Double reed of double reeds for the oboe family of instruments is similar in principle: like the bassoon's reeds, they consist of two pieces of "Arundo donax" cane fastened together with an opening at the tip. However, because the oboe does not have a bocal, the cane must be fastened to a metal tube (the staple), the lower half of which is normally surrounded by a piece of cork. The staple is then inserted into the farrow at the upper end of the oboe. There are many different methods of making reeds and many variations of design have been developed. Players can
Reed (mouthpiece) After the cane is split, the pieces will be gouged in a gouging machine to remove many cane layers to drastically decrease the thickness. This eases the process of scraping for the reed-maker and helps to maintain sharper knives. Reed makers not only masterfully learn to make reeds, but also learn how to sharpen knives with great mastery. Finally, the gouged pieces of cane soaked and "shaped" on a shaper with razor blades and allowed to dry before the final steps. The shaped piece of cane is then re-soaked and tied onto a "staple" for oboe reeds and formed on