I am in the process of setting up my workshop for the purpose of making box calls, and I have a bunch of questions for y'all. So far, I have a belt/disk sander, drill press, band saw and bench saw. It is my intention to experiment with solid 1-piece boxes as well as multi-piece glue-ups. I'm just on the front end of the learning curve.
One thing I've been messing with is a solid block of red cedar I pulled out of the woods this fall. I know for a fact that I felled the tree in 2008, and it had been just laying there beneath one of my treestands all that time. Just for grins, I brought it back to the house and started working on it. I reduced it to a 4.5"X4.5"X2'block last weekend, and I am frankly amazed at the quality of the wood. My plan for this is to reduce it to 2"X2" blanks this weekend and use this as my initial practice wood, saving any really good bits for later.
My thought here is that I own 150-some acres of mixed hickory oak savanah with lot of red cedar around the edges. It's a lifetime of wood if I can find a way to turn it into workable sizes. I also have 150-year old barns that can yield a lot of raspy barnwood.
For practice, I also bought a bunch of fixings from CustomSawing.com-- 2X2 poplar blanks, some walnut, and cherry lid,etc. They also have a kit that produces 4 box calls. I got that as well.
So here are a bunch of questions from a 30-some year hunter and a newbie call maker. I'm not begging for the secrets of the Universe, just some gentle prods in the right direction. My biggest motivation here is to figure out what is the simplest no-frills design that will get a beginner to a working call.
1) When building a box call, I understand the importance of wall thickness in producing the 2-tone Eeeyawk of the yelp. However, I do not understand how to moderate clear vs. raspy. The few descriptions I've read sound like this is more luck than anything else. Besides the materials selected for the box and lid, are there good ways to achieve a given tonal quality?
2) Ends and bases: On solid calls is there a functional reason for a bottom base or an end block that goes beyond the esthetics of the call? Is there a functional reason for the bottom base to be of some dissimilar wood, or not just notched from the box itself?
3) Every box call seems to have a radius at the top so that the paddle only contacts minimally on the top surface, but could not find any discussions of what radius to use, or what radius moderates. What radius should I use to start? Is there any magic in having a symetrical radius versus asymmetrical?
4) Flat versus tapered sides: Is this difference esthetic or is there a functional reason?
5) Bottom handles: Is there a reason to put a handle on the bottom call?
6) Are there any special considerations in making a long box type call?
7) The top lid/paddle/whatever is always radiused, and the lid is usually around the same size as the opening of the box. Is there any special rules regarding the lid's radius, thickness, or other dimensions or is this a matter of taste?
Glue: what is the best glue to use?
