How would you produce this in a shop

[Harry Thornton]

I want to make slate type turkey calls from wood such as walnut, cherry, etc. I am attaching a picture of the top and bottom as well as a cutaway profile. They are about 4" in diameter and about an inch thick. Would you use a lathe, drill press or what?

[Michael Ballent]

Are these made completely out of wood? Your drawing shows slate and glass... Not sure if the typical WW shop would have the equipment to handle those materials.

[Harry Thornton]

all I am asking about is the wooden "pot". As you can see it is about an inch thick disk that is reamed out and has a lip for the slate. I am buying the slate and the glass....no craftsmanship involved. I think that most callmakers use a lathe but it seems like you could punch these things out pretty quickly with a drill press and the right bits.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Harry,

We used to make turkey calls all the time in shop class, on the metal mill. I doubt that you would have one of these. But maybe an x-y traveling vice and the right drill bit would work for you? The only other solution I can see is making a jig for a really long router bit.

[Doug Shepard]

I'm pretty sure you can get 3" Forstner bits to do the inner hollow, but they're probably not going to be real cheap. As for the outer diameter, maybe a flywheel type cutter in the drill press?. Or if you have a disc sander you could make the rounds by using the center hole as a pivot to rotate the blank against the disc. Not sure, but the diameter might be too tight to use a bandsaw.

[Tom McDermott]

Not sure if I am reading your drawing correctly, but I would guess that the wooden portion is the part at the bottom of the drawing, with the coarse diagonal cross-hatching. If so, I would turn it on a lathe prior to drilling the holes. Attach it from the bottom-most side (bottom of the drawing) with a plug screwed through where the center-most hole will later be drilled. After turning, remove the plug, then drill 9 holes.

-- Tom

[Ray Thompson]

A router and some jigs would make short work of multiples of those.

Ray

[Richard Wolf]

I go along with Ray. A couple of router jigs and you could knock those out pretty fast.

Richard

[Keith Outten]

I agree,

A router jig to pattern route the interior body, then the second jig to route the lip on the top inside edge. Finally bandsaw or route the external circle and go to the drill press to machine the holes. A simple rotating jig should be easy to make that will use the first drilled hole to align the next hole to be drilled.

[christopher webb]

i have made several of those calls here at my shop and have sold them...just like the one that you have a drawing of.......i actually turned a frind onto woodworking by turning them on a woodleight.....they are easly turned on one......pm me and i can tell you how...i can even show you some pictures of how i done ones here at my shop.....

[Randy Meijer]

I think the guys suggesting a router solution are on the right path.

Just out of curiosity, since I know very little about turkey calls, what is the purpose of the glass plate???

[Harry Thornton]

Randy,

The glass plate is called a sound board. A turkey call is much like a musical instrument. The sound board gives the call a two pitch quality. It is hard to explain but if you have ever heard a turkey hen "yelp" you would understand. You don't have to have the glass at all. The turkey hen makes other sounds like purrs and clucks that are monotone.

[Randy Meijer]

Thanks, Harry!! And now, why not wood or metal or plastic or..?? If you tell me because glass sounds more like a turkey, I'll scream!!! Is it just plain old window glass or is it tuned.....specific diameter and thickness?? Sounds like making turkey calls might be rocket science, which woodworking, generally, is not!!

[Harry Thornton]

and yes you can use other materials, including our favorite....WOOD! Now, I could go on and wax prophetic as if I know what I am talking about but I won't. You see, I am a turkey hunter, not a call manufacturer. I just know I can make these things and by golly that's what I intend to do...but not on a large scale. There is not a lot of money in making calls even if you make thousands of them.

I just like the idea of doing things myself. Let's face it, I don't need to hunt for food but I like every phase of it including cleaning and cooking and eating. I grew up in the city (Atlanta) but I love getting out in the woods and doing that wild thing...not THAT wild thing...you know what I mean.