Creating a wooden endpin

[TorturedSaints]

I played at a Concert Band concert recently alongside a DB player from abroad. She had forgotten her end pin stopper, so she put the end pin into one of her shoes (low heels) and played barefoot! 

[Rick McLaughlin]

Huge fan of this approach.  I have a few of them, at various heights.  In my case, I had the top of the pin tapered so that a bit of friction holds it in place.  This was a great idea except:

 - sometimes the taper is too thin so the pin wobbles.  I fixed that with a bit of painter's tape.

 - the length of the pin is more variable, so actual height is trial and error

 

Also, I use a rubber cane tip on the bottom, but those wear out and they also harden over time, making it more difficult to play on waxed and clean surfaces (waxed wooden floors, marble, etc.)

[Burns-bass]

6 hours ago, Rick McLaughlin said:

Huge fan of this approach.  I have a few of them, at various heights.  In my case, I had the top of the pin tapered so that a bit of friction holds it in place.  This was a great idea except:

 - sometimes the taper is too thin so the pin wobbles.  I fixed that with a bit of painter's tape.

 - the length of the pin is more variable, so actual height is trial and error

 

Also, I use a rubber cane tip on the bottom, but those wear out and they also harden over time, making it more difficult to play on waxed and clean surfaces (waxed wooden floors, marble, etc.)

Good advice.

 

I’ve done 8 gigs with mine so far and I really like it.

 

Im going to build a few more in slightly different lengths.

[Duckyincarnate]

Doesn't the felt washer defy the purpose of the wooden endpin, transmitting vibrations?

[Burns-bass]

On 24/01/2025 at 17:16, Duckyincarnate said:

Doesn't the felt washer defy the purpose of the wooden endpin, transmitting vibrations?

Makes no impact at all.

[Jozef34]

On 16/11/2024 at 11:24, Burns-bass said:

I recently became interested in picking up a wooden end pin. I bought the one here for £25 but it doesn’t fit (10mm spike!).

 

So I’ve decided to build one. In fact, I’m going to build two.

 

I’ve got the wood and fitted the stoppers. Need to measure the ideal length and cut the wood then stick the spike in (Gorilla Glue!).

 

One will be for barefoot practice at home and the other (slightly longer) will be for gigs where I wear shoes.

 

Total costs so far is £7.

 

Will let you know how it goes!

 

 

Customizing the end pins for both barefoot practice and gigs is a smart idea. Using Gorilla Glue should give you a solid hold for the spike, just make sure everything is aligned properly before it sets.