Blue Bear Flutes
Blue Bear Flutes Tone Box
DIY Native American Flute Making at its Best!
What if you could turn a simple piece of 3/4 inch PVC pipe into a playable Native American style flute in just minutes?
This little device here allows you to "make" a Native American Style Flute out of a standard piece of PVC tubing. It currently comes in this version only which accommodates a piece of 3/4 inch PVC and allows you to drill your holes where ever you like! Have you ever wondered what would happen if you put the fingerings somewhere else? Do you think your fingering pattern is better than someone else's? Time to put it to the test! This snap-on design allows anyone to create a functional PVC flute in multiple tunings including G, F#, and E (honestly, you can make a number of other keys on your own, however I like to offer the keys which work best with their particular tubing sizes) without needing advanced flute-making tools or years of experience.
The Goal
The goal of this project is simple:
to make flute building more accessible, affordable, and fun for everyone.
The Tone Box Is Designed To:
• Snap directly onto standard 3/4 inch PVC pipe
• Work with multiple flute lengths and tunings
• Provide a consistent sound mechanism
• Help beginners start making music quickly
• Give makers and experimenters a platform to customize their own flute designs
Free STL File Included
I’m also offering the STL print file FREE here on my website for anyone with a 3D printer.
If you don’t have a printer, pre-printed versions are also available for purchase.
Community & Usage
The free Tone Box print file is being shared to help make flute building more accessible while encouraging creativity within the maker and flute communities.
My only request is this:
If you download the free file from my website or from any 3D printing community where I’ve shared it, please do not sell the Tone Box by itself as a standalone printed item. However, if you use the Tone Box as part of a completed flute build - adding the PVC body, finger holes, tuning, finishing work, or your own creative design - you are absolutely welcome to sell the completed instrument.
Also, Please do not remove, cover up or hide my Bear Symbol from the back of the Tone Box!
This project is meant to inspire experimentation, learning, and music-making.
If you enjoy the design and later consider purchasing a handcrafted wooden flute or one of our other instruments, I hope you’ll keep Blue Bear Flutes in mind.
Fingering Patterns For Use With 3/4 inch PVC:
These fingering patterns are what your Tone Box are designed to work with, however you can always use other patterns! Likewise, it is possible to make a Mid-A flute with this design, as well as a Low-D. The reason that I do not offer patterns here to build those is simply because the Blue Bear Flutes 3/4 inch PVC Tone Box is designed to work best for the keys of G, F#(and F), and E(and Eb).
For these particular designs, you'll notice there are two fingerings on top and on the bottom. The side of the tubing with two fingerings goes into the tone box. Measurements are taken from the top of the PVC tubing and then to each individual fingering and then to the end.
The STL file is available for download below as well as on a couple of 3D print sites, and per the above request, same terms apply!
For printing purposes, I use a .4 nozzle, .14 layer height and 4 perimeter minimum. I recommend PETG for printing it. While I am not advising you to print this, this information is only in recommendation if you do. No warranty is expressed or implied with this download.
