Mostly Archery with dustyvarmint » Turkey Calls

DIY – Turkey Call Striker

dustyvarmint — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:56:31 +0000

By Jerry Long, February 13, 2011

Long overdue, this week’s post covers how to make a striker for your turkey call.

Two recent dustyvarmint woodwork’s calls with strikers.

For the sake of brevity there are a lot of details missing. If you have questions, ask. I have no secrets.

Safety – Make sure you practice safety in the shop including eye, ear, respiratory and body part safety practices.

I start with some 1″ thick wood, poplar here, and rip it to 1″ wide on my table saw. I mark the center of the end and tap it with an awl for better centering on the tailstock live center.

I mount it in my PSI Barracuda chuck and bring up the tailstock.

dv’s Time-Out Corner: Strikers can be turned on a spur drive. However, deflection (the spinning wood bouncing away and then back into the gouge’s cutting edge) at the transition from fat to skinny, or top to bottom, caused me to break a number of them. This occurred even with sharp tools. Having a broken striker come flying off the lathe at me wasn’t much fun. I’ve not broken a single striker since switching to a jaw chuck.

I rough it with a 3/4″ roughing gouge.

I mark it according to my spec sheet, size it in with the parting tool and verify the measurement with calipers. Determine your sizes by your preference or using a commercial sample.

I finish the top with a 3/8″ detail gouge.

I size in the bottom a little more and will begin turning the bottom end. I do this in stages as I’ll start to encounter deflection the smaller the diameter becomes.

With my detail gouge I turn the bottom of the balance and verify measurements.

I round over the top end. Then I get out the turner’s friend, sandpaper, and smooth everything out.

I use a story stick to lay out some decorative lines.

I score the lines with a skew and then burn them in with some florist wire.

*Caution *Caution *Caution – Never, ever wrap the wire around your fingers and always wear eye protection. You could lose fingers if the wire gets caught up on the striker or lathe. Use dowels as handles and hold very slightly with finger tips.

I add some sanding sealer. I keep all finish 1″ from the end using tape. I used to use Myland’s Melamine Lacquer as a sealer, which I really liked, but I couldn’t find it locally and the hazardous material shipping charge made it too expensive. So, I switched to Deft thinned 50% with lacquer thinner which works well.

I cut the top and bottom waste off at the bandsaw.

I sand the nub on the top down with some 150 grit on the belt sander.

I form a rounded tip on the end with the belt sander.

Here I give the top a little TLC with sand paper, refine the rounded tip with some 100 grit and then 60 grit sand paper and add two coats of sanding sealer to the top. The striker is now ready for 2-3 coats of Custom Oil matte gun stock finish (available from Brownell’s).

happy call making, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:

Feedback, Questions & Comments

I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions. Please leave them below.

Subscribe

Like this blog? Want to be notified of updates? Subscribe via RSS feed by clicking here.

Subscribe in a reader

Follow on FaceBook

Judging An NWTF Turkey Calling Contest

dustyvarmint — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:05:16 +0000

By Jerry Long, April 14, 2010

Tune in to the Up North Journal where we discuss my participation as a judge in a recent National Wild Turkey Federation sanctioned turkey calling contest.

I recently had the privilege of participating as a judge in a NWTF sanctioned turkey calling contest. As I told my Regional Director, “It was an awesome experience.” In Episode 155, available for download directly from the site or via iTunes, of the Up North Journal podcast Mike interviews me about how it was conducted and shares some interviews from participants.

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:

Feedback, Questions & Comments

I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions. Please leave them below.

Subscribe

Like this blog? Want to be notified of updates? Subscribe via RSS feed by clicking here

How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call Part 3

dustyvarmint — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:31:15 +0000

Part Three of a Three Part Series

This is the final part of a three part series on making the “pot” portion of your own turkey friction call. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. There will be another series on making the striker.

Safety
Be sure to follow all eye, ear, and body part control safety precautions when working in the shop.

15) I’ve formed the rim, sanded from 150-220 and marked some lines for grooves I’ll cut with the skew and burn in with some wire. Then I sand to 320. I’ve also applied two coats of cellulose sanding sealer to the inside.

16) I flipped the blank over on the screw chuck and turned it to final thickness with a bowl gouge. When I’m finished with the thickness I’ll round the edge, sand from 150-320 and apply two coats of cellulose sanding sealer.

17) I’ve marked the hole pattern with a template. I use a forstner bit and two step process for clean holes. First I drill all holes from the outside so that just the tip of the bit is through. Then I flip the blank and drill through from the outside.

18) I drill the pedestal out with a forstner bit to the same depth as the inside bottom of the pot.

19) I’ve signed the bottom with an India Ink Pen (see picture further down). I clamp the pots by the pedestal, spray them with Custom Oil matte finish and place them upright in a can to dry. Once dry I’ll steel wool them, blow them off and then repeat. Tip – I don’t wear gloves when finishing so I wash my hands with cooking oil and then soap. The cooking oil neutralizes the finish and gives me smooooth hands.

20) I’ve applied Goop or Household Glue to the pedestal, inserted the CLEANED sound board and clamped it with an expensive can of beans. I check the sound board a couple of times to make sure it hasn’t slid to one side before it dries.

21) I’ve applied Goop or Household Glue to the surface lip, inserted the CLEANED surface, giving it a slight twist and clamped it with another expensive bean clamp.

And that is it. I made about forty-five pots before I settled on a design and sound I was happy with.

Resources:

Custom Calls Online – Forums, supplies, etc.

Turning Custom Duc k and Game Calls by Ed Glenn and Greg Keats

Stumpy Glassman stumpyglassman@yahoo.com - Glass and Slate.

Brownell’s – Custom Oil Gun Stock Finish

Bud & Betty Game Calls How To Build a Friction Call DVD

happy hunting turning, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:

Feedback, Questions & Comments

I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions. Please leave them below.

Subscribe

Like this blog? Want to be notified of updates? Subscribe via RSS feed by clicking here.

Subscribe in a reader

Follow on FaceBook

How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call Part 2

dustyvarmint — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:00:21 +0000

Part Two of a Three Part Series

This is part 2 of a three part series on making the “pot” portion of your own turkey friction call. You can find Part 1 here. There will be another series on making the striker.

Safety
Be sure to follow all eye, ear, and body part control safety precautions when working in the shop.

I use a large washer as a template for my pedestal. I’ve marked it out here.

9) Here I’m using the parting tool to form the pedestal.

10) The surface lip is formed here and the pedestal is starting to take shape. It is important to get the pedestal down below the surface lip. Several times I have cut the surface lip over and over and it still doesn’t fit flush with the outside rim only to discover the pedestal was still in place. I’m also removing more material between the wall and the pedestal with the bowl gouge.

11) I’m measuring the distance from the top of the sound board to the bottom of the surface lip. Notice the masking tape handle on the sound board so I don’t drop and break it. You can also see a lot more of the material between the pedestal and the walls has been removed.

12) As I get deeper around the pedestal I’ll switch to a 1/8″ parting tool to “hog” out the wood. I used to use a square scraper, but it was just one more tool to sharpen.

13) I’ve turned the wall near its final thickness with a 3/8″ detail gouge and I’m checking final wall thickness.

14) I mark the measurements for a finger groove and cut it.

Conclusion

That completes the second episode.

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:

Feedback, Questions & Comments

I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions. Please leave them below.

Subscribe

Like this blog? Want to be notified of updates? Subscribe via RSS feed by clicking here.

Subscribe in a reader

Follow on FaceBook

How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call

dustyvarmint — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:40:49 +0000

First of a Three Part Series

This is the first of a three part series on making the “pot” portion of your own turkey friction call. There will be another series on making the striker.

Terminology

First off, I don’t like the name “friction call”. Box calls, scratch boxes and pots and strikers (what I am making here), among others, are all friction calls. Similarly, “slates” don’t cover it all either. There are crystal, glass, aluminum, copper, slate and other surfaces available. Here I’ll refer to them as “pots and strikers”.

Secrecy

I think it is illegal to share these instructions in several southeastern states, so please keep the contents of the following to yourself.

Safety
Be sure to follow all eye, ear, and body part control safety precautions when working in the shop.

Tools

Following is a list of tools I use. You will have to decide what is right for you.

Tablesaw – ripping blanks
Mitre saw - crosscutting blanks
Bandsaw – cutting blanks round
Compass - marking blank sizes
Drill press – center holes, sound holes, pedestal holes
Lathe – turning pots
Screw chuck – mounting pots
3/8” detail gouge – turning pots
¼” bowl gouge – turning pots
1/8” parting tool – turning pots
Drill bits – center holes
Forstner bits – sound holes, pedestal holes
Caliper – fine measuring
Ruler – rough measuring
Sandpaper – smoothing out the pots
Spring clamps – holding pots for finishing
Empty soup cans – holding pots for finishing
Full soup cans – “weights” for clamping

In the interest of brevity the following is a little short on detail. Ask if you have questions – I have no secrets. The instructions would be the same whether one used glass, crystal, slate, aluminum, or whatever surface one wanted.

1) I cut the blanks out on the bandsaw.

2) I drill out the center using a drill bit that fits the rod size of my screw chuck. There are three chucks pictured here – on the left is a homemade screw chuck fabricated from a 1″ x 8 nut, waste block, and #10 screw inserted; next is a standard face plate with waste block attached and #10 screw inserted; and on the right is a screw chuck available from Penn State Industries with a #14 screw. I use the PSI chuck exclusively.

3) I’ve mounted the chuck and blank on the lathe and trued the diameter with a 3/8″ detail gouge or 1/4″ bowl gouge.

4) I trued the face, marked out 1 3/4″ from the center to the outside and then turned on the lathe to transfer that mark all the way around.

5) I compare the surface to be used against the ring for size. Often, each type of surface will be slightly different in size. Adjust accordingly. Tip – use masking tape to form a handle for your surface. That’ll keep you from dropping and breaking it.

6) I’m using a 1/8″ parting tool to cut in on the line and establish the striking surface shelf. I have also used a 1/4″ bowl gouge to get a little of that center out so I can try the striking surface in the recess.

7) The bowl gouge removing more of the center.

Conclusion

That completes the first episode.

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:

Feedback, Questions & Comments

I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions. Please leave them below.

Subscribe

Like this blog? Want to be notified of updates? Subscribe via RSS feed by clicking here.

Subscribe in a reader

Follow on FaceBook

Conditioning Your Glass Fricton Call

dustyvarmint — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:26:54 +0000

The Call Doesn’t Make Much Sound

I looked at the call in my hand incredulously. I kept silent out of respect for a fellow hunter and in the interest of passing on the hunting tradition. He said it didn’t make much sound. I wasn’t surprised. I held a M.A.D. Heavy Metal turkey call. Someone had attempted to “condition” the recessed portion of its back side. I dug a Primos Slick Stick from my fanny pack and conditioned the call’s pristine striking surface. The sounds were much more “turkey like” then.

To “Condition” the Call

To get consistent sound from our glass friction or “pot” calls we must keep them conditioned. People often don’t know what I mean when I say “conditioned”. I’m talking about breaking that hard, clear crust on the glass and giving it some texture so that the striker has something to “play” against and make turkey sounds. We need a couple of things for this. I condition a lot of calls every year and highly recommend the previously mentioned Slick Stick pictured below. This handy tool has a stone surfacer, diamond surfacer (pre 2008 model), chalk, striker tip conditioner and scouring pad. That’s everything we need except a piece of 1″ x 2″, 80-100 grit cloth-backed sandpaper. Cloth-backed sandpaper allows us to crinkle the backing without breaking off the attached grit. Slick Sticks are available from our local sporting goods stores and the sandpaper should be available at our local auto parts store in the body repair section.

The Primos Slick Stick – note the stone is nearly gone on the top one.

Conditioning – One Method

Just like we can tie a square knot right-over-left-left-over-right AND left-over-right-right-over-left, there are many ways to condition our calls. I prefer to condition left-to-right with the call oriented in the same direction every time. In the early morning dark of my blind it may be difficult to see the conditioning. However, I will likely be able to see the writing on the back of my dustyvarmint woodworks calls. This writing always runs in the same direction as the grain of the wood. A hunter could also use a marker to draw an arrow on the back of a call. I might shed a tear if someone drew on the back of my calls. Anyway, the pictures below illustrate the direction of conditioning. Playing the call is done against the grain.

Condition the call from left to right (as shown by the arrows). Play the call from top to bottom.

The New Call

Conditioning a call from scratch takes a little more effort than maintaining one that is already conditioned. Just keep working the stone back and forth, back and forth until that smooth crust is broken. Then use the sandpaper and repeat the process. Our call is then ready to make beautiful turkey sounds!

In the Field

When traipsing around in the fields pot calls rub against one another or the cases they’re in. We can no longer be confident what sounds they’ll make when we put the striker to them. Once settled I lay out my calls and condition each of them I intend to use before each “sit” with my sandpaper. I then know I’ll be ready to strike that good note when the time comes.

Feedback, Questions & Comments
I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions. Please leave them below.

Subscribe
Like this blog? Want to be notified of updates? Subscribe via RSS feed by clicking here.

Coming up on Mostly Archery

Outfitter Reports – Why We Should Be Doing Them
Overhauling My Bow
Support Our Outdoors Troops

Custom Turkey Call Interview on Up North Journal

dustyvarmint — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:31:16 +0000

Up North Journal Interview

Listen to dustyvarmint discuss custom turkey calls on the Up North Journal podcast here for tips, tricks and discussion on custom turkey calls.

Check out dustyvarmint woodworks custom turkey calls here.

Feedback, Questions & Comments
I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions. Please leave them below.

Subscribe
Like this blog? Want to be notified of updates? Subscribe via RSS feed by clicking here.

Coming up on Mostly Archery

Outfitter Reports – Why We Should Be Doing Them
Overhauling My Bow
Support Our Outdoors Troops

dustyvarmint on Up North Journal tonight!

dustyvarmint — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:42:24 +0000

Join dustyvarmint on the Up North Journal podcast call-in show tonight, Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. EST as we discuss custom turkey calls.

For log on information and more visit Up North Journal.