Christmas Gifts

I really like all those. Nothing like gettin something useful for Christmas ! How did you make those whistles though? My kids would love them ?

-- Jimi _ Measure twice, cut once.......@#%#$@!!!......measure twice, cut....

the best projects are made from scrap.
its so good knowing that you dont have to buy any more lumber

same about the whistles

-- BRODY. NSW AUSTRALIA -arguments with turnings are rarely productive-

Great Gift Ideas!!

I really want to learn to make spoons.

Cool colors. Great looking cutting boards and utensils.

Regards, JM

-- Jarrod, Taos, NM http://jzmurphree.wordpress.com/

Lovely array of gifts Joe. Yes, tell us about whistles!

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems

Very nice projects …for some reason I always forget about making those tongs..Thanks for the reminder : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

found this link for makin the whistles if yall want to have a look….. http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/fun/whistle.htm

But I would still like to hear your take on them too Joe. Would really like to know about ALL of them. except the cutting boards, Ive got that I think ! :)

-- Jimi _ Measure twice, cut once.......@#%#$@!!!......measure twice, cut....

Thanks guys. Yeah, the whistles are great. The link that DaddyT found is pretty much it. I milled a piece of cherry to 7/8” x 7/8” (this could be any size that is comfortable), and cut it to 4” lengths. I drilled out the center with a 5/16” bit because this is the largest size of dowel I had on hand. I measured back about 7/8” from where the end that I had just drilled and cut a notch that went half-way through and then angled back 45 degrees. The trickiest part is planing flat on the dowel. I just guessed and planed about a 1/3 or less of the dowel and cut it to about an 1 1/4” or so such that I could still hold on to it to glue it in the opening. I oriented the flat of the dowel upright and I tried to get the dowel pretty flush with the notch that I cut but I don’t know how critical it is since these were my first ones and I don’t have anything to compare. One thing you want to watch out for is glue squeeze out in the whistle. It is difficult to get down in the notch and clean it out and if you don’t the whistle will not work (I did find that out the hard way). Once the glue dried I cut the end where I had glued the dowel to about 3/4” from the notch and then I cut a 45” bevel on the bottom to make it easier for blowing.
When I make them again I will drill the hole deeper and maybe use a 3/8” dowel. The short distance of the hole makes the whistle higher pitched and that is not much fun for the adults or the dogs. I will try to get a video up of me making these. I have wanted to try my hand at making a video and this seems like the perfect project.

-- Joe, Indiana, http://www.crookedshack.com

Great looking projects! How did you make the toaster tongs?

super gift ideas

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon