Making (And Swinging) A Bullroarer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
- There is one thing that unites people across all times and cultures - tying a piece of wood to a string and swinging it around to make weird noises. Bullroarers go back to prehistoric times and have been used by people around the world for various purposes. It's amazing what sounds you can get from a simple bit of wood.
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Further reading: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullroarer
00:00 Making them
04:30 Swinging them - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
This counts as woodworking? Cutting out a shape and thats it?
It's wood that has been worked so I don't know what else you want to call it lol
Who wouldn't it count? It might not be as fancy as building screwless furniture, but it's still woodworking.
well this may surprise you, but cutting a shape out of wood is working the wood
@@landingbirdwoodworking Dont listen to the haters man. Keep making cool stuff
wow for the real prehistoric experience we even have a genuine cro-magnon here to give us his opinion on the video lmao
Brings back childhood memories! 😊 My grandmother was the babysitter for the lot of her grandkids. She gave us bits and pieces of things and showed us how to make bull roared, buzz buttons, string hand games, sling shots, vibration propellers and lots of other fun ,busy games! Kept us occupied, outside and out of her hair and her clean house ! 😅😅Of course she also taught all of us how to cook, and bake all kinds of foods and pastries ! My brother is still the king of pie crust and bakes a mean pecan pie ! 😅😅 Thanks for reminding me how fortunate I am to have had that great childhood and a willing grandmother!!
That all sounds wonderful! Glad you enjoyed the video
From a time before the television became the primary babysitter, and teacher...
dude that sounds awesome
Vivian, Would you teach us some of those things? For me the woodworking and toys would fun. The food is also good.
Grandma made me a buzz button too. I had forgotten about it. Thanks for the wonderful memory.
A neighborhood Indian boy made one of these for me when I was a kid. He even had painted it for me. He called it a thunder stick.
Amerindian or Asian Indian?
@@DakotakoPretty obvious which one.
@@Jack_ArborIs it? Bullroarers are made all over the world. And, well, thunder exists all over the world.
Cool story. (Not sarcasm)
I'm going to assume american based off of OPs channel@@Ian-nl9yd
the sound it produces can be altered with a fair amount of control - narrower gives a higher tone, wider gives a deeper tone. longer will increase the volume (and to some extent how well it carries) scallops on the edges will give something more akin to a whistle, while a more pronounced ovid will give a longer duration "buzz" a longer cord can also allow for louder noise IF the bullrorarer has enough weight; it does require a fair amount of speed so it will start spinning under the air resistance and twist of the cord.
So why can't I find bullroarer orchestras online? This should be just the sort of thing avant-garde musicians are playing with.
@@pattheplanter probably because it's the kind of thing that avant-garde musicians wouldn't have played with as a kid; it tends to be a "poor kid" type of toy since it's so simply constructed..
I tried looking it up and got nothing so here I am, what does scalloped/Ovid edges mean?
@@jimbob9963 Scallop shells have wavy edges. I assume ovoid rather than ovid, as ovoid is egg-shaped and Ovid was a poet.
If you're in North America, tulip poplar is neat for this because you can find downed branches that are big enough to both provide the wood part and the inner bark is also strong enough to make the cord. (Stripping the bark takes some wetting for a day or so, but it's easy enough to get good long strips to peel out and separate the inner fibers.) Thus the whole thing can be made with natural materials using bushcraft or primitive methods.
That is the mating call of the JaraJara bird. It has been known to snatch up small children, but dont worry it won't come near the fire.
Came looking for this comment 🤘🏻
These are great for scaring a bunch of Cub Scouts out camping in the woods. Get a couple of bullroarers going at once and you could work up a fine panic. 😄
This is mean and hilarious at the same time. Those poor kids, but now they have a story to tell 😂
I hear that people think that these sounds are bigfoot or other cryptids, now I know to just tell them its you with a couple of bull roarers!
Mean and insensitive. Kids have too much crap to work through. You’re associating fear with the outdoors for them, when they should be learning the peacefulness of it to help them through the fear.
@@boa1793 Good, the outdoors should be treated with fear and respect. Especially the mountains and the forest. There's a reason we tell kids scary stories about monsters in the woods. There's bears, wolves, Coyotes, deer, moose, ticks, etc. that can easily kill a child. Not to mention the possibility of starvation, dehydration or breaking a leg.
Sure, walking through a national park is not going to be a big deal, but if you live near a real forest, that's a real threat.
@@boa1793 Lol. It was 55 years ago, when kids weren't such a bunch of sissies. Get over it, they did.
So basically prehistoric men sounded like a bunch of teenagers on scooters
I made one in 1977, when I was 15. I still have it and get it out occasionally.
The directions I used said to taper one edge more than the other to more easily enable the spin. I made mine out of an old piece of barn siding, and just worked on it with my pocket knife until I got it right.
Great! Thanks for the direction and encouragement. I’ll be making my first in 2024 when I was 51(mirroring)!
Airfoil shape? Not really necessary. A more or less flat shape will always have a center of pressure at roughly 1/4 of the width from the leading edge, while the center of mass, and thus the line of the string, is at 1/2. Just like a strip of paper when dropped will always spin, a narrow strip of wood tied to a string always will.
It's more pleasing to make a nice shape, though.
Nice work! Always reminds me of Crocodile Dundee 2, where he makes a "phone call"
Thank you!
they've been used in a lot of aboriginal societies. In some they were communication over long distances, in others they were more of a religious tool, to summon the attention of the spirits...
Ah yes! I knew i have seen it before somewhere!
My eldest nephew asked what I was whittling one time. I told him " Bullroarer.". He looked at me and asked " What's it do?". I responded, " It's an aboriginal device that summons people and spirits, so, think of it like the original cell phone only it works for multiple planes of existance.". He just nodded and said, " Cool." Then watched me make it.
As a kid we would take a broken handle from some tool or broom, tie bale twine on it and make that "helicopter" noise. Accidently got hit full force with it and had to go to school with a black, green yellow purple mark on my forehead for a month. Was funny then and a lesson learned.
Takes me back to my youth watching Crocodile Dundee 😆 🤣
Wally: that is the mating call of the Jara-Jara bird, very large, meat eater, don’t worry it won’t come near the fire….
A hole in the end of the 12" school ruler and some string which every schoolboy of that era always had in his pocket.
And a few Tomboy girls.
That era? There's no reason anyone should go out of the house without proper clothing and footwear for likely inclement weather, a bit of cordage, a flashlight (it's bright enough when it has recoil), a lighter, a tool for cutting, basic equipment and supplies to deal with major traumatic injury and a paper map of the area.
@@matthewellisor5835This is exactly me when I actually remember to pack in advance. I’m always wearing a jacket, and I never wear a jacket with less than 5 pockets.
Wall of text, only tangentially on topic.
@@firstletterofthealphabet7308 And if carrying a jacket is a bit too much trouble for where I'm going, I should be packing a good bit more. Even 5-8lbs (~2250g-3650g) in a small backpack, messenger bag or something like it can save your life or the life of someone else, be they injured themselves (I've been the first on-scene at more than a few motor vehicle wrecks with injuries) or just keeping people from putting themselves at risk to try to find or help you.
It would likely shock most people to learn how many in search & rescue are injured or lose life looking for someone who was "just out for an afternoon stroll" on a marked trail in a park or forest (I don't even mean hiking up a mountain) but managed to get mixed-up as to direction and hadn't been prepared enough to avoid the need or at least make it no hurry to rescuers because they were warm and dry and would be fine if the hour or two stroll turned into unscheduled overnight camping.
For those who take responsibility for keeping safe and bothered reading my ramblings this far, thank you! Any who haven't considered it before, I hope this gives you something to think on and that it is read as the encouragement I intended.
@@matthewellisor5835jesus I just wanna go down the block to the store
I read about these in a book in the early ‘70s when I was a kid, so I carved one out of an old board I found. The cord tended to get really twisted,so I made a short leader line attached to a deep-sea fishing swivel to prevent the line twisting.
Neat. I wondered if the cable needed to twist or not.
Aw dang, this takes me back to when I saw crocodile dundee as a kid and became fixated on his bullroarer phone call. I made tons of lame versions out of nylon cord and rotting wood, but even that low droning sound was the coolest thing ever. It was like I discovered alien technology. Maybe I should try making another one.
I first heard of this in the 80's in the X-Men comic. There was an aborigine character named Gateway, who would swing it and teleport people far away. And since that was pre-internet, I didn't even hear one for years. Cool video.
Isn't that crocodile Dundee's telephone?
I thought it was the mating call of the Jarra Jarra bird 🤣🤣
I remember getting one of these at a craft show once as a kid and driving my mother crazy with it lol.
Put a large catfishing swivel in your line on attaching it to to roaring toy it works better and keeps line from knotting up .different length of boards make deeper sounds played with these when I was a kid dad made for us ! I'm 54 now and he just turned 88 so yeah childhood memories thanks for the remind ! Kids today have no idea but I have made them for my kids and grandkids. Along with squash horns,hickory branch whistles,corn Cobb feather toys .oh and button yo,yo's !
My folks and ancestors made what they called a bullroarer,
but it wasn't anything like that.
They'd take a lard can and punch a hole in the middle of
the bottom, and thread a piece of thick string through with a
length coming out the backside, and put fiddle rosin
on the string and you'd pinch
the string and pull on it.
It makes a sound like a
panther in the woods, which
were still fairly abundant back
then. I'm sure they got in trouble over as well.
That sounds like something worth trying.
I have heard of something similar made with a section of hollow log with a piece of rawhide stretched over one end. Would be used at chivarees, or just to drive someone crazy.
@@debluetailflyWas there a name for it?
@@johngayder9249wash tub bass
I learned how to make one from a hunter. He claimed to use it to call Moose. I recommend a nylon boot lace for ease of use and performance. Bigger the can the better.
We used to do something similar to that with a large button and a long piece of string fed thru two holes,tied in a loop,with each end held by the index finger.Spin it up till the string is twisted,then begin pulling it as it winds one direction ,then another.Makes a noticeable humming noise.
I'll have to give that a try!
As a child, we had a medium toy car which we tied to a string & it made the same sound. We likened it to the crocodile dundee movie.
Mine was an old wood-handled jump rope. Kept smacking myself with it and got fed up after a while. It was fun while it lasted, I imagine that the adults could hear the sound so they didn't ask about all my weird bruises..
thickness of the wood and spin are the main contributors to actually making sound so putting a few turns in the string with wood around 1/8" or 6mm makes a lot difference. Some of the loudest I have neard are south american and look like a long leaf shaped rotor on a longer string on the end of a fishing rod (their's was some sort of springy wood about 15feet long)...those really get some speed going.
Woah this is very cool, as a child i made one by accident by tying a wooden spatula to some cord. I don’t remember why i did it originally but the sound was very satisfying. Me and some kids of the neighborhood would swing it like there was no tomorrow to get the best sound out of it. Thanks for not only showing me how this is called but also for unlocking this random memory.
Sounds like fun! I wish I had known how to make one when I was younger.
made these in middle school shop class hearing 25 of these all at once was crazy
Great fun. When we were kids our bullroarer or furkalka was a disk with two holes centered on a loop of string. You wind the disc up then keep it going by pulling and slackening the string. They go really fast (dangerously?). We spent hours playing with designs to get the best noise. Thanks for the memories.
My granny had a button box and there were giant coat buttons and we would use those
I remember accidentally making one of these when I tried to make a wooden rope knife to practice with instead of a metal one
Last time I saw one of these was in a Crocodile Dundee movie.
The wood grain on those pieces are lovely
Thanks! You don't see it when you're actually using it, but it's nice to make a beautiful object anyway.
If you are still experimenting try a long loop so the cord goes through the paddle hole once and ties together where your hand is. The cord will look doubled up.
While spinning this allows the paddle to twist the cord, then once it’s tight the force of the twist makes the paddle rotation flip and spin the other way and loosen the twist till it tightens that way and it does this over and over. This is how you can really get them to hum.
That crossed my mind as I was making them. Now I know I have to try it out. Thanks!
And the ever-wondrous reason behind "Bullroarer" Took's name makes sense.
Seems fitting for a hobbit to take the name of something that looks quiet and unassuming but is just the opposite
This was cool and the first time I have ever heard or seen! Knowing what changes the tone will be interesting!
this is what drones sound like, 4 bullroarers going at once
I've been kind of fascinated with these ever since Crocodile Dundee. I've made lots of versions, basically every time I find anything that is roughly the right shape (dog tags, plastic tags, bits of wood, etc.). I've found that keeping them small and light makes them much easier to manage and the thinner the string, the longer the sound will last before switching modes. In the video, you can see an interesting phenomenon where the bullroarer oscillates between different positions depending on how it's rotating (you can see it going high and low when swung horizontally).
Interestingly, you can do something similar without string by throwing anything relatively rectangular with a little bit of backspin. If you get it right, the Magnus effect will cause the object to fly around in the air and make the same kind of bullroarer noise.
Wow, very cool! Thank you, brings back memories from the past. May be make some more for the now! :)
love it, this is a great video, thanks for making it!
Cool! I have never heard of such a thing. Thanks for the video
Hello, I used to make a form of bullroarer out of a partially unwound golf ball. Not as loud as the wood models but did make an extraordinary sound. Good waiting for supper fun.
this looks so simple! now i want to make one.
If you spin the blade so it twists the cord before you spin it it will make the sound quicker.
I made one in the 70s in scouts, then later for fun, about time to make more.
True in my experience. Stick with braded not twisted line.
Remember the one from Crocodile Dundee 2, didn't know they had a name. Glad to know, there's a hiking spot near a huge valley that would be great for one of these.
Now that would surely confuse the neighbors if they couldn’t see where it was coming from. Very Cool! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
I’m almost certain that was the tool my Grandmother used to warm my bottom.
😂
A good multi-use tool. 😉
When I was a kid in the 50's we brought a similar toy at the 5 & 10, only it was made of paper and string, but it made a great whistling noise.
Cool and interesting video. 👍
Thanks!
Made these 50 years ago. Been wanting to make one lately to take hiking. Maybe a first defense for predators. Scare them off with noise, and if that don't work...then resort to physical means.
Algorithm is rather spooky at times. Having watched Crocodile Dundee a few weeks back and only thought about how I might make one of those here this gets recommended. Nicely done sir. Think I'll have to source some wood and give this a try.
This man knows how to swing
Thank you!
Nice production quality, keep up it up man 👌👍
Thank you so much!
Looks like a good core workout.
Definitely a good idea to do some shoulder stretches beforehand!
When we were on vacation in France one of the archeological sites had a demonstration of a replica made from bone.
Neat! I don't have any bone on hand to test out so I'll stick with wood 😁
I hear Northern Flicker's birdsong calling in this sound track too 😊
very cool
Thanks!
Cool. I made one as a kid and didn't even know it had a name.
Cool I just dug mine out spinned had a neighbor or two wondering WTF I have stunt kite string (Kevlar Or something LOL) on mine 8-10 ft. I think it make some noise as well. keepin it alive good job! All The Best from Northern NV
oh yhea mine is purple heart 12'' x 3 1/2'' 3/8'' thick
Here in Australia, School Kids make them from a wooded school ruler & String ..
1987 Midnight Oil releases Diesel and Dust. Track 8 - Bullroarer. I never knew what a bullroarer was until today.
My first introduction to this instrument/tool was from Crocodile Dundee 2.
nice job
Thanks!
That's really cool, also I wish there were beavers in London.
Thanks! I've never actually seen one, only the stumps they leave behind.
Just want to pet him he's so lovely.
Just in time to do Legends quest. Nice.
Watching you swing that,i couldnt help but think of how it looks like you’re doing some primitive form of waving. Perhaps they are related. Very interesting.
My brother and I made Bullroarers by hand back in 1970. They weren't as fun as we were lead to believe.
Brings back memories! Question - does notching the edges change the sound at all? Might be fun to experiment with.
I haven't made any with notches yet, but it must affect the sound in some way. Just tapering the edges versus leaving them square makes a noticeable difference, so notches would probably have an effect too.
I made one years ago, was cool
A fucking love Crocodile Dundee
About the handle: I can attest to the fact that adding a handle is a good ide; you wouldnt believe the amount of painful blisters that will result if you dont use one.
Yes, very easy to shred your fingers!
Could you make and show a few more examples of the british ones, the jagged edges, maybe one with triangular ridges, one with drilled holes half filled through for concave ridges, and a castle fort style? I wonder how each one makes different tones.
I was watching croc dundee the other week and wondered what the names of these were so thanks for popping up with that.
Also, do you have a friend who can measure how away these can be heard by taking a log walk ?
There have been many comments asking about specific shapes - I may have to make a video that is just comparing tons of different designs and variables. It would be cool to measure loudness as well.
I always have trouble thinking of gifts for my brother. He's not into much. I know that he likes unique weapons and replicas of ancient ones. He did like an ocarina a few years ago, but can't play it where he lives. I'm pretty sure he falls in the agoraphobic category and barely leaves his apartment. I think this would be fun for him, and unique because I'll make it by hand! Thank for this idea!
I found it out by my selfe, using a rooler with a double sling wich gave up and down humming.
My dad made one of these for me once.
What is the loudest one, is there a shape that makes louder noise, travels longer distance?
Un objeto muy interesante
I fully understand that one of their purposes was long range communication, and those have been made for literally millennia, but they sound like engines... so have we always liked the sounds of engines even before they existed? Wierd thoughts that I think I should share.
“Momma, what’s that guy doing?”
“Making a phone call without a phone.”
Very useful……
So I was looking for a Celt or Scott war whistle swung overhead .makes same sound as in majors & generals by XTC .& Beethoven by Eurythmics
I'd be curious to hear what difference (if any) the cord material makes. This might just be my imagination, but I feel like I can almost hear the paracord in those 2.
That's an interesting idea. I'll have to try with leather or artificial sinew. It's fascinating how seemingly tiny factors affect the sound, considering it's just a piece of wood
This could be interesting. If the cordage was already twisted in one direction, swinging it in the direction that would exacerbate that twist would definitely make it make it rotate, and thereby make sound, more quickly. I don't know what the effect in the overall sound would be if it was spun for a longer period of time, but it would make it spin up faster and probably make the sound more consistent, or at least make the frequency of the louder sound faster. Paracord if fairly neutral by design, so it might not be that big of a difference once it's spun up, but it's worth a comparison at least
@@landingbirdwoodworking my thoughts are this would make higher pitch sounds of the edges are narrower. Would love to see a saw edged one and a wasp waisted one.
Probably the deepest sound would be a lightly rounded edges on a circle.
I'd like to hear how it sounds strapped to a drill or some motor and spun
Koooool!
There needs to be two wing ventures opposite each side. This way it tries to fly in each direction causing much more disharmony
i made 2 bullroarers a few days ago
My question is this: How were they made BEFORE the invention of Scroll Saws, Sand Paper, and the other fancy tools shown? Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the video. I am just interested in primitive woodworking techniques.
A big knife or small hatchet to carve it, and the drill is made similar to an primitive arrow (sharp pointy rock on the end), and hole drilled using the same hand-drill method used to start fires.
@@pauljs75You got me. Definately worth looking into. 😎
The rope must get a lot of twist. Would a swivel work or is that over kill?
I can't say I know all the physics behind bullroarers and how exactly they work, but I believe the twisting and untwisting that happens as you whirl it is what causes the wood to spin and make sound. So it might be difficult or impossible to get a sound out of it if it had a swivel.
You do not want it to swivel. That's why it works. The rope need to twist
Yep, it needs to twist, that's why it takes a sec to get warmed up
Hey man, this is cool! Any science to the depth or volume? I'm thinking whether it could be useful against the likes of bears :s :o I'm UK, don't expect me to be familiar with bear common knowledge lol :) :)
I used to do this with my bookmarks in elementary school.
How loud is it? Anything like a whistle in how far it carries?
Depends on shape/size and terrain, but I've read they can be heard for several miles in the right conditions.
1:40 "They have been used around the entire world for communication [...]"
Two men stand on opposite mountains with a vast distance between them. One swings his bullroarer over his head.
(Dude! Check out this sick piece of wood I found!)
"Bullroarer Took" was the name!
Evidently hobbits knew about these too!
You should do it again but whittle it only
Crazy how it kinda sounds like someone talking
how loud is this? you cant get a good tell due to volume mixing and speakers. but on the ground. in person. how loud is it?
does the sound carry further than you expect?
They can get pretty loud and carry a long ways. Size, shape, cord length, and swinging technique all affect the sound and volume. The ones in the video are maybe around the same level as an average shout.
@@landingbirdwoodworking thank you
Didn't mick Dundee use one of them back in the day.
What would the purpose of one have been?
Depends on the time and culture. They are often ceremonial or religious in nature but could also be used for communication or simply for fun.
Looks like hard work to place a phonecall 😊
@robot7759
Youngsters today. I remember when I wanted to talk to my friends I had to call over to their houses.
If you recall the movie "Crocodile Dundee" from 1988 there is a scene where Mick makes a (outback) "phone call" using a bullroarer. This link shows a low quality version of that scene - th-cam.com/video/QPAYNPUs5rI/w-d-xo.html
Learned to do this in science class in 8th grade using a yardstick
I wonder if a whistle could be whittled into that.
Now that's a good idea. I might have to try it
I've seen a similar idea to what you're saying, from what I gather it was just a hole with sharp edges, this is spinning so I would try a circle with sharp edges and a flat (or fine wire) piece of material across the center.