Handmade Box Calls

[hunter22]

I see this phrase used a lot and see it advertised on some callmakers websites. I am real curious what this means to you? I am definitely "Old School" and I think of a handmade box call as one that has been chiseled out by hand, sanded, hand checkered, and finished. But with today's technology there are machines out there that basically do all these steps for you. The parts are put together and the call is tuned by the callmaker. The checkering is done by a machine. I know calls like this can be turned out in great numbers whereas calls that you can see a series of drill marks in the bottom of the box are truly made one at a time. I am not trying to say one is superior to the other, but just trying to understand what is "Handmade" by todays' standards.   

[davisd9]

My boxes by Wendell Lancaster are all dug out by hand and pretty sure his checkering is as well.  Not sure about the whole box, but I know he takes a lot of time creating the sound chamber and tuning the box.

[Spur806]

All my boxes are done by hand, and the checkering is done by hand, a friend of mine got a cnc router, and I let him try cutting some checkering, and it just looks to machine done, it doesn't have the definition, or the look and feel of a box done by hand

[Turkeyman62]

An easy way to tell if the checkering is done by hand. Look at the corners of the checkering, if square done by hand. If rounded done by a router.

[hunter62]

All mine are hand carved hand finished hand checkered hand tuned im not so sure there is a todays' standard . 

[CMBOSTC]

I think of a handmade box call as one that has been chiseled out by hand, sanded, hand checkered, and finished.   

Agreed!

Chris
Gobble, Gobble... "BOOM"!

[callmakerman]

Not sure how or what you learn about building and tuning a box call if a machine does all the work. Plus I would think there's no fun in doing it. JMO

[American Strutter]

Handmade is the soundboards are chiseled are sanded down to the callmakers liking, all cut from a block of wood. Forstner bits are sometimes used to hollow out the inside vs. a chisel. Old school chisel and knife all the way like Mr. Whitt, but being younger I go with the Forstner bit route. I have all the respect in the world for the Carving knide and chisel, because I don't have that much patience.. If they are checkered on the sides, then typically you wouldn't checker the sides with the chasis hollowed out because you could crack the sound boards. So usually the checkering is a sign of work gone in before the call maker hollows out the chasis. That's how I do it anyways.. More than one way to skin a cat though.

[hunter22]

American Strutter--- Those look really good. Thanks for your reply. It looks like a box call can be made by a callmaker anywhere from using a chisel and knife all the way to a CNC machine and checkering machine. I guess they are all "handmade". Some just a lot more hand and less machine than others.

[Kevin6Q]

For me, machines are fine if they are guided by a human's hand.  What level of handmade is up for debate. Is using a bandsaw okay when a knife can be used to carve a shape? CNC is really great and it takes a really good machinist to set them up to produce a good product so the human element is never gone. Having said this, a CNC can run as long as the power bill is paid and the materials are supplied. Mass production satisfies most of the population which is perfectly fine if they enjoy whatever the activity.

The artisan looks for something special and appreciated the last fer percentage points  added by the handmade touch. The product is irrelevant and it doesn't matter if it is fine cigars, rare scotch, wine, beer, cars, clothing, or a call; the end user who appreciates fine details and the almost indescribable nuances of a product can understand the desire for  the value added of the human craftsman who puts a bit of magic into their art. For most, maybe 99%, the mass production is more then enough and this 99% can't tell the difference. Yes, I am a bit of a snob.

[callmakerman]

For me, machines are fine if they are guided by a human's hand.  What level of handmade is up for debate. Is using a bandsaw okay when a knife can be used to carve a shape? CNC is really great and it takes a really good machinist to set them up to produce a good product so the human element is never gone. Having said this, a CNC can run as long as the power bill is paid and the materials are supplied. Mass production satisfies most of the population which is perfectly fine if they enjoy whatever the activity.

The artisan looks for something special and appreciated the last fer percentage points  added by the handmade touch. The product is irrelevant and it doesn't matter if it is fine cigars, rare scotch, wine, beer, cars, clothing, or a call; the end user who appreciates fine details and the almost indescribable nuances of a product can understand the desire for  the value added of the human craftsman who puts a bit of magic into their art. For most, maybe 99%, the mass production is more then enough and this 99% can't tell the difference. Yes, I am a bit of a snob.

Well said.

[M Sharpe]

If you had a tree in your yard that needed cutting down, would you use:

A) an axe

B) a cross-cut saw

C) a chainsaw

So, you are saying some guys hollow out the entire trough of the box with just a chisel, start to finish? How do they keep the grain from running and gouging deeper into the sides??

I don't really care how a guy gets the meat out of a call. The call still has to be tuned. I have played some that I thought were just hollowed out, lid screwed on and called a turkey call though. You ever thought about the reason a Gibson looks the way it does?  Pretty simple looking because it is one of the oldest calls. I've seen a few calls that were totally hand made and I can assure you they did not have the quality of sound that we enjoy today. Mabe one of the reasons you don't see that series of holes in the bottom of the call is tha call maker has ground that point off his forstner bit because it's not needed in a drill press. Many that I know use a drill press, bandsaw, table saw, sanders, cordless drills and a series of jigs to make their calls. After hollowing out the inside with the bits, then the chisel is used to reome the excess.

Wonder how they get the correct radius on those lids without flat spots in them???

[hunter22]

Mark,

Maybe the term "Handmade" is a misnomer in this case and a better description would be "Handcrafted". I guess I am so old that these two terms have totally different meanings to me. Both have the human touch, one just uses a lot more technology.

[strutnrut]

Who hand chisels out their box calls now days.  Is this a thread about CNC vs. Calls built one at a time with some tools, ie. drill, sander, planner and does the term handmade include CNC cut boxes.
This is one of those question that comes out every year about this time. 

Calls build one at a time or a call that has been cut on a CNC machine it's a personal preference. I consider my calls handmade with the help of some equipment. Some equipment electrial some not.  I try not to get bend around the apple tree over the term handmade.
If I had to define calls IMHO; There really is 4 type of calls
OLD Calls (built completely by hand with rasp, chisels and handsaw) very old mostly
Handmade (built one at a time with or without electrial tools)
CNC (set of measurement and number developed by the callmaker feed into a automated machine to produce a specific unfinished shape/box)
Mass Produced (machine or machines designed to perform all step of manufacturing with minial labor) 

[hunter22]

Richard,

Let me say upfront I know very little about woodworking. I am just trying to understand what callmakers like yourself consider handmade. Are calls that are made with a milling machine and/or CNC and checkered with a machine handmade in your opinion? I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. Technology is a wonderful thing. I know today's callmakers can turn out so many more calls than they could in the old days.