Anyone make their own calls?

[Talondale]

I'm making a couple scratch box calls I saw on a "how to" thread on another site, for two friends. They are made out of osage and apple I cut myself.These are fairly simple designs, hollowed box,glued lid with a slot cut on the side. Yousand the bottom of the boxand use a striker like on slate, oryou can rub a piece of wood on the lip of the lid.

(Credit for the pic goes to 4nolz on the other site)

I'm looking to make a paddle call for my Dad and I. Anyone make their own? Anyone want to post a "how to"?

[quiksilver]

Dale - I make my own strikers. You can buy different kinds of dowel online, and I just randomly glue 'em together with corn cobs, chunks of wood, etc...

I've tried to make my own calls, but the only thing I ever had any luck with was a plain, round disk of slate that I just cup my hand around. It was cut and sanded out of an old slate shingle. Sounds really good. No woodwork req'd.

I made a turtle shell call too - looks nice but sounds terrible. I just can't get any noise out of it. It's so quiet.

I'm a total hack when it comes to stuff like that. I'm as crafty as Oprah is thin.

[Nolehoe]

I make my own box calls and have experimented on some strikers.

[mj23]

I made my first wingbone call last year. I was really more focused on making it correctly than I was making it pretty, but it did turn out really neat looking and sounds great. My hunting buddie and I scored a double on opening day at the same time out of our blind. So I made him one two while I was at it. Of course mine looks better. They ended up being slightly different in tone so I'm hoping he did practice as much as he says. Mine is already in my vest for this weekend when the season will FINALLY be here!

[MKMGOBL]

I make & sell mouth calls link below to my site. After this season is over and call salesslow down, I plan on setting up my shop and turning pot calls/ strikers / crow call barrels / owl call barrelsand deer grunt barrels as well.

[mauser06]

ive made my own slate and glass calls in shop class back in HS. heres some pics of the calls i made...the glass call is out of commission...i broke the glass a couple times and never got aroung to a new piece...i used pieces of dowel rods to hold up my sound board and glued in the glass and popped it back out to adjust the dowle rod piecesand broke it a few times...just tryin to get that sweet sound...both calls sound good...the slate class has nothing underneath...it sounds decint though..thats a pic of my first turkey on the soundboard of the glass call




the green stained strikers i made by hand..they were AWESOME. think the solide green was cherry and the 2 piece was black walnut. i lost them BOTH[:@] the other 2 i made in shop class...the teacher wouldnt let me turn them down any thinner...said they would fly from the lathe...so they were useless...


i still make a few strikers every year...i started by using JUST a knife to whittle down hunks of wood id let dry. man that stunk. i got some good sounding and decint looking strikers through...then i got smart...i now use a old beat up crappy knife as a wedge and break down my piece of wood till its almost the diameter of my striker...then i use my dremel to lay out the rough shape. hard to explain but i can pop out a nice striker within an hour from a solid log. i use only the inside wood of solid logs. when getting firewood in the summer and fall ill find nice pieces that i like and throw them inside on a shelf to dry out till this time of year...then ill turn them into strikers

got some black walnut, butternut and oak to work with this year...for some reason i dont think i saved any cherry to use...oh well ill save some for next season...ill be workin on finishing them up this weekend

[learningturkeys]

I've made box calls for a few years now, nothing pretty but all functional. In fact I've never purchased a box call and I have about 15 now, all sound different and I think that is a good thing. If you would like to try to make your own, I can point you in the right direction.

[JW]

I make wingbone calls and also make bone pot strikers......

JW

[Hook]

I make box calls out of cypress, sassafras, cedar, butternut.walnut, black cherry
Friction calls...slate, aluminum, crystal..Strikers hickory, bloodwood, sassafras, walnut. carbon arrow sections
Box turtle shell slate calls
Wing bone calls

[Talondale]

Here's my first scratch box call.



It's an apple top and striker and osage bottom. The striker hadn't been finish sanded and sealed. I used Tung Oil for seal on both. No stains. Needs a little tweaking and the lip doesn't make a good sound but the bottom does well.