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Homemade duck calls

Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:34 pm
by waterdoc
Does anyone make their own duck calls. I making some just looking for folks doing the same.

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 3:09 am
by eldorado
I've made a few....out of about 100 toneboards, only a handful were keepers.

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 7:34 pm
by willowbrake
Just finished making my second one out of cocobolla. toneboard is a beast of a project. :roll:

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 8:36 am
by deeksdown
i turn my own calls... willowbrake i hunt in isola, so if you ever want me to come by and help you out on some of your techniques let me know.

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 5:09 pm
by grant_c
yeah we got more barrels than i can count but only about six decent tone boards :/ I'm fairly new to all this but once I get a tone board that sounds awesome enough to the point that people are offering me 200 hundred bucks for it, is there any way I can get a jig made to the measurements and shape of that particular tone board?

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 8:17 pm
by deeksdown
you can make your own jigs to start off with out of a very hard wood.. just build a toneboard the once you get it where you like it file the jig down to the toneboard.. just take small strokes off of it and go slow.. once you feel certain you got the jig/toneboard where you want, send it off to get a jig made. webfootcustoms make some excellent jigs but they are expensive.. unless you got a real good machinist available. i had mine made at work for me.

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 8:19 pm
by eldorado
grant_c wrote:.....is there any way I can get a jig made to the measurements and shape of that particular tone board?
Get in touch with Wade at Webfoot Custom Calls.

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 9:21 pm
by willowbrake
cool deeksdown, i have a jig on order and will let you know how it goes. finally got a quack of a handmade toneboard, that was seriously satisfying! :lol:

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 9:32 pm
by grant_c
awesome, thanks fellas, I've got a jig I use now just would be impossible to file it down because its hardened metal, about all it's good for is getting the right shape, then it takes a good hour of sanding, filing, and stressing a little till I get that right sound

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:54 pm
by LawDawg
I make my own. they do alright.

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:03 pm
by swamprooter
I make a longer tongue Arkansas style. I like exotic woods and short drill tone channel to produce a squeaky, skawlky, whiney,bouncing call that "locks" up for most. Always trying to make a call sound like a duck instead of a RichNtone!

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 10:00 am
by grant_c
is there any preferable wood yall use for your tone board? We just got one made out of persimon because it was just some scrap we had and it actually sounds awesome. We got some African black wood but don't want to have to toss it if we screw up so for now I'm just experimenting with left over wood and stuff that isn't a loss if I mess it up.

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 10:16 am
by swamprooter
I like cocobola,hedge,African blackwood,and cedar! Yes cedar..if you can tune one raspy .....it's money.. Cocobolo is toxic to some on skin contact which you probably know. Walnut is a very servable wood too. I like to line my grain vertical to a horizontal reed. Ligna vita is a favorite too.

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 10:27 am
by grant_c
yeah we use a lot of cocobola, but the cedar I've never tried turning! I bet it looks pretty, I'm going to have to try it now. I didn't know cocobola as toxic to some's skin though, hopefully no one will come back saying our call made their lips swell or nothing crazy like that

Re: Homemade duck calls

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 6:42 pm
by donia
grant_c wrote:..... I didn't know cocobola as toxic to some's skin though, hopefully no one will come back saying our call made their lips swell or nothing crazy like that

i thought it was more the "turner" in danger of the toxic effects and not the end user, once sealed...but i guess once you wear through the sealant, you're touching wood...

i'm assuming one would quickly know if they were affected by the toxicants?