A friendly gentleman and call maker, Jack Wright, told me that he prefers natural air dry woods because it doesn't disrupt the cells in wood. Unfortunately, I have relied mostly on Kiln dried wood because it is easily accessible. However, is there a reputable or commonly used lumber source for box call makers? I am only interested in butternut, cherry, and walnut. To date, I have relied on Bell Forest and Woodcraft. With regard to air dry woods, what does this process involve? Any advice greatly appreciated.
it is not a fast solution but try buying directly from a sawmill and air dry it yourself. Most times you need to contact the mill and ask when they are sawing the species you want and they will pull a few boards before putting them into the kiln. I needed a few pieces of green maple for a bending project and the sawyer was great about it. I needed some 1/4 sawn and while flat cutting he pulled the center boards which are 1/4 sawn by default. I needed some green flamed maple and he snagged that too. WHne pulled off the saw the price is generally a bit less. Sometimes the mill has some stacks of wood air drying before hitting the kiln and these can be gone through which is great since you can often find the grain you are looking for..
Thanks for taking time to respond. I will explore this.
You got the right information from the "Wright" gentleman....Mr. Jack is an accomplished call maker and wonderful man. He is correct to tell you that kiln dried woods often lose their "quality" for sound because of the cell change up due to the molecular shifting process created by heat....when quickly applied. Air dried woods have been the call makers choice for years, I buy mine in their green state and dry them myself, or sometimes you can pick some up on ebay, I always type in "air dried" in my search for wood. Jack "pappy" Lewis
I air dry all my wood I use to make self bows with. I just make sure to remove the bark and seal the ends of the wood as soon as it is cut. Keeps it from checking. Drying wood to fast will make it check. That said, I am storing up plenty of local wood to try my hand at making my own calls. I have cedar, wild cherry, hickory, walnut, maple and osage curing to use.
Jeff