Call Makers News was developed by an avid sportsman and duck call maker with the intention of providing helpful information to all call making enthusiasts.    The information contained within this site reveals pictorial and video step by step instructions for making a duck call as well as listing various suppliers within the call industry, national events, game call forums and links to other call makers websites.

We also have a tool discussions section where we provide extensive product reviews on the various tools that are used in making a duck call or goose call.  They are graded on durability and practicality with the call maker in mind.  Our shop talk section contains “how to” information regarding the different steps of making a duck call or goose call.  This section also contains a step by step pictorial and video instructions on how to make a duck call.

We welcome any idea’s or suggestions for the content of this site.  Please feel free to contact us!

BANDSAW

My Powermatic bandsaw came with a 4” dust collection port built into the back of the unit.  While it catches a lot of the dust and debris from the materials that I use in making a duck call, it does not catch it all.  As you will notice in the pictures I added a Stay Put Hose Kit and Stay Put Hose Bracket so that I can now capture a lot more that comes from the blade area on the top of the table.  This works great and I am well pleased.  I have also seen pictures where the hose was installed on the back of the bandsaw and the Stay Put Hose was routed over the top and down beside the blade.  This will also work but be sure to purchase an extra Stay Put Hose Bracket.

DRILL PRESS

Like all drill presses, my Powermatic drill press did not come with any dust collection hook ups.  I added the same Stay Put Hose Kit and Stay Put Hose bracket that I used on my bandsaw.  This eliminates virtually 99% of the dust and debris that are generated while I am boring the holes into the body and insert of a duck call.

SANDERS

As you can tell, I really like having several sanders with various grit belts and pads when sanding the duck call.  I have the dust collection designed so that I can restrict or increase vacuum pressure to each machine.

DUST COLLECTOR

I have been making duck calls for many years and in the past was limited to a small dust collector that only had one port.  Therefore I would have to disconnect the hose from the unit every time I used a separate machine.  Once my new shop was built, I researched every dust collection system known and finally landed on the CV 1800 LH 1P Cyclone Bundle with Filters from Clear Vue Cyclones.  If I had it to do over again I would purchase the exact same system!  It is powered by a 5 HP Leeson motor and has a 6” inlet that reduces down to the standard 4” at the machine.  It definitely has more than enough suction!  The folks at Clear Vue are awesome to deal with and were available by email and phone anytime I needed assistance.  I highly recommend them!

I start by cutting my blank to a length of 3″.  I will actually only be using 2 13/16″ of the blank for the barrel, but I like to leave plenty of room to take my parting tool and square up the ends while it is mounted on my lathe.

The 3″ long blank is now mounted into my vise and I drill a 1/2″ hole all the way through the center of the blank.

I use a 1/2″ mandrel to mount the blank onto and mount it into my collet chuck.

The blank is now mounted onto the 1/2″ mandrel.

I measure the outside of the 12 guage shell head in order to know what size to turn the blank down to.

The blank is turned down to the size of the shell head.

Measure the length of the head in order to determine the size of the tenon that needs to be cut.

Measure the inside of the head in order to determine the tenon size needed.

The tenon has been cut on the blank.

Two shallow grooves have been cut in the tenon in order to add strength when the glue is applied.

Sand the barrel using 600 grit first and them proceeding to 800 grit.  I always stop the lathe and sand lengthwise to the barrel after each grit.

Barrel after sanding is complete.

I use Medium CA glue as a finish on all of my wood calls.  Note that this one is “odorless”.

I cut Bounty paper towels into small strips and fold them several times to use as an applicator for the CA glue.

This is the CA accelerator that I spray on the barrel after each coat of CA.  It dries the glue instantly.

The CA glue is now being applied to the barrel.

The CA finish has now been applied to the barrel.  I used 6 coats on this one.  Notice the marks that is left from applying the CA with the paper towel… No Worries as once it is wet sanded, they will disappear!

The barrel has now been finished with CA glue and is now ready to be wet sanded.

I use the plastic finishing kit for pen turners that contains perfect size pads for wet sanding.  Each color on the pads represents a different grit.  They range from 300 grit to 12000 mm.  Caution:  Do Not apply any excessive pressure to the pads when sanding.  Let the pads do the work?  Also, only use them for a brief amount of time and keep them wet!

One Step Plastic Polish is what I use for polishing.

Apply One Step and polish using a small soft cloth.

The polish is complete and I have lightly sanded the tenon area in order for the glue to adhere better.

Wood duck reed assembly.

Reed assembly being placed into the barrel.

I use a 1/2″ wooden dowel to press the reed assembly into the barrel.

Reed assembly pressed into the barrel.  Note: the distance that the assembly is pressed into the barrel will affect the tone.

The shotgun shell that I typically use.

The casing is placed into the vise.

I use a hacksaw in order to cut the head from the hull.

The inside view of the head after it has been cut.

Using a punch to remove the primer.

Inside view after the primer has been removed.

I use a carving knife to cut the tube in four places as shown below.

Cutting the tube in four places.

The tube has four slits cut in it for removal purposes.

I drill holes in the cushion in order to make the removal process easier.

Holes drilled into the cushion.

Insert needle nose pliers into holes in cushion as noted in above picture, hold the head in one hand and while gripping the pliers in the other hand, twist on remove the cushion.

The cushion is now removed from the head.

Head ready to be mounted onto the barrel.  I use 300 grit sandpaper to scuff the inside surface and the apply Medium CA glue to the inside of the head and a small amount into the grooves cut in the tenon.

I press fit the head onto the barrel.

Finished product.

]]> http://callmakersnews.com/shop-talk/how-to-make-a-duck-whistle/feed/ 0 http://callmakersnews.com/tool-discussions/duck-call-making-too/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=duck-call-making-too http://callmakersnews.com/tool-discussions/duck-call-making-too/#comments Thu, 20 Jan 2011 01:08:30 +0000 http://callmakersnews.com/?p=566 [continue reading...]]]> There are several duck call making tools available to secure your duck call blank for turning.   I own several mandrels that work great, however I find that the  #2MT Alignment Tool works best for me  especially when I turn acrylic game calls.  It allows me the ability to install and remove the blank quickly and easily.  I also use a 60 degree bull nose live center mounted in the tail stock to securely position the blank onto the #2MT Alignment Tool.  Here are a couple of pictures of the tool that is secured into the headstock of my Jet Mini Lathe:

Here are a couple of pictures of the duck call barrel positioned into place and ready for turning:

Here is a picture of two #2MT Alignment Tools that I have.  The one in the top of the picture is one that I cut short in order to use it for polishing the inside of the barrel.  This allows me to reach further into the barrel.  The one in the bottom of the picture is the standard #2MT Alignment Tool:

The final picture shows the acrylic duck call barrel mounted onto the #2MT Alignment Tool and ready for sanding and polishing:

]]> http://callmakersnews.com/tool-discussions/duck-call-making-too/feed/ 0 http://callmakersnews.com/shop-talk/make-duck-call/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=make-duck-call http://callmakersnews.com/shop-talk/make-duck-call/#comments Sun, 16 Jan 2011 01:46:15 +0000 http://callmakersnews.com/?p=535 [continue reading...]]]> Learning how to make a duck call is something that is constantly gaining the interest of many wood turners, duck hunters and outdoor sportsmen.  This art has been around for many years and while a lot of the techniques still remain the same or similar, there are also a lot of options available when selecting the material or the tools that are used.  I have listed a lot of sources in our Suppliers Directory.

The most widely used material in the beginning was what I refer to as “common wood”.  This was wood that was readily available from the natural surroundings of the call makers such as Oak, Cherry, Cedar and Persimmon just to name a few.  Today there are a lot of exotic woods that are being used frequently for turning calls.  African Blackwood, Bocote, Cocobolo and Purple Heart are just a few of the many that are readily available.

Acrylic is being widely used today for a lot of the duck calls whether they are handmade by a callmaker or manufactured by a major call company.  They great thing about both acrylic and wood is that you are able to use the same tools for turning both of them.  In this video tutorial, I use acrylic along with a Sorby round nose scraper, skew chisel and parting tool.

While learning how to make a duck call does require practice,  this video tutorial will give you a great start!

• Your Name
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• Material(s) that you used in making your duck call or goose call

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As you will notice in the video below, I used The Little Torch by Smith and started on the end of the duck call barrel closest to the lathe headstock/4 jaw chuck.  I held the torch tip just close enough so that the blue tip of the flame touched the duck call barrel.  Once I started, I continued to the end of the barrel using a steady and constant speed.  I then barely touched the torch tip to the end of the barrel in order to polish it and then proceeded to polish the inside, again using a steady and constant speed.

I have also included a picture of an acrylic duck call barrel after it was flame polished.  Again, the video tutorial below shows the entire acrylic flame polishing process.  More information regarding The Little Torch by Smith can be viewed in our “Tool Discussions” section.

Duck hunting is and equipment intensive sport.  This book will tell you what you need in the way of shotguns and shells, decoys, duck calls, blinds, boats, clothing, accessories and even hunting dogs.  Then, it will thoroughly explain how to put this equipment to the best use.

The highlight of this book is the section on duck hunting techniques.  Unlike any other duck hunting book available, this one shows you exactly what to do in a wide variety of specific situations, from hunting puddle ducks on potholes to divers on big water.  It explains how to set your decoys and place your blind according the the wind and what guns and ammunition to use.  It also gives you some technique and equipment oriented tips that are sure to make your hunt more enjoyable and successful.

As long as we have an abundance of water and good nesting cover, duck populations should continue to flourish.  It doesn’t matter if you are a newcomer anxious to enjoy some exciting wing shooting, a veteran waterfowler who gave up the sport or a die hard who stuck with it, this book is designed to be used as your guide to the new world of duck hunting.

The Complete Hunter Duck Hunting

Guide-Tested Techniques for Taking All of the Important North American Duck Species

The history and evolution of the American duck call is a culmination of over twenty years of collecting and research on the subject.  Duck Calls-An Enduring American Folk Art presents photographs and advertisements on a scale never before undertaken of calls and their makers from past and present.  This book presents  this craft as a true American Folk Art form.

No one knows exactly who invented the first duck call or when and where it was constructed. Howard Harlan and W. Crew Anderson, coauthors of Duck Calls: An Enduring American Folk Art, discovered what may be the first evidence of their existence in an 1854 Nathaniel Currier art print, in which a dapper sportsman is depicted with a primitive tongue-pincher-style call tucked in his breast pocket. In 1863, Fred Allen of Monmouth, Illinois, is believed to have fashioned the first modern-appearing duck call, consisting of a barrel, stopper, and internal reed assembly. A few decades later, another early master, Victor Glodo, developed a more effective design, which he put to good use as a market hunter on Tennessee’s Reelfoot Lake. Over time, many individuals experimented with and improved upon these early prototypes. Another major innovation occurred in 1957, when Texans Jim Fernandez and George Yentzen patented the first double-reed duck call.

The evolution of the modern duck call continues today, as call making has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry. While many call makers now mass produce their wares in state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, others continue to painstakingly fashion calls by hand, upholding the grand traditions of their craft. Visit your local sporting goods retailer and you are likely to find a plethora of duck calls made of almost every conceivable material, from traditional woods to space-age acrylics.