Make a Bamboo Wind Chime

To begin this project, we'll need to cut two circle-shaped pieces of hardwood. The best method we've found for cutting these circular shapes is to use a circle cutting jig for your band saw, which we showed you how to build in a previous woodworking project. If you are preparing to build these chimes and haven't built a circle cutting jig yet, don't worry; it's a quick, simple project.

Cut a piece of hardwood to 11-1/2" x 11-1/2". With a straight edge, draw a line from one corner to the opposite corner, then draw another straight line between the other two corners. The intersection point should be dead center on the piece.

Set up your jig and place one 4d finish nail as a pin at 5-3/4" on the center line from the band saw blade. Then, using the same drill bit you used to to place the pin in the jig, drill a very small through-hole to accommodate the pin in the center of the piece of hardwood.

Align the hole in the hardwood on the pin and tap the wood onto the pin until the piece is flat on the jig's table. Then, start up the band saw and carefully cut out the circular shape, rotating the hardwood around the center point. As you can see in the picture above, this is a task that C.J. was easily able to handle (with some close supervision).

Cut another circular shape with a 5-1/2" diameter from the remaining hardwood.

With the remaining hardwood scrap, cut a trapezoid (or similar shape) for a wind catcher. A piece about 4" tall, measuring 4" across at the top and 6" across at the bottom would be ideal. Drill a small hole about 1/2" down from the top-center of the wind catcher.