Here it is Al ....... Update

[John_NY]

HI Al:
     I like this call better in person. When I first looked at the picture all I could think of was your screwdriver handle. Anyway this is my first call from the wood you sent me. I will use the other piece to make a howler to go with it. This one is voiced Cottontail and sounds good even if olive oil has more curves.

      i was very nervous about starting on it but I figured it's gonna happen so I might as well get at it. It is also my first call using any kind of insert which went much better than I was expecting. I was surprised how heavy the wood felt. I'm used to wooden dowels you knkow.  ;D  It was a blast making it and I just wanted to show you and say thanks very much for all your help.

Thanks
John

[Waccamaw Calls]

I hate it when someone post a beautifull call but doesn't say what wood it is made from!!
That's pretty John

[John_NY]

Thanks but I'm so new at this I was going to guess cocobolo wood but I'm not sure.  ;D  Al sent it to me so I turned it. I'll let Al tell ya what it is.

John

[Al_at_THO Game Calls]

The wood I sent you was Cocobolo and Zebra Wood.  The light colored stuff is the Zebra.  That call came out nice!   You made that peice of coco stand out very well.

I figured with that new lathe and all, you might want to break it in a bit on some exotic woods :)   Glad you found a use for it.



Al @ THO

[John_NY]

I never would of guessed zebra wood on the other piece. Now when I get it turned I can sound like I knew what I was talking about.  ;D  Thanks

John

[Troy of Run -N- Gun Game Calls]

Very nice John.You have come a long way in a short time.

[rjl54]

John, the wood is great and looks like it is finished well.  But, what I think I like the most is the shape you come up with.  There is something elegant about gentle curves and beautifull wood. You may be on to something.  Well done.
                                                         Randy

[Braz]

John, that is a great looking call. Very nice work. I love cocobolo and that is an outstanding piece. And you really did justice to it. It has the distinct shape of a a lohman call, so that can't be all bad.

[Bonjour]

That looks like a beauty there. Gotta love that cocobola. Smells good when you turn it, but just hope you don't react to it. I don't, but some people do just like poison ivy. Another thing about it is it's oil content makes it impossible to finish with poly and some others. I only use deft on it, but some use friction polishes.      Ryan

[John_NY]

I couldn't stand it any longer so I went back out to the shop and used the piece of African zebra wood. I looked at it for awhile and decided I could get 2 calls out of it. Both are voiced cottontail.

John

[Braz]

Wow John, as I said, " a turning fool."  ;D ;D ;D  Keep it up buddy, you are doing some nice work.

[John_NY]

Thanks Braz. It's Als fault.

John

[Al_at_THO Game Calls]

It's not my fault!

The thing I see, is that the woods are beautiful, and there is much joy in turning them.   It is not the finished call so much as the act of bringing it out of the block of wood that holds it.   With every call you turn, you put a piece of yourself in it.  Your vision, your thioughts, your sense of accomplishement.   

I think often times, this means more to someone who buys custom calls than the call itself.  And I would bet that years down the road, it definately will. 

When someone picks up one of your calls, and they hold something that they know you once held, that you once saw inside a block of wood, that you added your own unique perspective to, that is what makes a call special.  No piece of plastic from any big company will ever come close to matching that.   

It is what sets a custom call apart from all others. 

Good turning

Al @ THO

[John_NY]

I thought I'd add a couple I did today into the same thread. These are both out of a piece of wooden dowel. The one on the left is a fawn in distress and the one on the right is a cottontail in distress. I used about a 7 1/2 inch piece of dowel so I can turn 2 calls at the same time and it just seems easier than a shorter piece of wood.

John

[Braz]

John, I like the shape of both those calls. The finish looks good too. You are really coming along fast and doing some nice work. You need to get on the web and order some nice wood. You have reached the point where your turnings deserve some good wood. Also, you will discover that good wood is easier to turn than the dowel wood. I use Craft Supply for a lot of my wood. I get wood from a lot of places, but a lot comes from here. They seem to have a good selections, decent prices and, so far, the quality has been fine.

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/