How to Make a Jumbo Train Whistle

Train whistles emulate the sound of a train's warning blasts

A wooden train whistle is a children's toy that is the perfect accompaniment to a toy train set. The child can blow the whistle when she is moving the train, creating the sound of the train's warning. The train whistle is a simple wood craft for those with access to a wood shop with a drill press, and it can be completed in less than an hour and for the low cost of a single wood dowel and wood block.

Things You'll Need

• Wood block, 8 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches
• Drill press
• 7/8-inch-diameter drill bit, at least 8 inches long
• Ruler
• Jigsaw
• 7/8-inch-diameter wood dowel, 2 inches long
• Wood file
• Wood glue

Instructions

1. Secure the wood block vertically in the drill press, and drill an 8-inch-long hole down the center of the wood block. This will be the channel that air is blown down to resonate inside the whistle.

2. Mark three dots on one face of the wood block. The first mark is 2 inches from the drilled end of the block, along one of the edges of the wood face. The second mark is 3 inches from the drilled end on the same face. The final mark is 2 inches from the drilled end and 1 inch from the edge that the previous marks are on, making it 1 inch below the first mark on the face.

3. Connect the third mark to the first mark with one line and the second mark with another. In conjunction with the edge that the first two marks are on, the two lines should form a triangle with two 1-inch sides.

4. Cut along the two lines from Step 3 with the jigsaw. This will cut a small wedge of wood out of the whistle, exposing a portion of the drilled hole.

5. File down one side of the wood dowel along the full 2-inch length, removing approximately 1 mm of diameter. When looking down the dowel, you will now see a circle with the top portion cut off.

6. Insert the wood dowel into the hole in the block, with the flat side of the dowel facing the removed wedge of the block. Approximately 1/2 inch of dowel should be exposed outside the opening of the block.

7. Test the sound of the whistle by blowing into the end where the dowel is extending from the drilled opening. Listen for the whistling sound escaping from the wedge. Adjust the depth at which the dowel is inserted to adjust the pitch of the whistle.

8. Mark the dowel lightly with a pencil to note the length you wish to insert it, then remove the dowel and apply wood glue around the portion that will be inside the whistle. Do not apply glue to the flat edge of the dowel; only apply it to portions that will be in direct contact with the block. Reinsert the dowel up to the pencil line, and allow it to dry.

References

• Binky's Woodworking: Wooden Train Whistle