Wood knockers - what are the choices?

[wiiawiwb]

A week ago, I was at a new location which was on a pond. I was hoping to find a tree along the pond on which to knock.  It is an area that has almost all pine and fir trees and things are generally wet. That meant I had trouble getting a solid piece of wood to use to strike. I also had trouble find a hardwood that would project the sound. The soft wood of pine doesn't project sound well.

 

That brings me to my question. There has to be something I can bring that is well suited to creating a clear and crisp wood knock. I thought about thick hardwood dowels but couldn't find any. Years ago, a friend of mine bought some asian fighting stick that he sawed into 16" lengths.  I thought about nunchuka (which I'd break apart) but think they are illegal in my state.

 

What are some suggestions for things to bring with me to get the best wood knock sound? Please keep in mind that I backpack miles to get to a location so it can't be large or heavy.

Edited October 31, 2017 by wiiawiwb

[LeafTalker]

How about a tin whistle? It weighs nothing, the sound will carry well, and the BF don't seem that fussy about how well you play. And they're cheap: $5 to $10.

 

Or just two little pieces of 2-by-4's work well, too. When you clap them together, they're loud.

 

[gigantor]

I think that you should use whatever is locally available. That's what BF would use and they can probably tell the difference.

 

If you bring foreign materials, you may not get good results...

[norseman]

The obvious choice in my mind is a wood baseball bat. Maybe a pee wee sized one would be smaller.

 

I dont knock so I havent tried it personally.....

 

 

[wiiawiwb]

My preference is not to carry anything if possible because I'm backpacking enough weight in.  All of the downed wood is rotting, and soft, so it is not the ideal candidate to slam against another tree. I could tear down a branch from a tree but it is against the law and I'd feel guilty doing that.

 

I tried using two stones and they created a good sound. They did not produce a "wood knock" sound which has produced results in the past.

 

I've been looking at various online dealers of 2" dowels of mahogany, lace wood, zebra wood, and other exotics. Really expensive and I have no idea of the sound they produce although I am confident they would be superb.

[MIB]

Consider a hand-clap.  I'm pretty convinced some of the noises we hear out there are exactly that, might as well join 'em.   Saves weight, too!

[gigantor]

2 hours ago, wiiawiwb said:

 All of the downed wood is rotting, and soft, so it is not the ideal candidate to slam against another tree.

 

 

If you cannot produce a good knock with locally available materials, what makes you think BF can?  They would be using the same rotten soft wood...

[wiiawiwb]

I've never been convinced they use wood to make that sound. I would not be surprised if they slapped their massive hands together forcing wind into their mouth causing a popping sound. I can do it but not with nearly the volume of what I've heard from a returning "wood knock". Maybe they use rocks.

 

I think we use tree branches merely as an attempt to mimic what we hear.  I wonder if sound engineers could analyze recorded wood knocks to distinguish whether it is wood hitting wood, rock hitting rock, or some other source? Has that ever been tested before?

[norseman]

 

[Incorrigible1]

 

Oh, wait. WOOD knockers. My bad.

Edited November 1, 2017 by Incorrigible1

[wiiawiwb]

My dear, are those your lovely wood knockers?  Nice ash too....