cherry pot call

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Location
Oliver Springs, TN
Made this for a friend. I got the cherry a few years ago from another friend. He said his Great-Grandfather had cut it some time around 1920. He used most of it for trim in his house. When I found that out it made my stomach hurt! He had one section around 36" of a 6x6 and told me if I'd make his wife a bowl from it I could have the rest. It's naturally really dark and as hard as superman's kneecap! It has some crazy chatoyance too. The top is glass with a camo sound board and the bottom has a smaller piece of slate inset. Almost forgot, the striker has a purple heart bottom with a madrone burl top.

cherry top.jpgcherry bottom.jpg
 
Nice looking pot, John. I'm having trouble understanding the innards....you have a glass top and underneath that a camo sound board of some other material. Normally the sound board is supported by a narrow pedestal up from the bottom, but with your slate inset into the bottom, what's holding up the sound board?
 
I need a tutorial John...these things look like fun and with all the hunting in the area, padding my retirement can't hurt. Yours looks fantastic!
 
Thats a beauty both in terms of work and story attached to the wood.

Would love to hear that call. I like how you worked the end of the stick to facilitate scratching. Must give some cool control to the sounds no?

You need a brand for your calls.

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Thanks guys for all the comments.

Ted, the way you described is how the innards are put together. The only difference is that I took a 2" forstner bit and drilled a recess for the slate which is 2" diameter. I then took a 1 5/8" forstner and drilled the rest of the way through. The pedestal is still there, it's just larger. The sound board is 3" in diameter.

Rob, I've had several people tell me the same, but I can't think of one.

Jim, I'll see what I can do about the tutorial
 
Jim, here's what I use to make the pot calls. When I make another call I'll try and get some in progress pictures. The jig for marking the holes has a 1/4 inch bolt in the middle. When I first started making them I used my faceplate with a 1/4 inch bolt attached to a piece of plywood, but then I got the collet chuck and it's a WHOLE lot easier and quicker! The bolt is used to center the pins on the call. It might be hard to see, but I took small nails and drove them in the disk and cut the heads off. It leaves a mark showing hole locations. I don't always use the spacer on the chuck, but sometimes it's useful.

Forgot the picture:doh:

words.jpg
 
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Thanks for the picture, John. I still use the bolt in plywood technique and would be interested in seeing how you use the collet chuck. I confess, it's been a few years since I made one and could use a refresher.
 
Here's how I turn my pot calls. If you have a better/faster way let me know! Times money!:D

I start with a 4x4 blank, find center and drill the 5/8's hole. I have a jig with nails driven in plywood with the heads cut off that I mash against the blank to mark where to drill the 3/8's holes. 20150314_095302.jpg

I have a plywood 4" circle that I use to trace the pot and clip the corners on the bandsaw. I will also use a 4 1/8" hole saw on the drill press to cut blanks too. I don't need to use the bandsaw this way.20150314_095334.jpg

I also have a 3 1/2" disk that I use to trace out for the top of the call opposite the side with the holes.

Here's a shot of the collet chuck set up. I use a 5/8's mandrel.20150314_133810.jpg and the blank attached. blank on mandrel.jpg

This is a shot showing the setting of the lip for the glass and starting to set the pedestal that the sound board will rest on.starting blank.jpg I leave the pedestal thick until I get the pot hollowed. Then I'll trim it down to right at 1/8" thick.

Here's the finished pot. I try and make the bottom right at 1/4 inch and the pedestal for the sound board is between 1/16 and 1/8 below the top.blank roughed out.jpg

If you have any questions just ask, I might know the answer!;)
 
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Thanks for the pictures, John. I don't have a collet chuck and always thought they were for skinny turnings like knitting needles that you inserted into the collet. I didn't realize they had an expansion capability. It obviously holds pretty tight and it's easy to flip the piece around and work on either the front or back?
 
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