# Properties of box call woods and construction



## Ole Fuzzy (Apr 7, 2010)

I looked in the archives but could not find a thread on this, but the issues must have been addressed somewhere.  Nonetheless, I think it will be an interesting topic for virtually any hunter to read, and will give all the custom makers on here from time to time a chance to educate us.  The topic is the result of certain choices made in the construction of a box call.

What is the relative advantage/disadvantage of a solid call body versus one with multiple pieces of different wood attached?

What about the combination of certain woods for the lid and the body?

Long box versus short box?


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Apr 7, 2010)

This can get deep.  There are so many dynamics in making box calls; anyone wanting to try should be ready to trash a lot of wood.  Different woods have different properties and in my opinion, you will get a wider variance of sounds with different woods than you will with pots.  I used to use a lot of difference woods, but I have narrowed it down to 4 specific woods for boxes and 2 for lids; combinations are:

Mahogany box/walnut lid
Chinaberry box/walnut lid
Poplar box/walnut lid
Cedar box/purpleheart lid

I may start putting some purpleheart lids on mahogany boxes.

I can add a lot more later.


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## Nitro (Apr 7, 2010)

Some of the combos I prefer-
Walnut lid/ Butternut box
Cedar lid/Butternut box
Cedar lid /Poplar box
Walnut lid/ Black Limba box
Walnut lid/ Chinaberry box


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## rutandstrut (Apr 8, 2010)

There are some real good box calls out there. Some of them are Hewn Out and some are Glued together. I personally prefer a One Piece Hewn Out Call over a Glued up Box. With that said, if I find a Glued Up Box that I think will give me an edge I will not hesitate to put it in my Vest and use it! IMO Something that is just as important as selecting the Wood Combination is the Person who is making the Call, his/her attention to detail when picking out Wood to make a Call, Fit and Finish and most importantly producing a Call that sounds like the Turkey you are looking for!  Most of the Call Makers that have been making Calls for a while offer many different Wod Combinations and will not sell a call unless it is all Turkey! 

Glued Up

Shorty All Cedar
Poplar Box Walnut Lid 
Poplar Box Cherry Lid 
Poplar Box Sassafras Lid 
Sassafras Box Sassafras Lid
Hewn Out

Short Box

Poplar Box Walnut Lid
Holly Box Ebony Lid
Mahogany One Sider
Cedar One Sider
5 Check Butternut Box Walnut Lid


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## bnew17 (Apr 8, 2010)

now when yal say glued up box calls, do yall mean the ones with the sound boards glued in. or an actual laminate type call with wood glued together then hollowed out?


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## gobbler10ga (Apr 8, 2010)

Longbox butternut and cedar
or poplar and cedar or purpleheart or walnut paddle


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## GADAWGS (Apr 9, 2010)

If I am using a softer wood for the box, I really prefer a denser wood for the paddle. BUt lately I have been very fond of using all walnut on the calls. My other favorite is Alaskan yellow cedar for the box and walnut for the paddle. A close second is butternut box and walnut paddle.


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## DeweyDuck (Apr 9, 2010)

I went up to Lonnie Mabry's shop last night and got a 3 hour lesson in making and operating calls. What a treat that was. His real talent is in picking just the right section of any piece of wood that makes the perfect sound; IE, direction of grain, width of grain, straightness and angle of grain, wow. He's got it going on! Left there with a fantastic bubinga pot( slate over wood ) and 3 pegs with wood whose names I can't even pronounce. Didn't take long to realize I'm gonna be leaving some more money up there real soon.


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## WaddleWhacker (Apr 10, 2010)

DeweyDuck said:


> I went up to Lonnie Mabry's shop last night and got a 3 hour lesson in making and operating calls. What a treat that was. His real talent is in picking just the right section of any piece of wood that makes the perfect sound; IE, direction of grain, width of grain, straightness and angle of grain, wow. He's got it going on! Left there with a fantastic bubinga pot( slate over wood ) and 3 pegs with wood whose names I can't even pronounce. Didn't take long to realize I'm gonna be leaving some more money up there real soon.



don't tell all his secrets...1 pot call and 3 strikers huh  i bet that was the best 20 bucks you every spent....i'm pretty sure you did'nt find any call in his shop that did'nt sound good cause if a call don't sound good to him they go in that wood heater in corner...he has burnt call's that i would tote in my vest


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## rutandstrut (Apr 10, 2010)

bnew17 said:


> now when yal say glued up box calls, do yall mean the ones with the sound boards glued in. or an actual laminate type call with wood glued together then hollowed out?



Glued up means 5 Pieces: 2 Sides, 2 End Blocks and a Base all glued together as opposed to a Call Honed out of a Solid Piece of Wood!


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## Dudley Do-Wrong (Apr 10, 2010)

Many box makers like to use a softer to medium density wood for the box.  Grain is usually very consistent and the rings very tight, something like mahogany.  This is not to say that other woods will not make a good box but I have been told by others more experiences than I about tight grained and consistent woods and have learned the truth in that.  However, woods like chinaberry makes for a great box and it is wide grained.  Generally speaking, the harder the wood, the higher the pitch.


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## Gaswamp (Apr 12, 2010)

I know that N.Cost was a fan of Sitka Spruce.  Why don't you see it used a little more often?


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## GAMHUNTER35 (Apr 13, 2010)

where do you found the  wood at all i hav got is ceder  an oak an maple


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