instructables
Wooden Kazoo
by CraftAndu
Kazoo must be one of the craziest sounding mini
instrument there is! The best part is that it is super
easy to build with only limited tools!
One day I was internet shopping with my friend who
needed an electronic pickup for his ukulele. At the
checkout, we realised, that we were 8 euros short of
the free delivery. Looking through the seller's other
items we saw a wooden kazoo that cost 9 euros.
Only one euro extra and we could have had a "free"
kazoo! On a closer inspection, I realised that kazoo is
not a very complex instrument. As my woodworking
enthusiasm kicked in I did exactly 3 minutes of
research and promised to try and build one over the
weekend.
Kazoo really is a super simple instrument. It consists
of a body which acts as an amplifier, wax paper as a
resonator and a little resonator cap which hold the
paper in place. That is it! And if you did not know you
are supposed to hum into the kazoo, not blow.
Always makes me giggle a little when I give this
apparatus to my friends for the first time and they do
https://youtu.be/VLiobtQclCo
Wooden Kazoo: Page 1
their best to get a sound out of it, only to end up
thinking it is some kind of sorcery. The sound coming
out of the kazoo to me resembles most a 900 cc
superbike passing you on the highway.
It is a really great project for beginners as it requires
only a few tools and can be built in thirty minutes or
less. A great bonus is that it easy to make them in
bulk and give out as gifts.
[GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! The winner is
AnitaV23]
As I made a couple kazoos more than I needed I
would like to try and make a giveaway right here
on the Instructables. To take part of the raffle
leave a comment which Kazoo you like the most
in the comment section (photos in the last step!). I
will choose a random person to whom I will send
one of my handmade kazoos! Let us see how it
turns out. More information in the final step!
Wooden Kazoo: Page 2
Step 1: Tools and Materials

Of course, like with everything in life, there is more than one way to to do things. So is it with this project. This
project is totally doable with only hand tools but as I lack them, I decided to use my power tools.

I used:

Table saw ( zero clearance insert!)

Drill press with 16 and 14 mm spade bits and 4.5 and 5 mm wood bits
Disc sander (speeds up the sanding process)
Fine grit sandpaper

For materials I used

5x10 pan head machine screw

M5 wingnut and a washer
Different types of scrap wood
Wood finfish e.g. Linseed oil
Rolling paper for the resonator

I have also added a SketchUp file with measurements. This is something just to reference from! I strongly
encourage you to experiment and build a kazoo that feels right for you ;)

Some questions you might have when building a kazoo

Should the body be V-shaped? Well, have built many kazoos - V-shaped and not. I have not
noticed any difference in sound. It is a purely personal preference if you ask me.
Why use bolt and wingnut for the resonator? Why not just glue it down or use screws? Well,
the resonator is really fragile - it can be pierced really easily. There is no way to change it once the
resonator cap is glued down. Screws would work, but as the walls of the body are really thin there is
a good chance that the screw hole becomes loose.
What is the resonator made out of? It is made out of wax paper. Tobacco paper works the best
for smaller kazoos. Baking paper is better for bigger ones. Trial and error!

1. Download the ScketchUp file

Wooden Kazoo: Page 3


http://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FL6/P53C/JFIIS4LJ/FL6P53CJFIIS4LJ.skp
…
Step 2: Cut
The first thing you need to do is to cut the material for
the body of the kazoo. It is really easy as it only
consists of four pieces - top/bottom and the sides.
There is really no right size for a kazoo (as you may
see in the end). It is more of a personal preference.
Of course, smaller instruments will make a higher
pitched noise and larger ones lower pitched noise.
But in the end, I think it does not matter much - kazoo
will always be a funny sounding instrument.
I have found that kazoo around 10-12 cm (5-6 inches)
long and 2-3 cm (1 inch) wide seems to be a good
size, plus it fits really well in your pocket .
The thickness of the top and bottom should be around
1
1. Sides
2. Resonator cap
Wooden Kazoo: Page 4
Download
3 mm and the sides should be 4-5 mm thick. This way
there is plenty of wood to sand off without making the
whole thing to brittle.
The resonator cap should be also around 3 mm - so
you can cut it together with the rest of the parts
(top/bottom).
Tip: Use pencils with an eraser as push sticks when
cutting small pieces! The eraser gives plenty of grip
and you will have good control over the workpiece.
When using crosscut sled attach a stop block to your
fence(in front of the blade). This way the cutoff won't
get jammed between the blade and the fence.
1
1. Pencils make a great push sticks when cutting smaller material.
 1
1. Stop block
2. Workpiece won´t get jammed between the blade and the fence.
Step 3: Drill
There should be a total of four holes in kazoo. Two at
each end, one for the resonator and one for holding
the resonator cap. For the first two, it is pretty
straightforward but the last two you have to drill.
The size of your kazoo dictates also the size of the
resonator hole. If you are making a kazoo that is 2.5
cm wide means that the hole can be around 16mm. I
have found that this instrument is the loudest when
the resonator hole is close to the mouth, meaning that
it should be near that end in which you plan to hum.
On the same line as the resonator hole, you must drill
a hole for the bolt. Hole size for the M5 bolt is 5 mm.
On my first kazoos, I drilled the hole exactly 5 mm
meaning the bolt was loose in there. It meant that it
was much harder to tighten down the wingnut as the
bolt kept spinning. The solution, of course, is to drill a
Wooden Kazoo: Page 5
smaller hole(4.5 mm) so that the bolt locks in there
tightly (or you can use superglue).
The bolt hole should be around 1.5 cm from the edge
of the resonator hole.
When you are already at drilling it is also a good idea
to drill holes in the resonator cap. Copy the hole
locations from the top part of the kazoo. When the
bolt hole for the body should be slightly smaller than
the bolt (so it could lock) then the hole in the
resonator cap should be bigger so that the cap could
spin easily in case you need to change out the
resonator. The resonator hole should be as big as the
hole in the body but I suggest you make it a few
millimetres smaller. This way it will hold the wax
paper better.
 1

1. Needs a tiny bit of sanding

Step 4: Glue

It is important to start by screwing it the bolt because great tip that helps prevent this sliding. You are
you can not do it later! supposed to put some salt on the glue surface before
clamping the workpieces together. Just be sure not to
Apply glue to one edge of the sides and spread it put too much salt in there or the glue won't work so
evenly with a finger. Place the sides on the top part of well.
the body making sure the sides are not covering the
resonator hole. Apply glue to the second edge of the Regular spring clamps work well. I used four of them
sides and place the bottom on there and clamp it to get an even pressure. My cat Nurris came to
down. The top and bottom should be cut slightly inspect whether I am following all the safety rules.
bigger to allow for any error for example when the She was not disappointed :)
pieces slide when clamping down. There is also a

1. Do not forget the screw!

Wooden Kazoo: Page 6

 1

1. My cat Nurris

Step 5: Sand

Of course, an essential part of any woodworking
project is sanding. Before gluing I decided to give the
top and the bottom a quick sand to remove the saw
marks. It is much easier to do before gluing as you
have to screw in the bolt. I made a quick little jig to
prevent blisters. It allows holding the thin workpiece
firmly as you are sanding it.
Disc sander works great for removing most of the
material such as the ends and the sides. Rest of the
work has to be done by hand. I started with 120 grit
and ended with 180 grit sandpaper. This gave a nice
and smooth finish. I also chamfered the edges slightly
to make holding it more comfortable.
Talking about the finish - easiest and prettiest is
probably oil. But if you feel like putting more effort in,
use lacquer or something similar - it is totally up to
you. I used linseed oil and it popped the grain really
nicely and gave my kazoos a beautiful look.

1. Workpiece goes here.

Wooden Kazoo: Page 7


Step 6: The Resonator Cap
The last thing to do is to cut out the resonator cap.
The size and the looks of it are up to you. I did one
freehand and copied others from it. To cut it out you
can use a variety of saws but I decided to use just my
disc sander. It worked really well as the material was
thin!
Wooden Kazoo: Page 8
1
1. Linseed oil
The resonator itself is cut out of some rolling paper.
Finally, I also made a little sack to protect my kazoo
from scratches. I just sewed a little "sock" from some
scrap material I had laying around. Nothing fancy but
it does the job.
Step 7: But Can You Go Bigger?

Well.....yes you can!
As I was making a few of them smaller kazoos I
thought to myself "how big could the worlds biggest
kazoo be?" A little research on the WWW showed
that no one except some dude who failed at
didgeridoo making had ever attempted to build a big
kazoo. I knew this was my big moment! No matter
how big of an instrument I would build it would still be
the biggest in the world!
I followed the simple steps of kazoo building except
on a much larger scale. Here is the result!
World´s biggest kazoo measures 53.5 cm in length 15
cm in width and 5 cm in thickness!
Maybe this is a beginning of a monstrous kazoo
building craze and someone will beat my record.
Wink Wink*

Wooden Kazoo: Page 9

Step 8: The End

That is it, folks! I hope I have inspired you to build your own kazoo! It is a fun little instrument that can entertain you
for hours. Just be sure not to lose your grip on reality or you might end up like the Kazoo kid!

[GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! The winner is AnitaV23]

So as I said before I would like to give away one of my handmade kazoos. To win one leave a comment
down below on which kazoo (1-6) you like the. On 20th of April I will choose a random winner to whom I will
ship the prize!

1. Angelique* - European oak

2. Angelique - Grey alder
3. European oak
4. Cherry - Grey alder
5. Grey alder - European oak (this specific one I do not have anymore butI still have European oak -
Grey alder)
6. Cherry (top) - Angelique - European oak (bottom)

*Angelique (Dicorynia guianensis) from French Guiana

I hope you liked this project!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Andu

PS: if you like my projects follow me on Instructables, Instagram or YouTube ;)

Wooden Kazoo: Page 10

i built my first one today (and drove my wife nuts. (my 2 year old loves it)) and im now after your
record is that 53in or cm, i just ask because all your dimentions are in cm or mm except the length
of your big one?

Really cool! Your Kazoo looks awesome!!

Yes, the length is 53.5 cm. It is funny that I applied for the record more than two weeks ago over at
the recordsetter.com and Guinness world records but I still have not heard anything about it. I
should write them a letter.
What did your hole placment experiment reveal?

Wooden Kazoo: Page 11

Also have you expermented with diafram dia, distance from mouth and choke in air way? if you hav
id love to know what you learned.
i used the table saw to dato out a chanal in a oak scrap drilled my diafram hole in that glued a
walnut scrap to the top (bottom), with a diafram holder made of aprocot scrap and pilot drilled i was
able to use small wood screws to hold a plastic bag diafram down.

thanks for the ible here's my fist ever wood wind instrument. it will sit proudly with my collection of
uke's.

WOW! Now this looks really awesome! I really like the rounded edges on the end!

I like number 1. Thecoors are beautiful together. Thank you for your ‘structable.

Congratulations, Google´s random number generator chose you to be the lucky new owner of one
of my homemade Kazoos. I will write you a personal message where we can discuss about the
delivery.

Thanks, no problem!

This is great. I'll definitely be giving this a shot. I'll have to say #4 is my favorite. I'd be honored to
hum a time through one of these.

Wish I could have that cat, but since that's not an option here I'll love to have #3 - European oak

While they are all good looking I think #4 is by far the best with its cherry and grey alder....Great
Wooden Kazoo: Page 12
job! Funny I am in a band and we were looking for a sound to fill this spot in a song, the next day in
an old box in the shed I found this old and a little rusty kazoo. I brought it to practice and everyone
wanted a go at it and you guessed it two of them tried to blow into it so I had a little laugh when I
read you comments.
ED

Love your idea. 4 is my favorite. Would staining it make it unplayable for health reasons? If not,
you could get some great colors! Thanks for reading

Thanks! I do not really think stains are a threat to health. Of course, there could be some out there,
but they are easily recognizable. Homemade stains like beetroot or curry would be totally OK.
The thing with staining is that it is hard to make a multicoloured workpiece, especially on such a
tiny scale. I much more prefer the natural look of the wood and thus try to find as many different
types of wood I can.
Good luck in the raffle!

These are so cool! Def going to try and make one. #5 is my favorite, I think. :-)

Well done, man! I'm gonna try that soon! Good for me to understand what you are writing here.
If I was a winner of your gift I would prefer number 1, 5 or 6 but they all look nice. I think the girls
that I would build this tiny, nice and easy to play instrument with will mostly like these combinations
of wood colours.
Thanks for sharing this with the rest of the world. I'll vote for it in the contest!

These look great! I like #1. I think this one that I will try and make

#1. you did a great job on this! I can tell how much work went into it! (I can somehow make a kazoo
noise with my mouth.)

Excellent job! I'll be making some together with my kids.

#1 Angelique* - European oak gets my vote.

Hi. Awesome idea- I'm an amateur woodworker myself, but my attempts at making various
instruments so far have been entirely unsuccessful. No. 1 is my favourite.

I really liked the way you edit the video! I would like to go for #6.

I vote for #3. Nice work!

Wooden Kazoo: Page 13

 :-) ;-) well that took me back to my child hood days I use to have a plastic one when I was around 8
years old I loved it but me Mom hated it and she was the one who bought it for me for Christmas
stocking filler :-) :-) :-)
I love number 6 but they all look really nice :-)
Thanks for reminding me of my old memories of my Kazo :-)
I loved the intro so much made me giggle so much the kitten jumped of me with a filthy look as she
had been fast asleep :-D :-D

Hi there, great work! I'm a kazoo player, but I never played a wooden one. It's sounds interesting.
Anyway, I'll give my vote for No. 3 the European oak.

oh wow I will never have the patience or equipment to make one of these. Good job making the
worlds biggest kazoo. I vote for #2

Enjoyed the video. Very cute beginning. Total thumbs up!!!!

:)

Craft Andu..
Love the Kazoos and your sense of Humor !! My vote goes to # 1..
I am looking forward to crafting mine with basically hand tools.. I do not have the drill press or
power sander..
Thanks for sharing..

Awesome, I would love to see how it turns out!

Good Job! I like the model Nr5 most, because of its look!

Cool project! What a great way to use up some small scraps. I like #1 best. This is the first
Instructable I've ever voted for. Thanks for posting it.

Great job. Very clear instructions. I'll have to make one to go along with my homemade uke.

I believe I like #1 the best because of the contrasting colors

Can't decide between #3 and #5 ... But as I have to choose I stay with #5 !

Wooden Kazoo: Page 14

 I like #2 and #5 the best.

I love them all but #4 is my favorite!

Awesome Project! I hope to make my own soon!

My favorites are #1 and #5, the contrasting wood colors look great!

Did you order it and inspect the thing or pay the shipping fee?

Can not really understand what you are asking here, but I presume you want to know if I am paying
for the shipping. The answer is yes (when the shipping costs are not too high). It is a small
package so it should not cost too much.

Sorry. I was asking about your intro text. The 9$ kazoo...did you order it or do it yourself right away.

Aaa, now I understand! I did not order it. DIY version cost me less than an euro.

I love Angelique so the No.1 is one of my favorite. Awesome work by the way and nice song in the
video :)

Thanks :)

I love your project. They are all beautiful and bring back memories of my childhood when i would
beg my mother to allow me to use her comb and have another piece of waxed paper so i could
make a new kazoo once my old waxed paper softened too much from over-use. I would just wrap
the waxed paper around the teeth of the comb and hum away, and what tickled me were my lips
from humming on it. Now that was a very basic kazoo but those were much simpler times. lol
My favorite i would say is #3 but i have to admit it was really difficult to pick any one out as they are
all so nice. I will definitely try to make one of these for my great granddaughters.
Thanks so much!

Wow, I did not know you could make a Kazoo like that!

the plastic "glass" window on a box or pasta is very nice for kazoo's as a kid that is what we used.
You could buy a kazoo for about 5 cents, and that was before they were made in china. If the
vibrator died that was the material of choice!
ciao

Wooden Kazoo: Page 15

 Great tip!

Very interesting, I'll make one just because you're wearing the shirt with the flag of my country.

Hahah, good reason! :)

Eu também!

KKKK! Nós quase não temos coragem de usar.

Wooden Kazoo: Page 16