Which bit?

[shad309]

Do you prefer a mortise or forstner bit for making box calls and why?

I'm a cheap donkey and I would rather learn from your mistakes than my own 

[Shadetree Callers]

 Shad, use forstner bits . They cut very clean lines and work quickly without loading up. If you want square ends , finish up with a chisel . You can buy a whole set of forstner bits for $30-40 to start with ! Good luck !
Bob

[shad309]

I'm going to give it a shot and see if I can't add to the burn pile..... I just inherited my wife's grandpa's drill press & other tools. Some I will never use because they scare the crap out of me! Table saw that looks like a cross between a pit bull & a torture device......   

[Frozen Crow]

I have done both, and to this point I prefer the forstner bits like bob said.  They require a little more work, but in the end I find that it gives me a cleaner result.

Hint....grind the point off the bit so that you get a nice clean bottom....

[Shadetree Callers]

I'm going to give it a shot and see if I can't add to the burn pile..... I just inherited my wife's grandpa's drill press & other tools. Some I will never use because they scare the crap out of me! Table saw that looks like a cross between a pit bull & a torture device......   

Table saws have come a long way since the old days when they were very dangerous tools ! I suggest investing a little in a newer saw so you can keep all of your fingers !    I use forstners from 1/2" up to 2 1/4" and they are all very controllable and give nice clean results , you won't go wrong with them !       

[Blackfalcon]

Forstner bits, you will mostly use 5/8ths or 1/2 inches, like Lee said, just nip (grind) the tip. You don't really need it for drill press use.
For the table saw, always use a push stick. I make my own from a piece of 3/4" board, as shown here, worn out as you can see, time to make some new! I cut the bottom on the band saw, leaving a 1/4 inch lip to catch the end of my blank, always set the saw to about the same height as the blank.
Not necessary to make them like mine, but it should give an idea