughly at the midpoint between pairs of 1/8” pilot holes as shown in
Figure 1 .
6) Optional : For a more purposeful look you may wish to taper the plank so it
follows the progression of the bars. Cut each long edge of the plank parallel to,
but ½” beyond the Outer Pilot Hole Lines.
7) Sand the plank and apply your desired finish.
8) Once the finish has fully cured, apply four 3/16” thick x 3/8” wide strips of
adhesive backed weather-stripping or felt:
a) One strip just inside each Outer Pilot Hole Line .
b) One strip just inside the two inner rows of pilot holes.
Note: Because the bar length progression is not uniform from note to note,
the line formed through the inner pilot holes will not form a perfectly straight
line. For this reason, as you apply the inner strips, it is preferable to let the
strip waiver a bit, with the objective being to keep each piece as close to the
inner pilot hole line. This will keep the pilot holes visible when you screw the
bars on, yet keep them well supported.
c) Using the same material, apply a 3/8” square piece on the underside at
each corner, to act as non-marring feet, as well as improve sound quality.
9) With the bars placed over the plank in order of length, secure each with one
#10 x ¾” long screw at each end . Install each screw only so far as the bars are
still loose and free to vibrate.
Optional : To prevent a metal-to-metal clanking sound should any bars shift and
make contact with the screws, plastic insulators may be made by cutting ¼” to
5/16” long pieces from a plastic drinking straw. Before installing the screws, push
one of the insulators onto each screw, then tighten each until the insulator fully
takes up any space between the wood and the underside of the screw head. Do
not over tighten and crush the insulators.
Figure 1
Mallet:
(37604)
To make the mallet, drill a ¼” hole, halfway to two thirds into the center of a ¾”-1”
wooden ball, or into a square block of the same size. Glue the dowel into the
predrilled hole. Alternatively, you may use a 12” length of ½” dowel and simply
round the ends.
You will also need some soft foam or felt to support the bars so they
are free to vibrate and produce a pleasant ringing tone. 3/16” thick
x 3/8” wide soft or open cell adhesive backed foam weather-
stripping works best.
The 25 Note Xylophone Kit should include the
following bars: 3 notes of C and 2 of each: D, E, F,
G, A, B, C#, D#, F#, G# and A#. These notes should
be placed in descending order of length from left to
right as shown below (image not to scale).
C# D# F# G# A# C# D# F# G# A#
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
Slender Bar Construction:
1) This design uses ¾” thick x 1” wide
rectangular pieces of wood. Cut two
pieces 22-3/8” long, two pieces 22” long,
one piece 11-7/8” long, and one piece
6-1/4”.
2) Glue and clamp the two 22-3/8” long pieces together to the
two shortest pieces as shown in Figure 2 . Take care to
ensure that the assembly is symmetric by checking for
equal diagonal measurements.
3) Glue and clamp the inner (22” long) pieces as
shown in Figure 2 , ensuring they are perpendicular to the
short pieces, Once the glue has cured sand the ends of each
piece flush with the sides of the adjoining piece. For added strength, drill
hole and countersink and install one #6 to #8 x 1-1/4” flat-head screw at
each joint, from the faces that contain the two shortest pieces.
4) As shown in Figure 2 , lightly draw:
a) The Outer Pilot Hole Lines (2) .
b) 25 Vertical Centerlines as indicated.
Using an awl or other sharp marking tool, mark the 25 intersections of the Outer
Pilot Hole Lines and the Vertical Centerlines .
5) Lay the longest C note bar over long bars as shown in Figure 2 . By eye,
position the bar such that:
a) The hole at one end so it is centered over the intersection of Outer Pilot
Hole Line and the first Vertical Centerline , and ,
b) The hole at the opposite end is centered about the same Vertical Centerline .
Using an awl or other sharp marking tool, and being careful not to shift the bar,
again by eye mark the center of the hole at the opposite end of the bar. Repeat
this step for all 25 bars.
6) With all bars removed, drill 1/8” pilot holes (50 in all), at all marked locations,
which may be through holes.
7) Sand and apply your desired finish.
8) Once the finish has fully cured, apply four 3/16” thick x 3/8” wide strips of
adhesive backed weather-stripping or felt:
a) One strip just inside each Outer Pilot Hole Line .
b) One strip just inside the two inner rows of pilot holes.
Note: Because the bar length progression is not uniform from note to note,
the line formed through the inner pilot holes will not form a perfectly straight
line. For this reason, as you apply the inner strips, it is preferable to let the
strip waiver a bit, with the objective being to keep each piece as close to the
inner pilot hole line. This will keep the pilot holes visible when you screw the
bars on, yet keep them well supported.
c) Using the same material, apply a 3/8” square piece on the underside at
each corner, to act as non-marring feet, as well as improve sound quality.
9) With the bars placed over the plank in order of length, secure each with one
#10 x ¾” long screw at each end . Install each screw only so far as the bars are
still loose and free to vibrate.
Optional : To prevent a metal-to-metal clanking sound should any bars shift and
make contact with the screws, plastic insulators may be made by cutting ¼” to
5/16” long pieces from a plastic drinking straw. Before installing the screws, push
one of the insulators onto each screw, then tighten each until the insulator fully
takes up any space between the wood and the underside of the screw head. Do
not over tighten and crush the insulators.
Tripar Inc. 9750 Maurice Duplessis, Montréal, QC Canada, H1C 1G1, 1-800-361-0983
Figure 2
For an introductory selection of music that can be
played on this kit, please visit:
www.TriparInc.com/xylomusic
PP220 ©03/2009
RTD10000696AA

Additional Information for all
Xylophone Kits
To further simplify the building process for the xylophone kits, please
refer to these additional instructions:
The 8 Note Xylophone Kit includes the following bars: 2 notes of C and 1 of
each: D, E, F, G, A and B. These notes should be placed in descending order of
length from left to right as shown below (image not to scale).
C D E F G A B C
The 13 Note Xylophone Kit includes the following bars: 2 notes of C and 1 of
each: D, E, F, G, A, B, C#, D#, F#, G# and A#. These notes should be placed in
descending order of length from left to right as shown below (image not to
scale).
C# D# F# G# A#
C D E F G A B C
The 25 Note Xylophone Kit includes the following bars: 3 notes of C and 2 of
each: D, E, F, G, A, B, C#, D#, F#, G# and A#. These notes should be placed in
descending order of length from left to right as shown below (image not to
scale).
C# D# F# G# A# C# D# F# G# A#
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C