How Didgeridoos are made








Didgeridoo crafting processes vary in Australia from maker to maker. Traditional instruments are crafted from carefully selected Eucalyptus trees, which have been naturally attacked and 'eaten out' by termites. Termites feed off the heartwood of the Eucalyptus, clearing away the bulk of the heartwood material and housing the colony of termites as they do so.

A traditional craftsman will normally spend a good deal of time 'hunting' for suitable trees that can be worked into instruments. The selection process requires an intimate knowledge of the land. The craftsman will usually only cut timbers which have been sufficiently eaten out by the termites - Often the maker will 'test' the timber to confirm that it has been eaten out before cutting, by removing a small section of the bark and 'flicking' or tapping the tree - The maker will listen carefully and know if it has been hollowed out enough. From this point they would usually cut into the timber to confirm that is has been eaten out. If it hasn't been eaten out sufficiently, the tree will be left. If it is eaten out correctly, the tree will be cut down, ready to be crafted in to an instrument.

You can purchase raw timbers here

Typical scrubland where timbers might be selected



Debris removed from the bore.

Stage 1:
 The Eucalyptus tree will be cut towards the base, you'll see from this image how the termites have created a well eaten bore. Once the tree has been cut down, the bore will need to be cleaned out. Occasionally, the termites will have eaten away the majority of material though the bore will usually be full of debris, un-eaten areas of heartwood and processed material, which formed the housing and network for the colony. Any material left in the bore will have to be removed. traditional makers tend to use a young sappling tree or narrow branch to push through the length of the timber, dislodging any material left inside.
Stage 2:
 The timbers will then be cut to the required length
Stage 3:
 The timbers will have to be stripped at this point, and the bulk of the material on the outside removed. Stripping away the bark and removing any excess flesh from the timber.
Stage 4:
 Once the instrument itself has been completed, and the correct sound achieved it can then be painted or sealed. Most traditional instruments tend to have some form of artwork adorning them. This can be simple clan bands, or more complex crosshatch designs - In the case of traditional artwork, this will relate to the clan heritage of the maker. Traditionally, colours were created using ground down rock pigments, or Ochres. The pallette used would be red ochre, yellow ochre a black and a white. The fine line-work would be applied uaing a brush made from hair or grass. More contemporary instruments have a wider colour palette if decorated and could also be more highly polished to show off the natural woodgrain.