Digital making project
#3DSmallpipes
Downloadable files · print and assemble
Detailed model · 82 MB compressed. Loads only when you choose. Workshop photographs remain available below.
3D assembly illustration. The complete instrument includes materials and parts you must source separately.
A bellows-blown set of Scottish smallpipes in D, with a chanter and three drones. Print the rigid parts, make the bag and bellows, then assemble and set up the instrument.
The original Lindstruments design has historical-style drone & chanter bores and chanter scale layout. This is a digital kit for making an instrument. Print the rigid parts and reed bodies, then source the leather, plywood, hose, chanter reed, tongue material and hardware described in the guide.
What the download contains ↓£40.00 · digital download
Files delivered digitally after purchase. No physical parts are supplied.
Guide and reed options
Read the complete making guide ↗ · Explore the adjustable drone reeds ↗
What the download contains
The download contains:
87 STL files
48 core components, three optional plain drone receivers, nine OR2-C2 reed-body options and 27 flat tongue blanks. Choose matching options for your set.
Patterns and tongue templates
Four main DXF patterns for leather and plywood, plus nine tongue outlines supplied in both DXF and SVG.
50-page making and setup guide
Illustrated construction, fitting, reed making, setup and learning resources for the matching parts.
File index and checksums
START HERE instructions, a parts inventory and checksums to identify the matching files.
What you will need as well
Arrange printing and laser cutting, plus the materials and hand tools described in the guide.
- Printing material: PLA was used for the original parts. Other materials can work if the prints are airtight and the joints fit properly.
- Leather for the bag, bellows, valves and straps; 6 mm plywood for the bellows cheeks.
- One chanter reed; tongue material or PLA for the included drone-reed blanks; three M5 × 0.8 × 6 mm flat-point stainless screws (2.5 mm Allen key), six 7.5 × 1 mm NBR 70 Shore A O-rings, seating wrap, hose and joint hemp.
- Artificial sinew, thongs, belt and hardware, epoxy, leather-seam cement and assembly tools.
From files to an assembled set
Print and prepare
Import STLs in millimetres. Check the first parts for clear bores, airtightness and fit before printing the full batch.
Make the air supply
Have the leather and plywood pieces laser-cut from the full-size patterns. Stitch the bag and bellows, fit valves and hose, and test for leaks.
Assemble and set up
Fit and hemp the joints, make and voice your drone reeds using the included platform, then check tuning and playing setup.
Making #3DSmallpipes
Historical workshop photographs from Donald’s construction album. They show materials and earlier assemblies, rather than a supplied physical kit.
Before you start
Is this a finished instrument?
This is a download of files and instructions. You arrange printing, materials, making, assembly, reeds and setup.
Is everything in the 3D viewer printable?
The download has 48 core printed parts, three alternative plain receivers and 36 reed-body/tongue options. Plain receivers replace standard chambers and omit their lower ferrules. Screws, rubber rings, wrap, a chanter reed and other physical materials are supplied separately.
Can I choose any colour?
The viewer allows any RGB colour, including unconventional combinations. It is an illustration, rather than a promise that a particular filament or material is available in that colour. Parts named “wood” or “ivory” retain legacy component names; they do not require those materials.
What making work is involved?
The guide covers printing, fitting, leatherwork, saddle stitching, air testing and reed setup. The stainless M5 screw can form its thread gently in PLA; a separate tap is optional; tongues can be cut or printed and voiced by careful sanding. No powered finishing is recommended.
Does the file check guarantee a playable print?
Digital checks cover saved geometry and nominal interfaces. Fine mount edges, glued sockets, material, layer bonding and actual fit need representative printed trials. Physical strength, sealing and tuning are not established by digital checks.
CC BY-SA 4.0 design files
Copy, adapt and share the covered design files, including commercially, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retain attribution and licence information, identify changes and apply the required ShareAlike terms to adaptations. Original guide prose and construction photographs have separate use permissions; the full notices accompany the download.
OR2-C2 · Matching illustrated making guide, file inventory and notices included.