Woodwind instrument making

Medieval to Renaissance (up to 1600s) – Early woodwind instruments in the UK included recorders, shawms, and bagpipes, which were either imported from Europe or crafted by local artisans. These makers often worked without formal specialisation, producing a variety of instruments by hand. The recorder became especially popular during the Tudor period, finding a place in both court and church music. While many instruments were imported from established centres like Nuremberg, there is evidence of native English makers working primarily in London and other urban centres during this time.

Baroque Period (1600s–1700s) – During the Baroque period, instrument making in the UK became increasingly specialised. Renowned families such as the Stanesbys (father and son) emerged in London, producing high-quality recorders, flutes, and oboes. British makers often adopted and modified designs from Continental Europe, especially from countries with established woodwind traditions like France and the Netherlands. By the end of the Baroque era, instruments such as the Baroque flute and oboe were integral to English musical life, both in professional and amateur contexts.

Classical to Romantic Periods (1700s–1800s) – The Industrial Revolution brought significant changes to woodwind manufacturing in Britain. Advances in tooling and materials allowed for greater precision and consistency in instrument production. This period saw the emergence of more complex keyed instruments, such as the flute and clarinet. British makers like Rudall & Rose gained international reputations, particularly for their flutes. The Boehm system, originally developed in Germany, was enthusiastically adopted and further refined by British craftsmen. London became a major hub for woodwind production, with prominent firms like Hawkes & Son, which later merged into Boosey & Hawkes, contributing to the city’s status.

20th Century to Present – In the 20th century, the UK maintained a strong tradition of woodwind craftsmanship, even as mass production and globalisation began to reshape the industry. Companies like Boosey & Hawkes and Howarth of London continued to produce high-quality instruments, with Howarth becoming particularly known for oboes and bassoons. While many instruments are now imported, the UK remains home to several respected artisan makers who focus on bespoke and professional-level woodwinds.

Making woodwind instruments involves a combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern precision techniques. The exact processes vary depending on the instrument (e.g., flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), but here are some key techniques commonly used across woodwind making.

Material Selection and Preparation – Woodwind instruments are typically made from materials such as hardwoods (e.g. grenadilla, boxwood, maple), metals (e.g. silver, nickel, gold for flutes), or modern composites.

Boring and Turning – The basic tube of the instrument is shaped on a lathe, where the exterior is turned and the internal bore is drilled or reamed. The bore must be extremely precise in size and taper, as it directly affects tuning and tone.

Undercutting and Tone Hole Drilling – Tone holes are drilled into the body at precise locations, often using jigs or CNC machines for accuracy.

Keywork Fabrication and Fitting – Keys are made from metal and are either hand-forged, cast, or CNC-machined, then meticulously fitted to posts soldered or screwed onto the body. Pads made from felt, cork, and skin are installed to seal the tone holes when keys are closed.

Tuning and Voicing – Each instrument is fine-tuned and voiced by adjusting bore dimensions, tone holes, and pad height. This can include slight enlarging, undercutting, or reshaping of tone holes to achieve correct intonation and tone.

Finishing and Assembly – The body is polished, stained (for wooden instruments), and sealed. For wooden instruments, the bore may be oil-treated. All joints (tenons) are corked or sleeved. Finally, the instrument is fully assembled and tested, often by a skilled player.

Quality Control and Play Testing – Professional makers or testers play each instrument to ensure it meets musical and mechanical standards. Adjustments are made as needed to ensure it speaks clearly, tunes accurately, and responds evenly across registers.

• Clarinet making
• Oboe making
• Saxophone making
• Baroque flute making
• Recorder making
• Concert flute making – see separate entry for Concert Flutes
• Bagpipe making – see separate entry for Bagpipe making

• Training issues: The School of Musical Instrument Crafts at Newark is a good course run by skilled people but doesn’t provide the necessary skillset to become a maker and existing makers feel that students could do with more work experience as part of the course to make them more appealing. It is a useful course to begin with but it is impossible to learn everything in three years and gain the depth of understanding required to earn a living from the craft – the best anyone can hope for when leaving college is to set up a repair shop. Existing makers would prefer apprenticeships/benchside training to college training. Dan Parker of Canadian Institute of Musical Instrument Technology (CIOMIT) has been suggested as a positive model – originally ran a very busy repair shop, had a great interest in training staff so became a training centre with a repair shop on the side and train people to make and repair as part of his business. Suggested that college training should be linked to industry so that students are employable and the existing business could expand. A few makers do take people on as apprentices. Daniel Bangham established the Cambridge Woodwind makers to encourage people to enter the trade by having a go and then going on to Newark if they like it.
• Recruitment issues: Recruiting staff is the biggest issue – although there is plenty of interest, it is nearly impossible to find people with the necessary skills. Ideal trainees are in their late twenties, and have seen a bit of the world and have some work experience – the danger if they start too young and are not completely dedicated is that they are always looking for other things. Howarth of London take on staff from all over the world but they tend to leave after a few years making it hard to sustain a workforce in the UK.
• Ageing workforce: The number of makers is getting smaller and smaller and the workforce is getting older and older.
• Business issues: In order to take over an existing business (such as one belonging to someone looking to retire) or to start up on your own, you need capital, business skills, and vision and be prepared to endure some financially tough years. Never going to earn millions – need to be dedicated.
• Market issues: There is a huge trade in importing instruments and rebadging them. All companies, from the biggest to the smallest, do this – especially on the student ranges. Most people choose ‘built in England’ rather than ‘made in England’, although it can be hard to tell the difference.
• Market issues: People like to buy cheap things – affects every industry and is difficult for any high-end retailer, and the quality of products from the Far East is rapidly improving. But usually there is an area of business that doesn’t succumb – a case of getting the balance of pricing right. Many makers have a student line imported from abroad and sold at a cheap price, and then a professional/high-end line made in the UK and sold for a high price.
• Mechanisation: Reed instrument making is no longer a ‘craft’ – instead it is more like engineering with a lot of technical equipment.
• Loss of skills: A lot of the specialist skills are disappearing, and there soon won’t be anywhere to get advice from until it reaches a point when the specialists will come back.
• Lack of support: European trade shows can cost as much as €20,000 – French and German companies might get government support to cover their attendance, but it is very difficult to get any support in the UK.

• British Double Reed Society
• Cambridge Woodwind Makers
• National Association of Musical Instrument Repairers
• Fellowship of Makers and Restorers of Historical Musical Instruments
• Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britain
• The School of Musical Instrument Crafts
• Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST)

Short courses

Cambridge Woodwind Makers – teaches a range of courses in woodwind and brass instrument making

Degree and postgraduate courses 

Newark College, School of Musical Instrument Crafts

• BA (Hons) Musical Instrument Craft (Woodwind Making and Repair)

Reed instrument makers:

• Peter Worrell – embarking on very niche clarinet market, making mechanisms for one-handed clarinets/recorders.
• Guy Cowley – historical clarinets
• Daniel Bangham – historic instruments
• Jonathan Swayne – maker of bagpipes and whistles
• Mathew Dart – Baroque and classical bassoon maker.
• Tony Millyard
• Eric Moulder – maker of renaissance woodwinds since the 1970s
• Jim Parr – historical woodwinds
• Terry Mann – historical woodwinds

Wooden flute and recorder makers

• Chris Raven
• George Ormiston – Ormiston Flutes have been in existence for 45 years, having started in 1978, making wooden headjoints for Boehm flutes and also simple system 8 keyed wooden flutes based mainly on a flute made by John Mitchel Rose from Edinburgh, 1793 – 1866.
• Sean Gray – trained with George Ormiston
• Damian Thompson
• Paul Windridge
• Chris Wilkes
• Phil Bleazy
• Carl Bell
• Derek Curtis
• Tony Millyard and Sophie Matthews
• Fred Rose

Businesses, employing two or more makers (in the UK, woodwind instrument makers tend to specialise in particular instruments):

• Howarth of London (11-20 skilled craftspeople, 1-5 trainees) – makers of double reed instruments (oboes, bassoons and cor anglais). Howarths used to make clarinets but gave up about 12 years ago, although they still have all the jigs and would like to set it up again as a course. They have 35 people in the workshop, which includes an engineering department, wood department, key department and finishing department, and 25 people working in the shop. Whereas other companies buy in screws, keys etc, Howarth make all the parts and supply screws to other individual makers etc. They have taken people on from colleges but the college training is very broad and not very useful – but at least it gives an indication of interest. They have recently taken on two apprentices.
• Peter Eaton – Production of Eaton clarinets has now ended. They will be making four Eaton bassett clarinets over the next year or so and will continue with production of clarinet mouthpieces and servicing their own instruments.
• Hanson Music – makers of clarinets, saxophones and guitar components. Hansons used to also make metal flutes, but haven’t made one for eight years. They buy in key sets and also do repairing. Hanson has three full time makers, including one apprentice – all can repair saxophones, clarinets and trumpets; one specialises in saxophones, one in brass instruments and one in clarinets. They take on an intern from France/Germany every year for six months.
• Pillinger London – makers of clarinet and saxophone mouthpieces.

• British History Online, Industries: Musical Instruments
• Howarth of London, Manufacturing: A brief guide to how your oboe is made
• Phil Bleazy, A brief overview of making a wooden flute  

Our thanks go to our 2025 reviewers:

• Daniel Bangham, Cambridge Woodwind Makers
• Ormiston Flutes

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