Reclaimed Ponderosa Pine Flute — Key of D, 440 Hz

A flute with a history in the wood—and a little secret that only appears under blacklight.

This flute was made from reclaimed Ponderosa Pine, with the old nail holes in the wood filled with Turquoise inlay. I love the character that reclaimed wood brings to an instrument. The marks, changes in color, and evidence of its previous life all become part of the flute's story.

For the mouthpiece and footcap, I used Black Walnut, with a Black Locust and Black Walnut block accented with Turquoise.

The Black Locust has a special connection to me. Before I became a flute maker, I was an ISA Certified Arborist and high climber, and this is wood from a Black Locust tree that I personally pruned years ago. I love that a piece of a tree I once worked with as an arborist has found its way into one of my flutes.

Black Locust is also a fascinating wood in its own right. Under ultraviolet light, it fluoresces a bright yellow-green under a blacklight. So this little piece of wood has a story in ordinary light—and a completely different personality when the lights go out.

Tuned to D at 440 Hz, this flute uses standard concert pitch, making it a natural choice for playing alongside other instruments such as piano, guitar, or other instruments tuned to A=440.

There's something especially meaningful to me about working with wood this way. A tree, a piece of reclaimed lumber, and a piece of wood from my own past as an arborist have all come together in one musical instrument.

This flute carries a little piece of that journey with it.

Key: D
Tuning: 440 Hz — standard concert pitch
Body: Reclaimed Ponderosa Pine
Mouthpiece & Footcap: Black Walnut
Block: Black Locust & Black Walnut
Inlay: Turquoise