couple more pot calls

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Oliver Springs, TN
Here's a couple more pot calls. One is ambrosia maple the other walnut. It's amazing how different the sounds are from different woods/striker combinations. These are fun to make and then listen to the different tones.

ambrosia 1.jpgambrosia.jpgwalnut 1.jpgwalnut.jpg
 
Here's a few of the strikers I've turned.

For those of you who don't know. You hold the striker like a pencil and rub it across the top of the call. You can make various sounds with it that drives ol' Tom crazy!:D

strikers (1).jpgstrikers (2).jpg
 
Do you have a plastic, or some other material, stretched across it like a drum head and the holes are just for acoustics?

Why are they called Pot Calls?

Thanks ahead of time and Enjoy,

JimB

Jim, in those particular ones the top is a piece of 3.5 inch diameter crystal. You can use glass, slate, ceramic or other things for the top. Under the top is a sound board that I try to get around 1/8" from the top. I used a piece of 3" diameter glass for the sound board. Again, you can use different things. You scratch the top (I use sandpaper) to rough it up. When you drag the tip of the striker across you can make the sounds a hen makes. I assume they are called pot calls because the shape is like a little pot. Here's a couple shots showing the top and the inside of one.
turkey pot (2).jpginside.jpg


Thanks Ken, I really enjoy turning them because of the instant gratification. You can crank a bunch out in no time. I also like playing with the shapes of the strikers.
 
Those are really nice... I'm down to only one left in stock, but they were slow sellers for me... a few years back I had a dozen or more duck calls and every customer who came into my booth would ask "do you have turkey calls"... so I made a half dozen... they were nice, well received, not over priced but it took 2 or 3 years to sell them... people would play with them, but not buy.... they sounded good and got lots of compliments.... last two I sold were at the Turkey Creek Public Market, just before I pulled out the beginning of June and it closed down this past weekend. I still have slate and glass to make some more... guess I need to give them another try... they are fun to make.
 
Thanks guys, they are fun to make. Chuck, I've sold a couple of them. One was where I posted them on facebook of all places. I sold them for 30.00 which is actually kind of low.

I don't turn a lot and usually it's in spurts. I get decent and then stop and it's like starting all over again!

I was making one out of a piece of feather crotch walnut and cut the recess for the top on the wrong side of the line and made the opening to big!:doh: I knew it the instant I did it. It was one of those "you doofus moments" I'll see if I can find it and post a pic., the wood was sharp!

Here's a picture. It was hard to get how good this wood looks. I didn't sand very well and some scratches are visible.

IMAG0464.jpg
 
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very nice pots! I have made two and they are fun to make. You are correct about the difference in sounds created by different woods and such. I have a slate to make one more and I am going to try to make it out of a cast pine cone. Just for kicks.
 
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