How to Build a Steam Whistle

Make your own wooden steam whistle.

A train's steam whistle is operated by a small lever that is pulled by the engineer, releasing steam into the whistle chamber. The shrillness or tone of a steam whistle is determined by the whistle's size and how much steam the engineer chooses to run through it. While creating a metal steam whistle requires soldering tools and experience, you can make your own whistle out of pine.

Things You'll Need

• 2-by-2-inch pine lumber
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Safety glasses
• Band saw
• 3/8-inch dowel
• Drill press and 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch bits
• Wood glue
• Sandpaper

Instructions

1. Measure and cut one 2-inch piece and one 8-inch piece of the pine lumber, using the band saw.

2. Stand the 8-inch piece of pine lumber up so you are looking at the square wood end. Use your ruler to measure 3/8 of an inch in from the edge. Mark with your pencil. Do the same for each side of the square wood end until you have created a 3/8-inch border on the end of the lumber.

3. Draw a diagonal line connecting the opposite corners on the square wood end, to create an X. Place your ruler from the corner of the 3/8-inch border inward along the diagonal line. Measure 5/16 of an inch inward and make a mark. Do the same for each corner.

4. Number each of the marks you made in step 3. This will help with organization later.

5. Align the piece of pine under a drill press, so that the mark numbered 1 is underneath the bit. Use the press to drill a hole that is 7 1/4 inches deep. Drill the number 2 mark 4 1/4 inches deep, the number 3 hole 6 1/4 inches deep, and the number 4 mark 4 3/4 inches deep.

6. Create the V cuts of the whistle. Placing the 8-inch pine on its end with the holes upright, measure down 3/4 of an inch on one corners and make a pencil a mark. Do the same for the other three corners. Next, beginning at a corner, make a mark at 7/8 inches and 1 1/8 inches.

7. Connect the marks to create a V shape along each corner.

8. Cut off the V shapes using a band saw.

9. Measure and cut four pieces of the dowel so they are 1/2 an inch long. Sand away about 1/3 of the body of the dowel on one side, so that one side is flat and the other is round. Here you are essentially creating a wooden reed to give the whistle its sound.

10. Place the 8-inch piece of pine on its end with the drill holes pointed upward. Apply a drop of wood glue onto the round side of the 1/2-inch long dowel. Place it into the hole so that the flat side is facing the V cut, roughly 1/4 of an inch higher than the body of wood. Do the same with the other three holes and let the glue dry completely.

11. Drill a hole in the center of the 2-by-2-inch piece of pine lumber. The hole should be 1/2 an inch wide and 1/4 inch deep.

12. Place wood glue on the round corners of the dowels sticking out of the 8-inch piece of pine. Place the 2-by-2-inch piece of pine onto the 8-inch piece, so that the dowels are within the 1/2-by-1/4-inch hole. The square top should be parallel with the bottom of the whistle. Let the glue dry thoroughly before continuing on.

13. Measure 1 3/4 inches from the top of the 2-inch square and cut it off with the band saw. Sand the corners of the remaining wood to create a comfortable mouthpiece.

References

• BinkysWoodworking.com: Make Your Own Train Whistle
• The Woodcrafter Page: Steam Train Whistle

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish