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1 Getting a Rough Blank   Cut out a workable section of slate--say 8 by 12 inches--with the saw.  When finished, it should be about 1/8-inch thick.  Slate shears cleanly, so if you have to trim it to width, turn the piece on end and split it with an old knife and hammer.

2  Creating the Finished Blank    To grind the blank smooth, wet a section of sidewalk, then work the blank across it in circular motions.  Finish the surface with some sandpaper until it's perfectly smooth.  Congratulations, you've just made a slate call.  Run a striker across it, and it'll call turkeys.  But there's more.

3  Adding a Sound Chamber   If you want to enhance the sound, take a piece of PVC pipe, two inches high by three inches across, and trace its outline on the blank.  Trim the slate with tin snips and then blue it onto the pipe with a ceramic glue like Liquid Nail.  If you like, get creative with your sound chambers by varying their shape.  Spencer Tomb, a close friend and an excellent callmaker, uses turtle shells he finds afield.

4  Making the Striker    Cut a rod eight inches long from a 3/8-inch cedar, walnut or hickory dowel and push it deep into the center of a dry, shelled corncob.  The peg and the cob need to vibrate well together, so if the fit's not tight, add some wood glue.

5  Final Tuning  You'll need to do a certain amount of tweaking to fine-tune the call.  First, start with the striker.  Shorten the peg gradually and vary the shape of the tip, from perfectly flat to pointed, until you get a yelp you like.  you'll also find that hollowing or shortening the top of the cob also affect the sound.  If your first striker doesn't work out, make another and try again.

Once you get a sound that's close to what you want, start working on the slate.  Look for "sweet spots" that sound better than others.   Try shortening the sound chamber until you find your desired volume and pitch.

MATERIALS

Slate   The best slate come from old chalkboards, which most schools and colleges are phasing out since chalk dust and computers go together like bubble gum and hair.  Some masonry supply stores also carry slate tiles and shingles, both of which will work.   Making calls is a process of trial and error, so once you find a supply, stock up.

Striker Material  Most hardware stores carry wooden dowels, which can be cut into pegs.  Broken carbon arrow shafts can also work.