We struggled for quite a while trying to figure out how users could create sections that had tone holes without having to worry about drilling into a round surface. Drilling into curved surfaces is not a trivial endeavor and requires a more advanced level of skill with tools than we wanted to assume.  While this might seem like a small feature, it has a big impact on creating instruments that can play multiple pitches.

Fortunately, vinyl hose is ridged enough to be used in a fashion similar to the middle section of a recorder – complete with fingering holes.

Finger holes can be cut using a leather punch tool, a rubber mallet, and a square dowl that will fit into the vinyl hose.

1) Insert the square dowel into the hose to act as a sacrificial surface that prevents the punch from cutting two holes across the circumference of the hose.

2) Hammer a hole into the hose using the leather punch tool and a rubber mallet.