different woods in whistles

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:13 am

I was looking through a cane catalog and I saw some canes which were made out of six or seven different kinds of wood, which were kind of stacked together on each other. Does anybody know if it's possible to make whistles like that? I've never seen any, and I'd guess it's because of the way whistles expand whereas canes (usually) don't?

The way the canes looked were almost like they were striped, one kind of wood after another. They were really expensive, too.

jemtheflute · Post by **jemtheflute** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:54 am

I've never heard of anyone making flutes or whistles out of laminated /plied timber. There wouldn't be much point. No advantage I can think of (don't need the extra structural resilience plying gives) and quite possibly severe disadvantages in drilling and reaming, and possibly on how moisture might affect the bore after manufacture (end grain exposed in the bore in alternate plies). It would also be an unnecessary expense if the plywood was made from exotic woods (unlikely). Most laminated timber is made from very thin slices of not especially good quality wood laid with the grain running at right-angles in alternate layers, thus getting greater strength from poor wood, and if appropriate glues and heat and compression are used, relatively soft woods can be laminated to do some of the jobs that would otherwise need tropical hardwoods - in some cases better than the "real" thing because laminates are less likely to warp or split. One can see the advantage in a walking stick. But not a flute/whistle.

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:54 pm

jemtheflute wrote:I've never heard of anyone making flutes or whistles out of laminated /plied timber.

Aren't Sweetheart whistles made from Dymondwood laminate?
I think Paul Busman is starting use some laminated birch, as well.

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=53826

OBrien · Post by **OBrien** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:57 pm

Dymondwood is laminated hardwood, impregnated with acrylic resin that at least one maker, Sweetheart, has used for whistles. There are other brand names for similar products. Some types of Dymondwood are made from alternate layers of different woods. The acrylic would probably prevent warping and splitting. I haven't tried it, but I imagine it would be more like working with plastic than wood. I understand that it is quite brittle, but it takes a nice polish.

Here is a webpage that shows it:
http://www.rrpwhite.com/color%20chart.htm

Steamwalker · Post by **Steamwalker** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 5:03 pm

Sweetheart has been using them for some time, along with Paul Busman as mentioned above:

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?p=518342

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:34 pm

Steamwalker wrote:Sweetheart has been using them for some time, along with Paul Busman as mentioned above:

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?p=518342

Those are beautiful, but not exactly what I saw in the catalog today. I wish I could find a picture online but I don't remember the exact terminology...

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:03 pm

Cranberry wrote:
Steamwalker wrote:Sweetheart has been using them for some time, along with Paul Busman as mentioned above:

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?p=518342
Those are beautiful, but not exactly what I saw in the catalog today. I wish I could find a picture online but I don't remember the exact terminology...

Anything like this?

http://rrpwhite.com/color%20chart.htm

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 5:16 am

anniemcu wrote: http://rrpwhite.com/color%20chart.htm

That's where I get my Dymondwood. Amazing range of colors, isn't it?

Cran, I think I know the type of thing you're talking about: we have a rolling pin made like that.
I've toyed with trying to make laminated whistles with that sort of wood. Couple of problems have prevented me:
1- in a tube as thin walled as a whistle, there would be VERY little glue surface, and I worry about delamination.
2-in a tube as small a diameter as a whistle, you couldn't display very many different colors.

If someone supplied me with the laminated wood, I'd be happy to give it a try, but I'd be a bit leery of it.

Herb · Post by **Herb** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 7:29 am

If I recall correctly, the Sweets have abandoned the use of Dymondwood (the specific product) because there were some issues with product consistency and stability. They are now using a different laminated wood product, but still credit laminated woods with the sound of wood and the zero maintenance of plastic. Please correct me if I have this wrong.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:32 am

anniemcu wrote:
Cranberry wrote:
Steamwalker wrote:Sweetheart has been using them for some time, along with Paul Busman as mentioned above:

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?p=518342
Those are beautiful, but not exactly what I saw in the catalog today. I wish I could find a picture online but I don't remember the exact terminology...
Anything like this?

http://rrpwhite.com/color%20chart.htm

Yes. Sort of like this one:

but more "flatly stacked" if that makes sense.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 4:48 pm

I've used mainly this diagonal cut that Cranberry posted on the assumption that the laminations have more surface area for adhesion.
The Sweets did indeed abandon Dymondwood brand laminate in favor of Permali due to cracking. FWIW-- I haven't made a whole lot of Dymondwood whistles, but the 8 or so that I did make came out fine with no cracking.
Walt sent me a piece of Permali to play with and that whistle is coming along very nicely, also with no cracking. There is no color choice with Permali: it's a sort of medium brown woody looking material.