How to Make a Whistle Out of a Stick
Carving a whistle is easier than you might think and quite fun. You can make a whistle to use as a signal, to play music, or just to show off to your friends how impressive your carving skills.
Whistles can be made from just about any type of wood found outdoors, although willow seems to be a great choice and is easy to carve. Young rowan trees are also known to be great for carving whistles. Nevertheless, just about anything you find can be used to carve a whistle.
Here is everything you will need:
- Pocketknife or carving knife
- Small piece of wood, 3-5 inches, straight and generally the width of your small finger
Now that you have the necessities, here are the steps for carving your very own wooden whistle:
1. Create the Mouthpiece
At one end of the branch of wood, cut a 45° degree angle piece off of the whistle. After doing so, cut a straight edge to clean up the end of the mouthpiece. This will serve as the mouthpiece of your whistle.
Next, at the top of the whistle, and just a bit ahead of the bevel you have just made, cut a notch in the wood at a 90° degree and then cut diagonally up, angling off the top. This notch will serve as the airflow for the whistle.
2. Removing the Bark
Next, cut an incision completely around the bark at the length you desire the whistle to be, but not through the wood. Now, you will have to remove the bark from the wood to make the necessary passages for airflow.
Begin by using the handle of your knife and tap it against the bark all the way around the whistle. This will help loosen the bark from the wood so you can remove it. After this is done, carefully the twist the bark from the wood.
Be cautious to not snap the wood or else your work will be for naught. Keep at it until the bark has fully slid off the wood.
3. Making the Air Passage
After the bark has been removed from the wood, cut off the beveled portion of the wood down the same point where you made the 90° cut for the air notch.
Now, cut a small sliver off the top of the small piece of wood you just cut off.
This will allow the air to go from the mouthpiece into the whistle. This small piece of wood should now be inserted into the mouthpiece of bark you made earlier.
4. Alternative to step 3
This step is a bit easier to follow and to carve. Instead of cutting off the beveled part of the wood, you can simply take off the bark and deepen the air notch you made earlier.
Deepening the air notch will produce a deeper sound to the whistle. The air notch should look like a longer and deeper version of the small one you cut into the bark earlier.
After you have finished the air notch, cut a small sliver off the top front of the mouthpiece on the wood to make an air opening.
5. Finishing the Whistle
Finally, place the bark back onto the wood. If you followed through with the first option of step 3, you can slide the whistle up and down the bark to produce differences in sound and tones.
If you followed the alternative step, then your whistle will have only one sound, but the process is a bit easier to carve.
There you have it, your very own whistle made from scratch wood!
You can make several of these whistles, along with different widths and lengths. Experiment to find out what type of whistles create certain sounds and impress your friends with your personally carved masterpieces.
About The Author
My name is Nathan and I have been wood carving for a little over 8 years. I own and operate a wood carving website that provides useful and valuable information to those looking to learn the craft or find a solution to their problems. To see all-inclusive introduction guides to wood carving visit the site for more information.
How to Make a Whistle Out of a Stick
Source: https://www.inspiredcamping.com/carve-whistle-found-wood-outdoors-camping-campsite/