Thursday 28 February 2013
Game Calls #2: Scratch Box Turkey Calls
After posting a few of these neat little calls I thought some other folks might like to know how to make them. They are an easy project and another way to use some of that scrap wood.
The easiest way to make a scratch box is to have a dedicated mortiser set up with a 1/2”cutter but since I don’t have one here is how I do it. If you do have one you can quickly see how to use it to accomplish what I am doing.
I start with a 1 & 5/8”“x4” piece 1/2” thick. I cut out the center on my bandsaw leaving about 3/8” or less for my frame. I cut 1/8” to 3/16” thick pieces for the sides, one side is the same height as the frame and the other is 2” high. The wider piece will be your sound board.
Glue the short side on then smooth the top on your sander, next glue the sound board on. You also need to cut a thin piece to cover the opening on top of the call then sand or cut a slot on the side touching the sound board to let the turkey out. Pay no attention to the GOOP sitting on the table that is for something else. I use Tightbond III to glue these up.
Once everything is glued up all you need to do is go back to the sander for shaping and tuning. The shape is up to you but the tuning is done the same way each time. You thin the sound board to 1/8” or less then using a piece of wood 3/8”x3”x about 1”wide that has been chalked you hold the call upside down and pull the sound board toward you. If the call is too high pitched take a tiny bit more wood off and test again. Do this until the turkey comes out. Go slowly here it is easy to ruin your call at this point.
This is my test stick which is a scrap of cherry I roughly domed and chalked. I use it in the shop since it is easier to hold while testing a lot of calls. When testing the sound board should be on the side away from you as you pull it toward you.
After you have it tuned do a bit of finish sanding and apply whatever finish you like. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Thanks for reading.
Crafty Puzzles
Manfred Stader’s Cup of Coffee
For those of you who never heard of #Manfred Stader, he is one hell of a talented chalk artist. If I remember well, he even turned his talent into a full-time profession – travelling around the world, painting streets with unique chalk drawings that appear 3D if you look at them from certain perspective. Here’s a cup of coffee he did for Costa:
Crafty Puzzles
Answer - Week 9 - Monday - British Mensa
via Crafty Puzzles http://www.mensa.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=2656
Mensa Brainteaser - Week 9 - Thursday - British Mensa
via Crafty Puzzles http://www.mensa.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=2655