solved: Chestnut White Oak

[Tom]

It's seed is as big as your thumb


                                               

[Don P]

Do you use part of the seed for a whistle?

[Tom]

I guess you could, though I've never heard of it.

[Don P]

Hmmm, I'm stumped.

[L. Wakefield]

   That looks like the leaf of what they called 'pin oak' in WV. We had some extraordinarily big specimens on our property line.             lw

[Tom]

Your closer, LW.  I'de say warm.    

[swampwhiteoak]

chinkapin oak

[Tom]

no...but you're close too.  I would think you would get it if anybody did.

[Don P]

Ron knows what I'm thinkin, but i can't put my finger on it and I feel something is wrong for my guess. Was the seed a principle food source for Native Americans? Is the pic of a juvenile?

Hey, what does yabb mean anyway?

Gonna hafta show you guys a whistle

[Jeff]

Yabb= Yet Another Bulletin Board.  

[Jeff]

Ya know, ya just never have seen it all.

I thought I would do a search on home made whistles. Well, um... here is one of the things I found.

http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US05163447__

[Texas Ranger]

Swamp Chestnut Oak

[Texas Ranger]

Jeff, you have way to much time on your hands.  But, does it whistle Dixie?

[Tom]

don, your "on fire".

 It is a young tree, about 8 yrs, growing from beneath heavy cover.  The leaves are the correct shape and size(about 6"-10" long) and are longer many times even on an adult.  I am leaving for PA. in the morning and will be "out of pocket" for a week so I will leave the answer with "someone(?)" in case you all guess it before I get back.  Yep the seed was used for food by native Americans and if you want one today you will have to fight for it. The animals don't leave many laying around.  It's tough to saw.  Some folks like the wood and some folks don't.  It's not the best wood working axample as compared to its cousins.  I have given some to local bowl turners who have found that they don't like it because of it's instability. A green turned bowl will shortly look like half of a football.

I just had to say........I can't believe Jeff found that site looking for a whistle.

[Don P]

Just a garden variety chestnut oak? I like oaks but seems like they know every man in town. (secretly just always wanted an excuse to use that one)

Make 2 fists,thumbs across the top sides of your indexes, bump em together. Cheeks of thumb bases, sides of thumbs and flats of 2nd joints of the rest of your fingers are all touching (man, I'm gettin a camera). Run thru the woods like this till you find a acorn "hat", course you could find the nut first but what fun would that be. Stick it cup up under the gap in your thumbs. Stick your mouth against the cheeks of your thumbs and I'll be amazed if I explained that well enough for a sound to be produced.

[Tom]

Your right, your right ...ding ding ding ding chime chime trumpets etc.

I don't think I've seen that emoticon used but once before.  You really have to stretch to find a place for it, don't you?

Yep that's a Chestnut White Oak and I have a hardwood ridge running through my property that I have reserved for a wildlife passage in my management plan.  This ridge has many of these trees on it and I have trouble finding the acorns when they fall because the Deer and Squirrels beat me to them.

I have never heard of making a whistle out of the cap but you better believe I'm going to try.  We always used a piece of grass or leaf between our thumbs much the same as a reed on a woodwind.  You can make a high pitched whistle with almost unbearable decibals.  I'm anxious to try the oak cap.

I wish I had a Swamp White Oak on the property.  These are called that by many of the land owners but they aren't.  

I'm going to go study Jeff's link some more.  It amazes me the devices people will come up with for entertainment?  I wonder if it is programmable, like with  "The William Tell Overture"?  

[Don P]

Around us it has a reputation as a sill wood, along with locust. This has had me wondering since it is tylose free, or at least low in tyloses. I guess my theory was that in the other white oaks the "stoppers" slowed the spread of decay causing fungi. But this tree "leaks" about like a red. What makes it durable? Or is it a wives tale...ever notice it's always us guys spreading those?

[L. Wakefield]

   I learned the acorn cap whistle at about the same time as I learned using a little snail shell (limpet or whelk they may be called) as a whistle- btw that's a clean shell. He don' whistle too well with the critter still in there..the shell you put between your second and third fingers with it cupped in your palm and the opening facing out toward your mouth- I'd have to show you.          lw

[swampwhiteoak]

Jeff,
That's about the last thing I would expect someone to make a whistle out of.  

Originally posted by Tom

I wish I had a Swamp White Oak on the property.

Hey, you'll have to go further north fur that