Toneboard wood

[the_benz]

I am relatively new to game calls.  I am just curious of you opinions on whether you feel different woods for the toneboard impact the sound of the call?  If it has an impact and you are stiving to reproduce the same sound in your calls, why would you not always use the same wood for the toneboard?
Thanks for your opinions,
Gregg

[Waccamaw Calls]

ding ding .......... a winner
the denser the wood the better the sound
soft wood absorbs the sound, harder wood sends it out the exhaust and on to the ducks
Bill

[Al_at_THO Game Calls]

I think you will find that a lot of call makers have a favorite wood for their tone boards, but can accomdate a customer if they need too.  But most will use one or two woods for their calls more often than not.  I see a lot of Ossage and Blackwood used.   

Al @ THO

[GN-1]

Like Bill said the denser woods will usually provide the best sound. A rule breaker for this would be cedar which has good tonal qualities even though it is fairly soft. The native woods that work well for toneboards would be osage, cedar, or locust. As far as exotics go cocobolo and blackwood are good choices. There are others that can produce a good sound, but these are your best bets when investing in toneboard wood. Shawn

[Curmudgeon]

What about Maple ?
So far all the Maple I have seen has been dang hard. I have an option to get a mess of 1.5" square by 12" pieces for $2.00 each. I was waiting till my little experiment with black stain was done to make up my mind, but may go get em regardless. I also have a mess of 5/8 maple dowle that's just begging to be made into some two piece stoppers.

Sure hope it's a good wood for this? ???

[dogcatcher]

Go for the maple.  In some ways I prefer maple, the only problem with maple is it is some times just too plain looking.  The dye can take care of that problem. 

Marvin

[GN-1]

Maple makes a good sound board, but like Marvin said it can be plain jane. Have you tried the steel wool and vinegar trick? The curly maple really looks cool when you do this. There are a lot of woods that make a good sounding call. I just tried to help the guy with some of the more traditional woods used to get him started. A big part of the fun in this hobby for me is to turn different woods and see what they look and sound like. Shawn

[Bob from Eames Custom Calls]

My absolute favorites for toneboards are bloodwood and Ipe. The Ipe is like tying to turn a rock, but the sound is amazing. I made a comp call for a buddy thet was all wood using Ipe and Jatoba, and it was fantastic sounding. I also highly reccommend Jatoba as a cheaper alternative for toneboards. It turns like butter, and finishes like glass.

 Bob

 P.S. - for that raspy, old school sound, it's hard to beat walnut or maple.

 

[gooseforsupper]

Anyone tried Zircote?  I only ask because I have a bunch of it....... ;D

[the_benz]

Shawn, what is the steel wool and vinegar trick all about?  I have not tried it.  I do not currently use steel wool.  I use synthetic pads.  But may need to get some steel.
Gregg

[Bob from Eames Custom Calls]

Anyone tried Zircote?  I only ask because I have a bunch of it....... ;D

  I have used Ziricote for toneboards, and while it is great sounding, it had an odor and a taste that made me quit using it (like recycled A$$). The sound was good, just couldn't kill the smell.

 Bob

[BigB]

Shawn, what is the steel wool and vinegar trick all about?  I have not tried it.  I do not currently use steel wool.  I use synthetic pads.  But may need to get some steel.
Gregg

Gregg,
The steel wool/vinegar trick is just another form of a wood dye.  You desolve some steel wool in some vinegar, and it will turn the wood a different color.  Here's a link where we discussed the results a little.  You can also use Ferric Chloride to achieve similar results.

http://thogamecalls.com/forums/index.php?topic=154.msg1775#msg1775


Shawn,
As I was reading through that old post, I reallized that I didn't answer your question.  I don't use lye or anything.  And honestly, I have no idea how much steel wool I used in the the quart of vinegar.  I just pulled off a chunk of steel wool from the brick package I had laying there.  One thing I did before putting the steel wool in the vinegar was to wash off the steel wool with some alcohol to remove the oil from the wool.  They cover the steel wool with some gunk to keep it from rusting in the package.  You need to wash the gunk off before putting it in the vinegar.

Once I apply the solution to the wood, I usually wait a few days before putting a final finish on the barrel.


Brian

[GN-1]

I am with Bob on the Ziricote  PEE-UU. But it does make a great sounding call. Like I said there are a lot of woods that will but my list above would be my faves.

Brian nit it with the vinegar. Try it on some other woods and let us know what you find out. Shawn

[Yotehntr]

This kinda got me curious. I've never noticed any difference in sounds from the different woods/materials I've used. Looked up on my sideboard...well ok my wife's sideboard :D that's where I have some of my finished stuff. I had 5 different materials used on toneboards there. So I took one barrel and recorded each soundboard in the same barrel. I tried to use the same presure and the same cadence. The materials are Mahoganny, Delrin, Persimon, Antler, then Ebony. Here's the recording, tell me what ya think. OOPs didn't realize this was in duck calls  :o sorry folks.
http://www.esnips.com/doc/eef65725-a2e9-4bd0-bb1a-ebeab8b3f7d9/Various

[misfire]

When I can get ahold of it, I like ebony for toneboards. But cocobolo and african blackwoods are my mainstay. Lignum vitae works good as well. But my favorite is Bahama cherry. I have 2' left and then I will have to beg, steel and borrow whatever I can find of that stuff. ;D