Royce Meritt
05-17-2005, 11:29 AM
Every year I make a "gift" for 2 deer hunting buddies to present them during our annual hunt. Each of the gifts include antler in the design. In the past I've made walking sticks with antler inlays, mugs with antler handles and pens made of antler. I was thinking that duck calls made of antler and wood would be nice.
I would like to make the wood portion of the call from some oak harvested from the woods at my brother-in-law's farm where we hunt. Having never harvested my own wood before here is my list of "Wow, is that guy a dope?" questions:
1. Can I use limbs from the tree as my stock or should I use the trunk?
2. Does size matter? Will a smaller diameter tree yield the same quality stock as a larger diameter?
3. Should I cut the wood (either limbs or logs from the trunk) into oversized tuning blanks (approx. 2" X 2" X 18") and allow to dry or allow the entire log to dry before milling into blanks?
4. Approximately how long would these turning blanks and/or logs need to dry before turning?
5. Anything else I need to consider?
I guess what I'm looking for is advice on the process of of going from a standing oak tree to a finished duck call. Sorry to bug you all with this but I'm jumping into an area I know nothing about. I think this would result in a very special gift for my friends and would appreciate your help. Thanks.
I would like to make the wood portion of the call from some oak harvested from the woods at my brother-in-law's farm where we hunt. Having never harvested my own wood before here is my list of "Wow, is that guy a dope?" questions:
1. Can I use limbs from the tree as my stock or should I use the trunk?
2. Does size matter? Will a smaller diameter tree yield the same quality stock as a larger diameter?
3. Should I cut the wood (either limbs or logs from the trunk) into oversized tuning blanks (approx. 2" X 2" X 18") and allow to dry or allow the entire log to dry before milling into blanks?
4. Approximately how long would these turning blanks and/or logs need to dry before turning?
5. Anything else I need to consider?
I guess what I'm looking for is advice on the process of of going from a standing oak tree to a finished duck call. Sorry to bug you all with this but I'm jumping into an area I know nothing about. I think this would result in a very special gift for my friends and would appreciate your help. Thanks.