i recently got interested in call making, tried a few boxes and one sounds okay and the others stink! So I went to a more simple plan. Let me tell you, if you don't have one in your vest your missing out. These things click and tree yelp great but that's as far as it goes. I made the plum from a tree that died in my yard last spring and some southern red cedar from the mans farm that is letting me use his wood shop.(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b499/brockalong/F8A7493E-44F4-4FD2-B790-9EC4FE3D9082_zps7q5jaedx.jpg) (http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/brockalong/media/F8A7493E-44F4-4FD2-B790-9EC4FE3D9082_zps7q5jaedx.jpg.html)(http://i1288.photobucket.com/albums/b499/brockalong/398793C8-CCE8-4793-BF50-CCC52CB67152_zpsmfoqbdbu.jpg) (http://s1288.photobucket.com/user/brockalong/media/398793C8-CCE8-4793-BF50-CCC52CB67152_zpsmfoqbdbu.jpg.html)
Thanks for looking
Keep at it. You will find the why's and what for in building these calls such as sound board thickness and height and what it does to the sound of your calls. The great thing about scratch boxes is that you can use scrap wood that most would toss and build a real nice hunting call for next to nothing. Try different woods in length and thickness for your striker as well. It makes a difference.
Here are a couple I just finished and sent to my brother and father......black walnut bodies with cedar soundboards, I added rosewood and ebony caps as I had it laying around from my acoustic guitar building projects...running them on cedar/maple/mahogany strikers, one was built to be brighter than the other. Takes a little fiddling to get them tuned, but once you figure it out it is pretty easy. They sound awesome, I built about 10 so far this spring and they are now my go to calls, love these little gems.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a361/GregGwaltney/Scratch%20Box%203_zpsfe4nqdx7.jpg)
They look real good. You got a sound clip?
I made some video/sound clips on my phone, how the heck do I share them here?
Here is a quick sound file I made on my phone. Black Walnut/Red Cedar soundboard--red cedar striker.
https://soundcloud.com/user480895638/scratch-box-sound-file
Scratch boxes for me are just plain fun to build and love hearing the end results.
gergg nice mature hen sound from your scratch box. I like it.
Thanks Callmakerman.....the interesting thing is this call is really high pitched/piercing when played in the mountains where I hunt, so while this sound file gives an idea about the calls sound, it is quite different in the woods. Sure is fun to build and use them, really love this thing in the woods, IMO it sounds more like a turkey than my other nice calls.
Great looking scratchers!
:drool: Nice looking calls