Making a wooden whistle

[TheKayakingCarver]

I am planning on making a wooden whistle, with the body made of Mahogany, the inner shaft out of Purple Heart, and thinking of micro carving a maple leaf out of maple, and attaching to the end or the purple heart shaft. The question is what are the technical details on making a whistle, It seems simple, but I tried a test piece today, and it did not work. Idea?

[Tom Ellis]

Go to youtube, and type in how to make a wooden whistle.

Tom

[TheKayakingCarver]

Is the the Tom that makes the Knife Massager? If so how much is it?

[Buffalo Bif]

hmmm, the page I used is no longer available. I can tell you the position of the fipple (inner shaft, flat on one side) is critical- I make them long and slide in and out to find the proper depth. Word of warning- purpleheart is toxic, I have heard of woodworker going to the hosp for sanding without enough protection, can cause both respiratory and skin reactions. You might want to rethink that piece. I'll only use basswood, birch and maple for my whistles, and food safe finishes.

[Buffalo Bif]

hey, found the link I used:

http://lackwood.com/wp-content/pdf/basic_whistle.pdf

[TheKayakingCarver]

I heard it was only the dust from purple heart that is toxic. Does anyone know of a website that has woods that are toxic dust, and other wise?

[pallin]

This is a link, supplied by Claude, to a list of Potentially Toxic Woods:

Toxic Woods List

[pallin]

When I was a lad, my uncle showed me how to whittle a whistle from a willow branch. It works best in the spring when the sap is running. Find a branch about 3/4" to 1" in diameter and cut a piece about 6" to 8" long. Cut through the bark about 3" from one end. Tap the bark with your knife handle until you can slide the bark off the stick intact. Now carve a circular chamber near the place where you cut the bark and shave the wood from the top side of the bare wood from the chamber to the end (forming the air slot). Slide the bark back on the branch and cut a small hole in the bark at the edge of the circular chamber (where the air slot enters the chamber). Try blowing the whistle. Adjust the air slot, etc. as necessary. When it makes a decent tone, taper the mouthpiece for comfort.

[Grayhorn]

Palin, Now that brings back memories.................. They worked great too.

[Dagwood]

they worked great till u sat on it in your back pocket and broke it. this made me think of my 1st pocket knife my grandfather gave me and showed me how to make one out of a popular branch