my first whistlemaking effort

chas · Post by **chas** » Sun May 14, 2006 11:49 am

I've always been fascinated by wood and musical instruments. I built and sold several lap dulcimers when I was in school, have built several other instruments. So about a month ago I got myself a JET 9x20 lathe with the eventual goal of making wooden flutes. I figured I should learn to walk before I run, so I'm starting with whistles. I finished my first yesterday. Here's a pic:

and a sound clip:

http://home.comcast.net/~partello1/opus1.mp3

(Does anyone know the name of this tune?) The design is loosely based on the Abell/Schultz/Busman design. The body is made from a cedar tree I cut down in my yard a few years ago. There's some sap wood on the bottom side. The rings are some Thai boxwood I got from a flutemaker. It's no good for instrument bodies, but turns nicely. The whistle is far from perfect, but considering I had never turned a piece of wood till a month ago, I'm pretty pleased with it. I tell ya, I've found ways to make wood explode that I'd never thought possible.

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Sun May 14, 2006 12:01 pm

Beautiful to look at, Charlie!

The link doesn't seem to be funcitioning for me, but I'm anxious to hear it. I'm sure you've learned a lot, and are already thinking about what you'll do the next time around.

Good luck!

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sun May 14, 2006 12:02 pm

I love the design. Sort of what a Susato would look like if made from wood.

chas · Post by **chas** » Sun May 14, 2006 12:05 pm

Link should be fixed now. Damned case-sensitive html.

CRC · Post by **CRC** » Sun May 14, 2006 12:08 pm

Very nice!

Chiffed · Post by **Chiffed** » Sun May 14, 2006 12:08 pm

Well done!

Have you tried turning Dymondwood yet? It's nice and predictable. Cedar can be a real bear to turn, and you've done admirably. The boxwood's nice, too.

raindog1970 · Post by **raindog1970** » Sun May 14, 2006 12:23 pm

Outstanding for a first effort... my first whistles wouldn't even play!

Just curious - how did you bore the tube with only a 20" lathe bed?
Mine is a 17", and I've been sticking to prefab tubing because of the length limitations.
I have to remove the tailstock to turn down the mouthpiece end of anything longer than a low G tube, but I'd like to make some acetal tubes and maybe try wood too.
I should be able to gun drill up to maybe a soprano C tube with a traditional tuning joint, but 1-piece tubes would be out of the question with such a short lathe bed.
I've heard mention of removing the tailstock and hand feeding a gun drill, but that sounds like a very good way to injure yourself!

Frederik Meesters · Post by **Frederik Meesters** » Sun May 14, 2006 2:05 pm

wow! How nice! And you never turned wood untill a month ago?!

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Sun May 14, 2006 2:56 pm

is that 2 whistles or the front and back of 1 whistle? looked very pretty and sounded nice too.

chas · Post by **chas** » Sun May 14, 2006 4:32 pm

Chiffed wrote: Have you tried turning Dymondwood yet? It's nice and predictable. Cedar can be a real bear to turn, and you've done admirably. The boxwood's nice, too.

I haven't tried dymondwood. I knew cedar would be a bear, but it was free. I've gotten a bunch of padouk, zebrawood, purpleheart, cocobolo, Honduran rosewood, and English boxwood. I'll start on the cheap and move on to the good stuff once I start getting predictable results.

raindog1970 wrote: Just curious - how did you bore the tube with only a 20" lathe bed?

This is a two-piece whistle, so no problem. I can drill longer tubes if they're thin enough by putting the shaft through the hole in the headstock, which is, I think, about 20-21 mm.

mutepointe wrote:is that 2 whistles or the front and back of 1 whistle? looked very pretty and sounded nice too.

It's the front and back on one whistle.

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Sun May 14, 2006 4:40 pm

Wonderful, Charlie!

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Mon May 15, 2006 5:19 am

Sheesh, here comes the competition...

Seriously Chas, that's a terrific looking whistle. FWIW,even with the help of the legendary Glenn Schultz it took me over a year from the day I got my lathe to the day my first whistle played it's first notes. You are doing fabulously well.

Heckuva lot of fun isn't it?

You may want to consider a stronger material than Boxwood for your fittings-- various polymers would work well. If I end up with some Delrin too short for a whistle head, I'll send you a chunk. It machines well and is tough as all getout.

Keep up the good work.

BTW-- Gary, I turn my tubes on a 6x18 lathe, so it CAN be done. The C and D+ tubes are a stretch though: I have to slide the tailstock and gundrill off the bed, mount the wood in the steadyrest, then feed the gundrill into the starter hole and remount the tailstock.. It JUST makes it.

chas · Post by **chas** » Mon May 15, 2006 7:02 am

brewerpaul wrote:You may want to consider a stronger material than Boxwood for your fittings-- various polymers would work well. If I end up with some Delrin too short for a whistle head, I'll send you a chunk. It machines well and is tough as all getout.

I'm just getting my feet wet with the boxwood fittings. I really wasn't expecting something playable at this point

, so was just using the boxwood to learn about making parts that fit together. I'm looking through the McMaster catalog for brass/bronze/stainless tubing of the appropriate diameters for fittings.* I'll probably also do some Grinter/Bleazey/Swayne style whistles with all-wood mouthpieces.

I'd certainly be interested in trying some Delrin.

*Any suggestions for other sources than McMaster-Carr and Small Parts? I'll also be interested in telescoping sterling tube for flutes. I haven't had any luck finding that.

shadoe42 · Post by **shadoe42** » Mon May 15, 2006 7:25 am

that has a nice sound to it.

Tommy · Post by **Tommy** » Mon May 15, 2006 7:37 am

Very nice whistle Chas. PM/email your address to me and I will send you a piece of 3/4''od X 6''lg white delrin.