Suggestions for making a project piece

[Paul Hurm]

I have a project where I am hoping for suggestions on building one particular piece. The other pieces I should be able to do without much problem. I have better than pure novice skills but only a rather limited shop. I can foresee a band saw being very helpful but I do not own one. I might be able to get access to one if no other technique can be suggested. I do have a simple table saw that could be used.

I am trying to reproduce an antique “noise clacker” that was lying around on the farm I grew up on. Turning the handle makes a very loud sound and was supposedly used to scare crows and other birds away from the family garden and farm fields.

The attached photos should give a pretty good feel for the device. Turning the handle causes the boards on either side to ride up the 10 ridged steps and then slam back down causing the noise, which definitely is loud! I have used it quite successfully to scare starling flocks that sometimes settle in our neighborhood.

I have included a drawing that I developed showing a side view of the central, stepped hub. I had to include the guidelines but the only section of interest is the stepped hub itself.

As I’m typing this I don’t have the measurements at hand but the total diameter is roughly five inches and the width is about four inches. I can include more specific dimensions if absolutely needed but I am mainly looking for suggestions on techniques rather than getting into details as to measuring.

So, how would you produce this part? Again, I can see using a band saw would probably be easiest, but again I have no current access to one. I can kind of visualize trying to build a table saw sled of some kind but that is probably a bit above my current thinking. I do have a lathe that I could use if the hub needs to be cylindrical to start with.

And, being that old, I can see the original builder doing it all by hand with a chisel but I’m hoping to avoid that!!

Suggestions definitely appreciated!!!

Paul Hurm
paulhurm@gmail.com

[Mel Fulks]

Hand saw, then pocket knife , rasp, sandpaper. Your first try will work and your second one will be better. They made those things in different sizes and big ones were used to wake up fire fighters.

[Paul Hurm]

Mel,

Thanks for the thoughts and reply - sorry I'm a bit slow getting back.

Apparently you have seen these things before - I had not.

I would like to read more about these if I can find info somewhere. Do you know of an "official" name for these or can you otherwise suggest a search term to use when I go looking?

Thanks again.

Paul

[Mel Fulks]

There is info on you tube. Names include "matraca" and "fire alarm". Metal and plastic ones are still sold for new year celebrations and any occasion where an unbearable racket is needed. They are great things to have when you are at a
meeting and wish to "rise for point of order" and are being ignored by the club president.

[Steve Peterson]

Many of the party favor types can produce a very large sound volume from a small piece of plastic. I think a lot of it stems from the acoustic chamber that allows the sound to resonate and build amplitude. Sort of like the chamber in an acoustic guitar. Maybe you could experiment with different chamber sizes to see which is the loudest.