Question

[awh]

I am going to try a duck call for my boss. He has helped me here lately by letting me off work as needed due to my Sister and mom being sick.
My question is if I get stuck on making this thing would someone give me some tips on how to fix it?

I've duck hunted one time in my life and it ended up costing me two summers worth of work cause I bubbled the barrel on one of Dads custom shotguns. (Wadding got stuck and I shot again  ) And that trip me and Dad didn't use calls. We were in a group of other guys calling. So me and duck hunting are not and have not been eye to eye. But I want to try this to say thank you to him.

Danny

[straycat]

I 'm sure you will get plenty of help on here. These guys are the best about giving help freely.


Ya might want to give customscalls a look also.

[Todd Rahm]

I'm sure they will, but you'll get a better response in hand calls I think.

[awh]

I thought that's where I was at. I get mouse happy and click the wrong buttons...LOl
Maybe Jim can move this over there?

[ninthinning]

In that box of stuff I sent your son there is an old tone board jig.  This is an Arkansas style duck call tone board jig.  The reason I sent it is it is almost a predator call tone board jig.  Check out this post on using the jig:  http://finsandfur.net/forums/index.php?topic=1284.0

For a duck call all you have to do is get a 5/8" wood or plastic dowel and drill a 1/4" hole down the center.  Stop drilling before the end of the dowel as you want your tone channel to go just a little beyond the break in radius and have a nice back wall.  The jig I sent looks a little rough buts its highly functional.  It has a few scars from cutting 100s of tone boards. Put the drilled dowel in the tone board jig and cut with band saw or jig saw.  I use a band saw but its dangerous and bad things can happen fast.  I have used a jig saw and would recommend one if you are working with your boy.  I would use acrylic, snakewood, bloodwood or blackwood for a tone board. 

9th


Many duck call makers turn the insert from a single piece of wood as in this photo.  Other turn seperate tone board and insert.


This call was made by Roger Judd from cedar native to his farm.


Note the tone channel stops before the end of the toneboard.


Jig enables one to get a good cork notch.  Once you have made a rough tone board you can shape it with sand paper and files.  It can be shaped into a coyote howler, duck call or open reed prey in distress depending on how you shape the surface.


Note the marks from the jig.

[awh]

Thanks for the pics Eric. That helps a ton. 

My sis had both kidneys fail over a year ago and Mom had two tumors they found a few months ago. My boss has been very nice as for letting me come & go as needed and he is a big duck hunter. So I figured this would be a good way to say thanks.

On the jig, When we get to tinkering with boards for yotes, will the only difference be drilling the hole all the way? I had to order some 1/8" blades for our bandsaw so it will be easier to make the cuts. Cam will be watching on those till I come up w/ a guard to ensure those little hands can't get in the blade.

[ninthinning]

The difference in a coyote howler and a duck call is pretty subtle.  The howler tone surface is flatter but there are many variables.  No its not a matter of drilling straight through.  Notice the picture of the howler tone board made out of transparent acrylic in the post I mentioned.  That is a howler tone board and it is not drilled straight through.  The length of the air channel affects the length of the reed.  I always end my reeds a couple thousandths beyond the end of the air channel.
Years ago unmodified factory made duck call tone boards are all howler makers had to work with.  The early "duck call howlers" accounted for plenty of fur.


This is an old Herb's Howler.


Herb put a common factory duck call tone board in his howler's and it worked great.  This howler set the standard 25 years ago.


Herb's howler with tone board cover.

[awh]

Got-ya. Thank you for the info and it all makes more sense when you know. I've been looking at that jig and now that you havge tld us all this it is like the light bulb going off. I see and understand everything you said.

Thanks Eric.

Danny

[ninthinning]

Danny,
Looking forward to seeing you and the boys efforts.  You will need rubberized cork and 10 mil mylar. (14 mil for howlers)  If you want I could sent you some.  Resend your address.
9th

[awh]

Thanks Eric. Message sent. First one that turns out has your name on it.

[CypressSlough]

Danny, there's not much else to add to 9th's advice. Just pay attention to the exhaust of the insert. You want a little backpressure but not too much. You want the call to be easy to blow but also have a good range in tone. I make one piece innserts. I bore the tone channel to 1/4" and open the exhaust up to 1/2" with a Uni-Bit. Make sure there are no flat spots through the curve of the tone board. The flatter the curve of the toneboard, the smoother the sound. The more curve towards the end, the raspier the sound. Hope this helps ya,  Brian.

[awh]

Thanks Brian. I'm sure I'll be coming back to this info to read over it several times before this weekends over. You guys need to sit down and write a book. So much knowledge here.