Slinging.org Forum - The Bullroarer

CHowitzer

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The Bullroarer
Mar 14^th, 2012 at 10:11pm

Okay, so it's not exactly a weapon (but it could easily be used as one, to vicious effect probably). It is however another very cool piece of primitive technology.

What it is: A length of cord tied to one end of a piece of wood (or something else) carved into one of any aerofoil shape.

What it does: When swung, makes a gargantuan sound that works on the doppler effect and varies in pitch relatively with speed. It's been used by various world peoples for ritual use and, in an inventive system, to communicate the long distance across villages and camps easily.

I found a short video of some bushcraft guy illustrating the build and the use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf-FgFSdrhI

What say you? If you have some woodworking skill (I have next to none) it probably wouldn't be too difficult to make a nice one. I've never heard one in person but supposedly they are very loud.

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xxkid123

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Re: The Bullroarer
Reply #1 - Mar 14^th, 2012 at 11:10pm

I've heard a plastic one before. The one I heard had a very low/deep humming sound that could be heard from 50 feet away, which was pretty good as it was in a pretty loud area (Historical Exhibit). I would imagine that a wolf whistle would be louder and easier to get a sound from, but then again I haven't heard a full sized wooden one before, so I can't give a comparison.

I would think it's pretty easy to carve, as far as carvable things go.

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Caldou Funditor Offline Moving the world... rock by rock. Posts: 779 Picardie, France	Re: The Bullroarer Reply #2 - Mar 15^th, 2012 at 5:45am You don't need any woodcarving skills to make a basic one... I made one with a plastic ruler and some shoelace. The sound was not soooo great, but it gave you an idea of how loud a nice heavy one with sharp edge can be.
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slingbadger Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Don't Badger a Badger Posts: 3228 Akron NY Gender:	Re: The Bullroarer Reply #3 - Mar 15^th, 2012 at 6:45am I've made diamond shaped ones that put out a great sound. Longer cords work well, so you can pick up some speed, too.
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Aussie Past Moderator Offline Joined Nov. 1, 2006 Luke 14:14 Posts: 3265 Melbourne, Australia Gender:	Re: The Bullroarer Reply #4 - Mar 15^th, 2012 at 7:09am An ordinary shoe horn works well. Even a wooden spoon will work but they are a bit light.
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Bikewer

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Re: The Bullroarer
Reply #5 - Mar 15^th, 2012 at 11:09am

I remember reading about these as a kid and making one from a slat from the old wooden window blinds...
Made a fine racket!
I just picked up a book on the "origins of ordinary things" and some are quite enlightening... For instance, the hula hoop, popular when I was a teen, was known in ancient Sumer...

There was a huge fad for hoop-twirling exactly as we did in the 50s back in 1800s England. The hoops were made of wood, of course, and physicians at the time described exactly the same sorts of injuries and maladies that contemporary hula-hoopers complained of.

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Pikåru

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Re: The Bullroarer
Reply #6 - Mar 15^th, 2012 at 2:09pm

Growing up, some of the kids we would run with lived in a local pueblo/reservation in NM. We used to make these but I remember using cedar and that they were groved on the sides. I'm going to have to ask my dad because he made some for us too. Anyway we would tie a long rope about 1/4 to 3/8 in. in diameter and as you got momentum, you would let out more rope until you had a wide arc. Hearing these, whether one or more from a distance was kind of an eerie sound.

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rockslingerboy2 Junior Member Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 68 Ireland Gender:	Re: The Bullroarer Reply #7 - Mar 16^th, 2012 at 8:41pm I've made two of these. They work great. The edge has to be very sharp all around. The string is also very important for it to work properly and needs to be very thin but strong. You need to use the densest and heaviest wood possible. Good luck to anyone who is going to make one!
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jlasud Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Programming stones Posts: 2358 Transilvania Gender:	Re: The Bullroarer Reply #8 - Mar 18^th, 2012 at 10:44am I guess ceramic could work too..It would be heavier than most if not all woods,easy to make..i gonna try it.
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Ahaw

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Re: The Bullroarer
Reply #9 - Mar 18^th, 2012 at 11:39am

Got 2 Australian bullroarers at home.
One in a heavy wood, the other one in light plywood.
Both sound good.
Though I don't "fly" them often as I'm scared of the accident ! (already broke a few ropes, but got lucky each time : no injury)
Indeed, the spinning movement puts the rope in harsh conditions : twisting on one side, then untwisting to twist on the other.
Any rope that is made by twisting several thinner ropes in a spiral twisting way are not good : they would unravel and be dangerous !
I've tried a leather rope, but leather does not resist to tension nor twisting too much, and it broke very rapidly.
I've been trying to find out in which material traditional Aboriginal bull-roarer were, but without success.
They often use ropes made of their own hair, but that's by applying a twist, so I guess it wouldn't be good for the bull-roarer.
Maybe kangaroo's sinew ? This should be able to twist and untwist without breaking... but wouldn't be long enough.
I guess a modern "criss-crossed" rope could work well, as a paracord for instance (but that seems too thick though).
Any clues ?

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Masiakasaurus Forum Moderation Offline mah-SEE-a-kah-SOR-us Posts: 6069 Alabama, USA Gender:	Re: The Bullroarer Reply #10 - Mar 18^th, 2012 at 12:11pm Try using the braid from this sling reconstruction. It makes a kernmantle rope like paracord, and you can control the thickness because you're making it.
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Curious Aardvark Forum Moderation Offline Taller than the average Dwarf Posts: 13965 Midlands England Gender:	Re: The Bullroarer Reply #11 - Mar 19^th, 2012 at 2:35pm or just use paracord Got an australian tourist model around somewhere. Works Crocodile dundee used one in the second film
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Crow Hat Descens Offline Slinging is an addiction. Posts: 133 Canada Gender:	Re: The Bullroarer Reply #12 - Mar 22^nd, 2012 at 4:39pm I've never seen one of these before, but now I know what I want to make next time I go camping
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jlasud

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Re: The Bullroarer
Reply #13 - Mar 24^th, 2012 at 1:52am

I made a clay one,that needs to be fired..although at the first hit at the ground or something it would surely break. Also i made one from beech wood as it's heavy,and it has the usual elongated oval shape.It measures 30x4.5cm,tested it and it sounds like others i've heard\seen on YT.It can be heard from 300m but,today.i'll test it more from long range...
Also i've seen bullroarers that have like teeth..do they sound better,more far because of the increased line of edge? What would be the one that sounds the farthest?

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Ahaw

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Re: The Bullroarer
Reply #14 - Mar 24^th, 2012 at 5:24am

jlasud wrote on Mar 24^th, 2012 at 1:52am:

Also i've seen bullroarers that have like teeth..do they sound better,more far because of the increased line of edge? What would be the one that sounds the farthest?

Good question !
Are these teeth to increase the sound ? Or to make it a multi-tool (bullroarer + saw) ? Or both ?
Have any picts that could give us a clue ?

Also I'd like to add to the topic that it's possible to make very easily a whistling bull-roarer by just attaching a segment of bamboo to a rope, and giving it (the bamboo) a straight vertical cut acting like a long fipple. When it turns around itself, the wind gets "cut" by the fipple and whistles !

And another very easy way to make yet another type of bull-roarer-like instrument : by just cutting and spining around your head a 1.5m of a plastic ringed pipe of this type :

Not exactly the same sound-generating phenomenon though : Air inside gets caught in mini vortexes due to the rings and create a nice whistling. By accelerating/decelerating the spinning, you can reach all the harmonic components of the basic pitch... and you can even just put it in your mouth and blow, works the same.

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