Whistle while you work

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holmqer

Local Chapter Leader
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Location
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This past weekend, my local AAW chapter was set up at the Woodworking show at the Eastern States Exposition in Massechusetts.

I got to playing with an 1860s vintage tredle lathe, and made these two whistles. One of them has my first attempt at a captured ring.

The lathe has about a 2" or 3" swing and has a dead center tailstock. One must lube the wood with beeswax to prevent binding between the wood and the dead center. For those unfamiliar with this sort of lathe, it is powered by pressing your foot on a pedal that drives a crank shaft. I would guess I would be lucky if I generate 0.1 HP and got RPM above 100.
 

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Eric,

Very cool! Must have had a blast working with that lathe.

If that is your first attempt at a captured ring - you did a much better job than I did on my Jet.

Thanks for sharing.

Florida Don
 
Eric,
Pretty cool, is there a reed or anything in the whistle, or just a hole with the cross notch??
Give us your dimensions, length, hole size, etc...

I haven't tried a capture ring yet, that's a great addition.
 
Good work. I know with my high degree of coordination and rhythm I could either pump the lathe, or work the chisel. I'd probably get confused trying to do both.

Steve W
 
Eric,
Pretty cool, is there a reed or anything in the whistle, or just a hole with the cross notch??
Give us your dimensions, length, hole size, etc...

I haven't tried a capture ring yet, that's a great addition.

You start with a 3/4" blank and cut half way through it at a 30 degree angle. Drill a 3/8" hole a little past the cut, then take a 3/8" dowel and sand it down at an angle on a belt sander so that it ramps up. Put the dowel into the hole such that the ramp constricts the airflow as it goes into the whistle.
 
You start with a 3/4" blank and cut half way through it at a 30 degree angle. Drill a 3/8" hole a little past the cut, then take a 3/8" dowel and sand it down at an angle on a belt sander so that it ramps up. Put the dowel into the hole such that the ramp constricts the airflow as it goes into the whistle.

Thanks, I think I understand the process... soon as it warms up a little I'll try this.. it was 10 degrees this morning when we got up and being a southern boy by birth, I don't handle cold weather well at all.
 
that's way cool, Eric. I'm going to have to try my hand at something like that!

If anyone else is making them would you mind showing a picture of the dowel before you insert it?

thanks!

-Rick
 
that's way cool, Eric. I'm going to have to try my hand at something like that!

If anyone else is making them would you mind showing a picture of the dowel before you insert it?

thanks!

-Rick

I made up a SketchUp drawing of the two parts.

The 3/8" dowel is 3/4" long, and the ramp slices off around 1/8" at the end you blow to 1/16" at the other end. The dowel ends up flush with the cut through the body. The hole through the body is 1 3/4" deep.
 

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Thanks, Eric! As usual a picture is worth several hundred words ;)

-Rick (who wonders if morado, purpleheard, and bloodwood would be "safe" for whistles he'd be giving to a 4 year old)
 
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