Turning Duck Calls

Something I have been making a few of here and there is duck calls.  Using an insert from Woodcraft, I turn the body using the included instructions.

In this particular case I wanted to use some wood from my property and I was looking for wood with plenty of figure.  I selected a knotty area of this black walnut branch.

After cutting the needed length, I squared up the blanks and cut them to final length.  As I had hoped, the grain in the blanks was wonderful.






The hardest part of making the duck calls is drilling the necessary holes.  The smaller one, at 31/64ths, is only 2 inches long and pretty easy. On the other hand, you also need to drill a 3/4 inch hole 4 inches long.  Both holes need to be centered and relatively straight.

Mounting the blanks is slightly different than some turning. The kits sold by Woodcraft use an expanding foam chuck that passes through the drilled holes.  Turning is done one piece at a time.

The shape of the call be almost anything you want.  I like to make mine easy to handle.

As planned, the grain has a lot of movement to it and is enhanced by the finish. This is the mouthpiece. The large tenon will hold a brass ring that will protect the call from a lanyard.




























The finished call.