Can anyone tell me if there is a site on internet that describes how to make a whistle? I need a diagram of the mouthpiece. I can’t play yet but I want to try to make a whistle. I think I can use a chromatic tuner to get the whistle in tune. I have recently bought several whistles and have started to try to learn. Any help anyone can give a 56 year old newbie would be greatly appreciated.
Whistling Pops 
Walden,
Thanks very much for the link. The info is exactly what I was looking for.
Whistling Pops
The Jubilee music instrument co. has a very nice picture of the parts of a fipple, with a label to each part.
Thanks Tommy
Whistling Pops
Whistling pops
I’m on my sixth whistle two aluminum low d’s
one copper low d and two pvc high d’s after cruising all the web sites I found the best way to make the whistle is to look at other peoples work.you probably make at least twenty fipples before you are satisfied.I found leaving the tube round and not making a ramp the best bet for the windway.
I like the d shape cut of an alba whistle for the windway and use epoxy coated wood for the plug leaving it round and cutting the windway out of the tube.the more you play around with your design the better it will get.I like aluminum the best followed closely by the pvc for sound and ease of making.the plumbing guy at the local hardware or home depot will become you best friend.
Aye you and Phill Hardy 
I have found that the windway floor, or duct no matter how long or short has to be the smoothest part of the fipple. Any scratches on the floor and the air goes crazy along with the tone. The roof can have some roughness or be smooth depending on what tone you prefer. Some
r------r players put scratches in the roof on purpose to control their tone. I have also found that the lower chamfer is very critical, to much chamfer and the whistle quits. I use to make my blade edges as sharp as a knife than found out that slightly dull makes a better tone.
I belive I have found a cure for the bad survice I receive from AOL, I have ordered Road Runner. (comeing soon)
Right on both counts. Start with very little chamfer and increase it bit by bit. Often, one stroke of the file can make a huge difference (I round my fipple plugs in the lathe, but it’s the same idea). More chamfer will favor the low notes as it allows more air to enter the whistle. Too much however, will make the high notes difficult. It’s a fine balancing actl
You’ll also find that a slightly duller knife edge lasts longer.
At the risk of being labeled "spam:…
You can find many woodwind construction craft manuals at…
http://www.shakuhachi.com/
or direct…
http://www.shakuhachi.com/TOC-CM.html
I recommend Lew Paxton Price and Bart Hopkin.
I have a question, since all you whistle makers are in on this thread. I’ve made a few bamboo high whistles and some bamboo and PVC flutes, and one low Eb whistle with a clarke-originalish type fipple, all nice and playable, no problems except occasional cracking of the bamboo. Now I’m trying to make a PVC low whistle, but having no success. The low note is extremely unresponsive. I have to blow it for several seconds before it starts to make a sound. I’ve made several attempts, all the have same problem. Help! What’s the deal? 
-Kelly
Give us some more details. What size is the window? When you look down the windway from the end can you see the edge of the blade in the middle? Can you still move the fipple plug in and out? Push it in a little and see what it does. Make sure the fipple plug has no leaks except of course across the top in the windway. But if the bottom leakes it will cause strange sounds.
Blow very softly for the bottom note. If it sounds then you need to adjust the fipple plug in or out. Seal the fipple pulg with bees wax so it seals and can still be moved.
practice,practice,practice
no seriously tommy is right on the money you will need to fiddle around with the fipple to get the thing to play right.
once you get the whistle sound with an easy blow than worry about the rest.I found that if I file the windway edge than use a coupler for the mouth piece and proper size dowel for the plug the thing plays without hammering or extra cutting .from the end of the pipe make your cut about 2" long by 3/8" wide to where the edge of the blade is.You should be able to get dowel rod to fit in the pipe without sanding. the gap this leaves between the coupler and the dowel is your windway. put a coupler on the pipe look in the windway if you can’t see the blade file the plug down until you can.and test it every time you make an adjustment.the smoother the plug is where you file the better. I coat mine with epoxy painted on with a small brush.the top side of the windway I rough up for a better sound. good luck and let us know how you do
Tommy wrote
Give us some more details. What size is the window? When you look down the windway from the end can you see the edge of the blade in the middle? Can you still move the fipple plug in and out? Push it in a little and see what it does. Make sure the fipple plug has no leaks except of course across the top in the windway. But if the bottom leakes it will cause strange sounds.
I’ve been trying to copy my Susato low D’s window size and so forth. Yes, the blade edge is in the middle when I look down the windway. I’ve fiddled with the fipple a lot, and it seems to be in the best place it can be, the only place where it would do anything at all. No leaks.
WhistlinBob wrote
I found that if I file the windway edge than use a coupler for the mouth piece and proper size dowel for the plug the thing plays without hammering or extra cutting .from the end of the pipe make your cut about 2" long by 3/8" wide to where the edge of the blade is.You should be able to get dowel rod to fit in the pipe without sanding. the gap this leaves between the coupler and the dowel is your windway. put a coupler on the pipe look in the windway if you can’t see the blade file the plug down until you can.and test it every time you make an adjustment.the smoother the plug is where you file the better. I coat mine with epoxy painted on with a small brush.
This sounds almost exactly like what I’ve been doing, only the thing does not play! Thanks for your advice though.
-Kelly
If you are making a delrin windway, you can get the surface really smooth by heating it with a torch (waving back and forth) until the piece appears to look damp. At that point, withdraw the flame immediately - if you wait too long bubbles will form but if you time it right, the surface will be very smooth. Let it cool for a long time, this material stores heat pretty well.
You’ve been talking about a low whistle, and I presume you’re talking about low D (haven’t read the entire thread)… Here are some things to look at:
- The inside diameter of the tube - for a low D, it should probably be 0.8 inches or a bit larger.
- The thickness of the material - schedule 40 is 1/8 inch thick approximately, and that’s what I’m using in the new PolyBrass. That thickness lets you make a pretty good ramp.
- The area of the window. Mine are 3/8" wide with a 3/8" front to back clearance. Almost perfectly square when you look down on it.
- The position of the blade in the airstream - in the middle, you’re not going to get proper turbulence in the tube without messing around with the angle a lot. I cut mine so they’re exactly parallel with the top of the fipple plug, then use a half-round needle file and very fine sandpaper to ever so slightly make an undercut that dulls the blade a bit, and lifts the edge just into visibility in the airway.
- The chamfer - Paul Busman is dead right - That’s a critical thing. Too much and you get an airy whistle with too much air spilling into the tube (called the “coanda effect”). Too little, and you get weird chiff and squeaks sometimes, or the inability to do a good octave jump.
Dan Bingamon from the Jubilee Music Instrument Company is doing a book on whistle building. Knowing Dan’s level of craftsmanship, I expect it will be a definitive work. I suggest you get in touch with him and ask him about it. Dan’s a great and helpful person, with a ton of knowledge to dispense.
And please feel free to email me if you have questions about what I wrote above. Good luck in your endeavor! 
Cheers,
Bill Whedon
Serpent Music
Practice, Practice, Tweak, Tweak, Take notes, Chuck it, Next, Repeat.
Figuring it all out is half the fun and the way you choose to achieve your airway / blade (fipple) is up to you. All you need to keep in mind is that the angle of your blade is important, that it line up at some point with your windway, and you find a happy medium with the “height and width” of the window, all of which have already been discussed.
Just remember, there is always a better mousetrap that you just might stumble upon, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Take a look at mine. It was born out of sheer lack of tools and a simple “Hmmm… I wonder if this will work… it sure would be easier… let me just change this around a bit and since this is the theory, maybe if I just tweak this and that, I could do it with two cuts and no major filing…HOLY CRAP! It made a noise!” and there you have it.
I ended up with a 40degree blade believe it or not (quite steep compared to some) left juuuuuuuuuust blunted, more like deburred and softened and it jumps octaves well, has great range in each note before falling or jumping to the next, etc. So don’t be afraid to play with blade angle and everything.
Just experiment and have fun as long as it’s within your budget to wast some material. It’s truly a blast to watch new designs come to life.
Take care, and I wish you luck in your endeavors. As others have stated, if you have a question that I might be able to give an opinion on, let 'er fly!
John
john@mcwhistles.com
P.S. SEE? You learn something new every day… here I was killing myself with a buffer and Mr. B comes up with the torch shortcut. THANKS DANIEL! I’ll be giving that a shot come Monday you better believe it.
I have not tried derlin yet. I don’t know where to get it around here.
So far I am useing cork, wood, and nylon bushings (that I still have to plug the hole in) for my fipple plugs. My make shift lath will not trim down nylon due to the tool rest only being a C clamp. I am able to turn wood dowels down. For smooth surfaces (wind way floor) I use wet dry emery paper and a buffer.
Well, this lovely discussion prompted me to try a Dan’l Bingamon trick, and it made my fipple better on me big whistles, so here it is:
I made the window (still) square, but went from 3/8" to 7/16" for the milling cutter. Improved the volume without noticeably affecting the air requirements. Thanks, Dan!
Also, John McHaffie and I share a ramp angle! Yep, 40 degrees is kind of steep, but it does give a really nice “woody” tone, especially with the (Dan Bingamon inspired) dulling and slight undercut. And I wouldn’t even have a really cool fipple design, were it not for the kindness of Paul Busman and Stacey O’Gorman, who shared some of their secrets!
I am proud to be a part of the Band of Brothers who make up the C&F Makers. Yeah, we do compete, but we cooperate and share, too, and that’s what makes it beautiful!
Best to you all,
Bill Whedon
Serpent Music