Hey Guys,
I have some 6x6 1/4in thick slate tiles from back in the day when I worked for a slate company up here, and was thinking of making a tree talker with them. I like the idea of taking a bird with a call I made, and being able to make it from a stone quarried in my home state is a bonus.
Now, I am very familiar with the tools and methods to work slate. But, I don't know what size circle I should make them or the thickness. I wasn't planning on gluing on any wood to it either, just make it into a circle of a certain thickness and run it as is. Any ideas?
Also have a pallet of roofing slates. Prob find them as thin as 1/8 up to 1/4
Am I all wet with this idea? Do I need to have it inlayed in wood to sound right?
Just cut it into a circle that's comfortable for your hand,3", 3-1/4", 3-1/2". The 1/4" should be thick enough to dull the sound of it.
That is what the old timers did years ago, just used a piece of slate with a striker for tree talking
Thanks.
I ended up making a few different ones out of mottled green and purple in different sizes and thickness, and settled on 3-3/4in and 1/4-3/16in thick (I left the natural cleft face on the backside). With a Shedua striker it sounds good enough to get a gobbler off the limb. Hopefully its in my direction. Dymondwood isnt bad on it either. I would say that its as loud as a Quaker Boy Easy Yelper at most. She wont win any beuty pagents, but shes functional. Need to do a little more hand sanding to clean the edges up, and shes goin in the vest.