For me anyway to build a box call. Greg M mentioned the many factors involved with building turkey calls, phew, you can say that again. So this got me thinking. As most of you know I build box calls and without giving aways any trade secrets, I will list the steps I take to build my box calls. My steps are not proprietary and suspect most of the custom box call builders who build soild body box calls use most of the same steps with a variation of sorts, sequencing, etc., as to how some are achieved. I may miss a small step or two and I never build just one call at a time, but this is essentially what's involved when I build. Note, and I would say on average from the next 20 box calls I build, and even with all the care I take, about 60%-70% of them will work, so typically 6-7 of those 20 call bodies, I always save the lids, never end up leaving my shop and end up in my fireplace. It's the nature of the beast when working with a natural product that has a mind of it's own more times than I care to think about.
Call BODY
Find good wood, not as easy as you think and experience pays off during selection for getting better calls
Mill the wood to length and square it up to prep for key steps later
cut the outside angles
cut and install the inlays
sand inlays
layout checkering
score in the checkering
cut checkering
drawn on radius profile
rough cut profile waste on band saw
cut radius smooth with preferred method
layout screw/spring holes and sound chamber
drill screw/spring holes
cut out sound chamber with preferred method
cut relief in ends
select base wood
mill base stock to size
cut out mortise
round over edges as desired
glue body to base
when dry trim to length
cut 45 degree corners
sand 45 degree corners and sand ends
cut in screws straight
sand sides of body
start to thin down sound rails with preferred method
in prep for tuning
round over sound rails
Add finish to the body
LID/PADDLE
select wood
decide on preferred grain orientation
mill lid stock to size
create radius with preferred method
Layout handle design
cut out handle design
sand handle shape, top surface and radius surface
cut in and install inlays
sand inlays
layout checkering
cut checkering
layout screw hole
drill screw hole
final sand lid as preferred
add finish to the lid
Chalk lid, put lid and body together and start tuning as needed.
Hope to hell it runs and talks turkey!
