Vrtané Didgeridoo

I will focus here on homegrown woods with which I already have certain experience, actually at least one succesfully drilled and finished didgeridoo. It is possible to say that the harder and more havy woods we use, the better sound results we can expect from finished didge. Below you find the table of woods and its solidity. By each wood described under the table is mentioned the number of its belongity to table.
 

 
Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra L.) 4 - Elderberry is my favourite material for several reasons. It is air raid bush or small tree which grows everywhere by roads, rail roads etc. Workability is fantastic. Thanks to drain tube the drilling is easy. Drying is troubleless. Year and half from picking up its possible to start work on it and pul down the bark. I recommend to drill raw stems instead of dry. It is easier, the hole is clear on cut, and by driling we preeliminate the tension which the wood develops during drying process and which causes afterwards cracks. Elderberry woods is different each piece from each bush. Colour - it depends on place where it grows. Starting on light yelow tones, over the ping, yelow and green till light brown. Same with solidity. I found some pieces which where as hard/solid as oak tree! Btw. sirup made of eldeberry flowers is delicios and healthy! I prepare it every spring.
 
Locust tree (Robinia Pseudoacacia L.) 4 - almost as favourite as elderberry. Very hard and tough material. Locust tree grows on same places as elderberry. At the beggining of March, when cuting of elderberry isn´t possible any more, locust tree is still sleeping and can be still picked up. Locust tree migrated to Czech in distance past from much warmer south countries. Workability is worse than elderberry for several reasons. Drying has to be performed much more carefully. Locut must be dried in one piece and can´t be drilled immediatelly after picking up but at earliest one year since picking up. I do recommend to rub in the ends with dispersed glue to minimaze cracking. Locust is very sensitive for bad drying than other woods I´ve tried. Also drilling requires much more patience and skills. And mortising of bell is more difficult too. Good stems of locust - dry and drilled rewards with fantastic "sharp metal" sound. If you succeed to get dry and drilled locust stem, you have really quality base for good-class instrument. Locust woods turned breakable after drying. Comparing to Elderberry locust is much heavier. While drilling the chips smells like roses - I like it.


European wallnut tree (Juglans Regia L.) 4 - very good material for didge making. So far the best behaviour during drying. Almost no cracking. On an older stems there we can find the dark brown drill log which is in principle affected and therefore softer or there is hole what ease the drilling much. Its irregularity makes nice texture on  body of didge. European wallnut used to be used for making gunstock because it softens down the strokes. Sound predispozitions somewhere between elderberry and locust tree. It is difficult to find straight stems.Thanks to its characteristics during drying I evaluate it as a very suitable wood for making didge with driling method.
 
English brown oak/European oak tree (Quercus Robur/Pubescent L.) 4 - for me is semi-interesting. Drying porcess is very sensitive for mistakes. Moreover it is "dirty" wood. It fissures a lot during manufacturing. Mortising of the bel lhas to be performed carefully, only thin chips can be cut and mus be combined with drill borer to clean it. Locust tree is better in all aspects than oak. Wood of oak is brown with characteristic texture.Drying has to be performed carefully. Oak requires longer slower drying than any other woods I´ve tried. After all troubles mentioned above final didge rewards a manufacturer with really nice and quality sound. Using cutting in to two slices, mortising and gluing together the situation is different. During manufacturing process the wood smells really nicely.Oak is strong  seductive for longhorn/waasp beetle and the other insect pest. I strongly recommend not to bring dry extinct stems. Surelly you bring with it above mentioned insect pest which will destroy all the stock of wood - my own bad experience.
  
Horn beam/Ironwood (Carpinus Betulus L.) 4 - so far no experiences, I have been drying the first stems and it seems to be very promissing material. The only experience I have after 9 month´s of drying is that it cracks bit less than locust or elderberry. The wood is extremly heavy - so far the haviest I´ve ever tried. Soon I will try to drill first stems. I am curious for results.
 
 Grey alder/green alder (Aldus Incana/Viridis L.) 2 - needs really sharp borer, Than it´s quite easy to dril it The smel lof this wood is really characteristic. Also the colour and the texture. Drying of the massive stem was performed without any cracks at all. Even after pulling out of bark in sommer it didn´t cracked. Behaviour of Grey alder remindes me European Wallnut tree. PRoperties of this wood increased a lot after drying. Drilling ability is more or less good. The borer isn´t navigated thrue as by elderberry, but on the other hand isn´t pulled out of axis as by the jasanojavor. After final modification with fine sand paper it reveals really nice brindled artwork. I also recommend this wood for smoking of meat - tastes best :-)
 
 
Jasanojavor peřenolistý (Negungo Aceroides L.) 3 - difficult to drill, puls the bohrer out of axe of stem. Doesn´t make consistent cip but splinters. Zajímavá a velmi hezká kresba dřeva, zvukově průměrný. Zpracování ale mizerné. NA rozsáhelší výrobu pro vrtače moc není.
 
 
Ailanthus glandular  (Ailanthus Antissima L.)  3 -this wood contains also drain tube which navigates the borer. Dřevo je ale řidší jak černý bez, má velké roční přírůstky. Vrtání jde velmi dobře. Zpracování výborné, celkově pro didge není špatný ale vzhledem k faktu že je všude plno černého bezu který je mnohem vhodnější a kvalitnější materiál se jedná jen o zajímavé zpestření mé výroby.
 
 
Jabloň (Malus silvestris/sieversii L.) 4 - je to takový evropský eukalyptus a práci termitů sustituují obří mravenci. Při kácení suchých, polosuchých a  polosyrových jabloní jsem narazil na vyžrané dutiny téměř u všech. Respektive u všech. Nařezal jsem tři kousky a jeden z nich provrtal. Díky mravenečkům jsem měl hodně ulehčenou práci. Jabloňové dřevo je velmi zajímavé kresbou, vrtání bylo super a uvidíme jak se bude chovat při schnutí. Vzhledem k faktu, že se jedná o ovocný strom, předpokládám silné pracování dřeva. Zatřel jsem konce, uvidíme na podzim jak ty kusy budou vypadat.
 


Švestka domácí/slivoň švestka (Prunus domestica L.) 4-5 - i když v tabulkách stojí psáno 4, jedná se o vůbec nejtvrdší dřevinu, kterou jsem kdy řezal. Habr jsem měl uřezán od lesníků, takže nemohu porovnat, ale švestka se nedá tvrdostí srovnat s ničím. Už teď vím, že usušit ji na kulatině je nemožné. Pracuje velmi tvrdě a silně. Ihned po provrtání sem dodám zkušenosti. Kresbou dřeva se řadí mezi nejatraktivnější dřeviny, se kterými jsem kdy pracoval.