Simple yet elegant six hole Port Orford Cedar flute. Hand crafted and voice by Wyoming flute artist Timothy Jennings. True Old Growth Port Orford Cedar continues to be rare and hard to find. We currently have a fairly nice stock of this lumber if a flute such as this interests you.
This is a 1″ inch bore flute with a longer Slow Air Chamber and block giving this flute an overall longer aesthetic. Both Totem Rails and the Totem (fetish) were crafted from river reclaimed Sapodilla.
Unique to this flute is the hand cut Elk Antler cabochon that was crafted from Wyoming harvested elk and is bezel set in Sterling Silver and inlaid into the body of the flute. Over all this was a very nice commissioned flute.
If you would like to inquire about a flute like this being made for you please reach out to Tim Jennings via email (sales@jacksonholetim.com) or give him a call (307) 690-0427.
Jackson Hole Tim is now shipping orders as small as individual boards. For more than 18 years we have supplied parts for the Native American style flute building community. Billets, Blank Sets, Pre-Bored Flute Blanks, and fully assembled flute blanks is just a small part of what we produce here in our shop in Wyoming.
About 12 years ago we started stocking very specific old growth lumber for not only the flute building community but Luthiers, Game Call Makers, Fishing Lure makers, carvers, relief carvers and specialty craftsman of all kinds. We will cut and ship down to a single board. Most suppliers won’t even talk to you for orders this small but we will.
Boards are individually selected and cut at the time of the order. ALL of our in stock Lumber is SELECT Grade Old Growth first generation cut stock. We search for music quality timber and order specific bunks delivered to us here in Afton Wyoming.
SPECIES IN STOCK
Although we are always looking for unique timber that can be used in flute building JHT Lumber specializes in several species of lumber. Our favorite is a toss up between Alaskan Yellow Cedar and Port Orford Cedar. Sitka Spruce is an amazing wood and Premium Grade Alder is a favorite for so many projects.
We also look for really nice Black Walnut and we have access to some of the most beautiful cut Douglas Fir that is flat out beautiful. Sometimes we buy just an individual board ourselves hoping to turn it into flute blank stock.
New this year was the addition of flute blanks with end caps. When we find stock suitable for end caps we will keep adding to our inventories.
Larger Orders No Problem
From time to time we get customers looking for larger quantities of lumber for their own operations. If you are looking for more than a few board feet of specialty woods like our Sitka Spruce, Port Orford or Alaskan Yellow Cedar reach out. If we do not have it in stock we can get it to you just the same.
The next time you consider buying lumber for your next project(s) give us a shout. We will do our best to find and ship what you need.
Many have been asking for more inventory on our end cap blanks. Well stand by more are on the way! We just received a small shipment of some nice exotic billets. Each of these billets come to us smothered in wax, which by the way is a pain and a mess to remove. But the wax keeps the billet in pristine condition until we are ready to use them.
Species Available
Not all of our End Cap blanks are crafted from exotic wood. We try when we find a piece worthy of an end cap to make some from domestic stock as well. New End Cap blanks are being made as I write this. We will have end caps in Black Walnut, Brazilian Ebony, African Blackwood, Zircote, and East Indian Rosewood. Other species are being sourced now.
Species that are being use for the main body of the flute will be Alaskan Yellow Cedar, Port Orford Cedar, and Sitka Spruce. All three of these species are Old Growth first cut generation lumber. Each bunk we purchase is of musical instrument quality. Very nice stuff so watch for these blanks to be listed as they come available.
Four Options Available
We are gluing most of our end cap blanks as solid billets. You have four options at the time of purchase that you can upgrade to. You can purchase the basic end cap billet, you can select Pre-Bored, Add the True Sound Hole and finally you can select to add Totem Rails.
We are still working with perfecting the ordering process on these blanks so if you have questions call us (307) 690-0427 or email us at “sales@jacksonholetim.com” for more information. Below is an information for you can complete and send in for those who have questions.
Weather in the Rockies is always a concern. Especially when you are waiting for a load of lumber on the back of a large semi. The weather window for us was Sunday Morning Early. Cold temperature and clear skies makes for great snow covered road conditions. When the temperature is close to zero tire have much better grip for these big trucks. Over 10,000 lbs of premium grade Mother Earth hit the ground.
Sitka Spruce (Kiln Dried)
In this shipment we received several thousand board feet of premium quarter sawn 8/4″ Sitka Spruce boards with some as long as 14 feet, random widths. Straight beautiful grain ready for your next project. This is instrument grade stock.
Port Orford Cedar (Kiln Dried)
Port Orford Cedar is my favorite wood to work with. It machines beautifully, smells like heaven when working with it, strong and produces excellent tone qualities. Very hard to get and over 6 months of waiting to get this load. If you are a lover of POC then don’t wait and get yours now.
Alder (Kiln Dried)
This bunk of 8/4″ Alder is PRIME graded and comes to us Surfaced 2 Sides. Great for Luthiers making electric guitar bodies, craftsman working on high end homes and more. Nice stuff.
JHT Lumber Order Ready for Pick-up
Until we can get this lumber on the website if you are interested in board ready to ship reach out to us by phone (307) 690-0427 or shoot us an email at “sales@jacksonholetim.com”. We are here to help!
We just received confirmation that another semi full of wonderful things from Mother Nature is on it’s way to us here in Wyoming. We have been searching for some new treasure to add and replenish what we have sold here at our shop.
Port Orford Cedar
This is one of my favorite woods to work with no matter the project. But for Flute Makers and Luthiers it is simply one of the most wonderful woods to craft with. I have looked hard for more than a year to nail down this bunk of POC coming to us. This bunk is all full 8/4 stock, rough quarter sawn. Musical grade, not common grades… this should be nice stuff.
Sitka Spruce
For more than a year I have had requests for Sitka Spruce. Know for its straight vertical grain, Sitka Spruce is a valued wood, light, soft, strong and flexible. Sitka is used for general construction, ship building and plywood. The wood features excellent acoustic properties and is used to make sounding boards in pianos and other musical instruments such as violins and guitars. Flute Maker should be excited to get their hands on this stock as well.
Alder
This bunk of Alder that is coming is all in 8/4 high graded stock. Great for just about any project. Used by luthiers, cabinet makers, and all around craftsmen. One of the softest woods in the hardwood family and found primarily in the Pacific Northwest Alder is just a great all around wood to work with. This bunk should be of exceptional quality – no junk.
No Order too Small
Finding quality lumber is no easy task. Finding it at the grade that we desire is even harder and very expensive. We have a big investment in our bunks of lumber and we hope that you will consider us as a future source for your next project.
We will sell down to a single cut board. No order is too small. Each lumber order is packed with corner protection so that your order gets to you in great shape. If you need milling or surfacing let us know… we can help there too.
If you have questions give us a call (307) 690-0427 or shoot us an email with “LUMBER” in the subject line to “SALES@JACKSONHOLETIM.COM”.
This is one of my favorite flutes I have made this year. I have posted information about this flute before offering what I consider to be the best flute of 2020 so far. Crafted from Old Growth Port Orford Cedar this large bore flute feature Sapodilla Totem Rail and my Mustang Fetish also made from Sapodilla.
Highlights of this flute was the addition of a hand cut Wyoming harvested Elk Antler cabochon set in Sterling Silver. The 1″ inch bore of this flute gives it a deeper voice tuned to D @440 Hz. Leather accents is our Wyoming handcut Bison lace. Nothing fancy just a really nice instrument. Simple Elegance achieved!
The new owner of this flute lives in Riverside, California and it is scheduled to ship late this week. I will miss this flute in my shop! As with all of the flutes I make I hope this flute bring them years of personal enjoyment.
If you like this flute as I do please visit the link below as there is a sister flute to this only crafted from Alaskan Yellow Cedar but features the same totem rail design and Mustang fetish. If you think you might like to peak then CLICK HERE for more information on the sister flute available.
As always this flute is available for commission. I still have some really nice Port Orford Cedar blanks. Contact me at “Sales@Jacksonholetim.com for more.
I wanted to update a previous post about this Port Orford Cedar flute that I have been working on. As of this post I have completed the Mustang fetish and it is in the last stages of finishing. Crafted from the same Sappodilla as the totem rails the combination works nice with the natural colors of the Port Orford Cedar.
New to this flute will be the addition of a hand cut Elk antler cabochon. The antler was harvested from our own Wyoming Elk herds here in Star Valley area. This cabochon is being set in Sterling Silver and then it will be inlaid into the body of the flute as shown in the feature image above.
One other small adjustment is that when this flute was first voice I thought it would end up a D tuned to 432Hz. Well it is still a D but 440Hz was better suited.
This flute is available for purchase pre-completion for a significant savings in cost. After completion the price point will be higher as it is only then I can total the man hours. CLICK HERE for more information or CALL (307) 690-0427 or EMAIL me at sales@jacksonholetim.
Currently I have been working on Two 1 inch bore flutes crafted from Old Growth Port Orford Cedar. This particular flute is just about done other than final finish choices and some tweaking on the tuning. Which on this flute is tuned to “D” @ 432 Hz.
I really cannot get enough Port Orford Cedar as it is one of my favorite woods to craft flutes from. This one has a very pleasing deeper voice giving it a soothing melody. The totem rails are crafted from river reclaimed Sapodilla as it the Totem or Fetish itself. Once again this flute will feature my signature whimsical mustang. This time I am crafting it out of the same Sapodilla the totem rails are made from. This should be a stunning yet eloquent flute.
Currently I have this flute finished with a Satin/Semi-Gloss finish but more than likely it will end up with a high gloss finish. Although this is a fairly large flute the finger holes are positioned with comfort in mind. This flute like all of our flutes will ship with a protective bag as this recent completed flute did.
The price point has not been set and there is still time to add adornments such as hanging horse hair, feathers or even an inlaid cabochon. Port Orford Cedar is almost impossible to get anymore… this is a very nice wind instrument just about ready for a home.
If you are interested reach out to me via email @ Sales@JacksonHoleTim.com or call or text (307) 690-0427.
From time to time I come across a flute project I did for someone else and as I look back on it I get excited about how the flute came out. One of my favorite woods to work with is Port Orford Cedar which is not easy to get anymore. But I do have some stashed away for special occasions.
This flute was made for a client in the Cave Creek Arizona area and I really liked how it turned out. The customer wanted to have a flute that voiced an “A” @ 440Hz. As most of you know I live in the Yellowstone Basin here in Wyoming so our altitude and weather patterns are quite a bit different than the desert region of Arizona. Building a flute in Wyoming and shipping to Arizona and hitting the mark for tuning is always a challenge. All in all I think I was able to get pretty close.
What I like about this flute is the simple elegance it embraced and the mix of the Sapodilla Totem Rails, Cutting Edge inlay and the Maple Mustang fetish it was a really eye appealing flute when finished. Easy to play and sounded wonderful. We recorded the sound clip here in Wyoming after it was finished so check out the voice of this flute in the clip below.
Commissioned projects are always fun yet stressful to do. This flute project was one I really enjoyed. I would love to work on another project like this one again for a new customer. Maybe that customer is you? Let me know what you think of this flute in the comments below. If you would like to explore a flute for you similar reach out to me.
Earlier this year I was commissioned to craft a new flute from Old Growth Port Orford Cedar. The client requested a flute tuned to the Key of A @ 440 Hz and she wanted it to be “Concert Tuned”. I was excited to build this new flute as Port Orford Cedar is one of my very favorite species to work with.
So I found the stock I was going to craft this flute from and from the very beginning it just all seem to come together. One new addition to this flute was the addition of an inlaid Sapodilla Cutting Edge and two totem rails crafted from the same piece of Sapodilla as the inlaid edge. By spending the extra time on an inlaid edge and using a wood species quite a bit harder than the POC this would insure a cleaner sound and more resistant to future potential damage – not to mention is looks really cool.
Because this flute was being crafted with a 7/8″ Bore and we were shooting for an “A” I knew this flute would tend to be a bit shorter than many that I make. I designed this flute to have a longer Slow Air Chamber and a stop block of around 1 1/4″ along with a 2 3/4″ blowhole to help with the overall aesthetics. One other addition was to tune the fundamental note using the 4 Winds tuning holes which also give additional length to the overall flute.
Because I handcraft and hand shape all of my flutes I have to be careful when it comes to adding Totem Rails which you can see in the image above. At this point you can see the Cutting Edge inlay is complete, the playing holes and 4 Winds tuning holes have been laid out. The Totem Rails have been added and glued to the body of the flute and at this point it was time to start the shaping of this flute.
After a few weeks of prep work, gluing, clamping, shaping and sanding I had come up with what for me was a new design in that this flute feature a tapered rail that when the fetish or totem was added the back of the fetish would meet the end of the taper. This approach created a bit different shape towards the mouthpiece, meaning not so round, but more of an edgy look and overall I really like it.
Tuning this flute was also a challenge as I live in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of over 6400 feet. Our humidity is higher than Arizona which is where this flute would call home. Finally temperature is another real issue when tuning. So I decided to tune the flute to the flat side of the note with the expectation that when the flute finds its way home to Arizona the lower humidity, lower elevation and higher temperatures the note would play closer to fundamental note of A. We will see… some tweaking down the road may be required.
The final job to complete was to come up with a totem that met the desire of the client by yet allowed me to keep my whimsical tendencies that seems to run a common thread in other totems I have designed. This flute was to have some sort of horse head totem and so this was what I ended up with. The new owner likes to affectionately call it the Crazy Horse totem. Seems fitting…
This is a 1″ inch bore flute with a longer Slow Air Chamber and block giving this flute an overall longer aesthetic. Both Totem Rails and the Totem (fetish) were crafted from river reclaimed Sapodilla.
