# how do you make a slate call?



## sman (Mar 4, 2008)

I have never made one before, but man it would be a thrill to make my own and take a bird with it.  How do you do it?  Where do you get the slate and glass?  How do you make the pot?  Is it one piece of wood?  Do you glue it together.  Do different types of wood sound different?  How do you make the strikers?  Do you have to cut your own slate?  Hole bit like you use on a drill?  Where can I find this info?  I have wanted to do this for years, any help will be very much appreciated.


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Mar 4, 2008)

go to www.customcalls.com

There are numerous ways to make pots.


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## sman (Mar 4, 2008)

where in the world can you buy slate at?


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Mar 4, 2008)

If you know any call makers, and if they have any extra slate, you can sometimes get a piece or 2 from them.  If you are planning on making a lot of calls, contact Penn Big Bed Slate Company.


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## Huntinfool (Mar 4, 2008)

go to www.customsawing.com

They have pre built pots in lots of different woods, they have the slate and sounding boards.  You can buy everything you need right there.  Now, it's not totally built by you because they cut the pot out.  But you have to do the sanding, any designs, and installation of everything.  It's a good way to get started and understand how the whole process works.


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## CharrDad (Mar 4, 2008)

Huntinfool is right. Visit the guys at www.customsawing.com. I just received the supplies for my box calls two weeks ago, and am building my third one now. They sound great and bring a lot of satisfaction. I'll post later on whether or not they fool any gobblers.

My pot calls supplies are on the way from them soon as well.

P.S. They have good customer service as well. One of my box call bottoms was sawed improperly, and they replaced it post-hast and with a smile.

Good luck.


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Mar 4, 2008)

Custom Sawing does have the kits but there’s a big difference in making a call and assembling a call.  I have seen/heard only one box call from one of these kits and it sounded like crap; it looked to me that some tuning needed to be done after assembly.  I forget who, but someone told me they bought one of the pot call kits and it required washers to mount the sound board and that they thought the call sounded like crap.


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## Huntinfool (Mar 4, 2008)

They cut a pedastle into the pots now.  I think a long time ago you had to do your own. They suggested using a washer and it did indeed sound like crap.  I had a better solution when I was using their stuff.  But now they have a wood pedastle cut out of the call itself.  

I've made some calls from their stuff in the past that sounded really good.  Are they truly custom made by you?  Naw.  But you do get to do a lot of work on them and it's fun.  It would be a good start.  Plus you wouldn't have to buy bulk stuff just to build a couple of calls.

But you're right, it is more assembling than making.  I was just saying it's a good way to get started so that you can see how calls are assembled.


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## sman (Mar 4, 2008)

*chalkboards*

I am hung up on doing this completely from scratch.  Can I use a chalkboard from an old school that has been shut down?  I do some contract labor work, so I have just about every tool you can think of.  Looks like to me I can make the pot fairly easy with a hole saw or two.  Then find some slate and figure out how the heck to cut it without it chipping.  Then use liquid nail to secure it down.  All this is easier said then done.  I will worry about looks after I get some sound out of the thing.  Biggest question is where the heck can I locally get slate?  Lowes?


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## Huntinfool (Mar 4, 2008)

Hole saw and a couple of fortsner bits and, yes, you can create one for sure.  Cutting the slate would be the beast of it.  You could order just the slate from custom sawing.  If you get to the point that you actually need it, I'm sure you could get one from somebody on here.


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Mar 4, 2008)

I hope no one took offense to my remarks.  It's just that I have seen some folks that assemble and sell calls under the label of "custom call maker" and I find that offensive to those who actually start with a block of wood.  To me, truly making a call is extremely satisfying, time consuming, and enjoyable (also expensive).  If the man wants to MAKE a call, I'd be willing to provide some tips.


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Mar 4, 2008)

> Then use liquid nail to secure it down.



Use Plumbers goop


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## Huntinfool (Mar 4, 2008)

No offense here.  Shoot I know those are custom calls.  They are fun to put together.  But you guys who build them from scratch are really doing something.  I was just trying to help him get started.


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## sman (Mar 4, 2008)

ok give me a tip as to where i can go and get slate locally.

Sawsalls, skill saws, miter saws, jig saw, table saw...I got 'em.  Diamond blades, wood blades, metal blades, bi-metal blades,...I got 'em.

Drills, impacts, air compressors, finish nail gun, framing nail gun,...I got 'em.

Screw drivers, nut drivers, pliers, sockets, vise grips, channel locks, torches,...I got 'em.

Slate I ain't got.


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## Jimmy Dale Fitzgerald (Mar 4, 2008)

David...you left out addictive....LOL


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## Huntinfool (Mar 4, 2008)

I think you can order just the slate from custom sawing as well.


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## hambone44 (Mar 4, 2008)

good instructions on calltrader.com

http://www.calltrader.com/howto/potcalls/index.htm


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## sman (Mar 4, 2008)

Does Lowes or Home Depot have any kind of slate that would work?  Don't mean to sound stupid, just asking.  

Have you ever got something in your mind one day and just decided "I am going to do this today."  That's where I am right now.  If one of you so much as breathes the words that I can use slate tile or slate counter top material, I am turning this computer off and heading up there right now.

I can see my self now...striker in my hand standing in the flooring section, holding a piece of tile trying to make a yelp on it.


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Mar 4, 2008)

You cannot get the slate you need a Lowes.  I believe custom sawing does sell individual pieces and there may be a few other places as well.  I believe Custom Sawing sells the slate from Penn Big Bed.  Also, Grassy Creek sells individual pieces.



> David...you left out addictive


It is at that!!!


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## whitetaco02 (Mar 4, 2008)

David,
Do you catch grief from the Mrs. when it comes time for call making?


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## boo (Mar 4, 2008)

i get all my slate from michals . they have these little chalk boards for kids with wood around the slate ,all you do is pull the wood off and then cut the slate. to cut the slate i use a razer knife and just score it real good and it breaks clean. then you sand to fit. works great


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## rutandstrut (Mar 4, 2008)

You can cut the slate yourself from a Chalk Board using a Hole Saw a Drill Press. If you don't want to cut your own, you can PM me your address and I will send you as many pieces of Slate as you want for $1 Each + Shipping. If you only want 1 I will send it to you for the shipping! This is Deep Mined, Core Drilled Pennsylvania Slate. You can make a Pot using many materials. I prefer wood, but have seen a Pot made out of a piece of PVC Pipe. That call actually sounded pretty good!


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## stiles1682 (Mar 4, 2008)

Try www.brooksidegamecalls.  they sell all kinds of stuff


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Mar 4, 2008)

> David,
> Do you catch grief from the Mrs. when it comes time for call making?


Only when my callmaking comes inside the house


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## sman (Mar 5, 2008)

*Boo*

There you go man.  That is what I am looking for, somewhere local.  I am going to start tonight.  Do calls made from chalk board slate sound good?  Is there different grades of slate?  Does all slate sound the same?  I have used lil duece, thunderdomes, etc. slates and they all sound pretty close to the same.  Guess the difference is in the pot and the striker?

Thanks guys for all the suggestions.  Going to get a chalk board this afternoon.


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Mar 5, 2008)

> Going to get a chalk board this afternoon



You may have to play with the thickness to get the right sound.


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## sman (Mar 5, 2008)

which way have u found to be better- thick or thin?


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## CharrDad (Mar 5, 2008)

David Mills said:


> I hope no one took offense to my remarks.  It's just that I have seen some folks that assemble and sell calls under the label of "custom call maker" and I find that offensive to those who actually start with a block of wood.  To me, truly making a call is extremely satisfying, time consuming, and enjoyable (also expensive).  If the man wants to MAKE a call, I'd be willing to provide some tips.



You're not going to offend me. I'm just making them for myself - not selling them. I am new to turkey hunting, but am addicted to doing things the hard way. That's why I decided I would try to make my own calls for my first season in the woods. I have all the respect in the world for starting from scratch. Heck, last year I took a weeks vacation for my 40th B-day and learned how to make my own bamboo fly rod. You want to talk about tedious, shaving split bamboo to a tolerance of .100 of an inch will give you a new outlook on the idea of precision. 

I wish I had the tools to build my calls from scratch, but I don't. that's why I tried custom sawing. At least now that I've put a few together and tuned them (and they do need tuning), I know how to come at it from scratch and can put the appropriate tools on my Christmas and Birthday wish list.


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## boo (Mar 5, 2008)

we use the slate the thickness it comes from michales but now that you bring it up ill thin one down and  see how it changes the sound. we also use silicone to put them together so pulling it apart to try different things is no problem. boo


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