Thread: Veneer for drum shells

Originally Posted by ozbeat

Would it be possible to put an exterior of veneer onto some drums shells without a great deal of trouble? The outside of the shells looks a bit rough. I have found a lot of info on veneers but no prices or suppliers near me (Western Sydney) Any ino or advice much appreciated.

Its actually really easy to put veneer on drum shells.
3 things I can tell you about using veneer:

1. Your best off using a paper back veneer, unless you are very skilled with wood work/craftsmanship.
2. In addition to the sticky backside of paper veneer, make sure and use 3M adhesive as well.....and make sure you put it on the shell and the veneer - 2 coats have worked the best for me.
3. Be sure to use a cloth measuring tape to get the exact amount needed. You dont want to come up short when applying the veneer.

Also, I have found some GREAT pieces of veneer on ebay.....and at GREAT prices! Can you access ebay where your at?

Good luck with your project!

Hi ozbeat, I am sure that the main veneer supplier factory in Sydney burnt down, but me and a few other companys can post veneer to you.
I would make sure that you have a smooth surface to glue your veneer on to.
Regards Bob

Originally Posted by ozbeat

Would it be possible to put an exterior of veneer onto some drums shells without a great deal of trouble? The outside of the shells looks a bit rough. I have found a lot of info on veneers but no prices or suppliers near me (Western Sydney) Any ino or advice much appreciated.

Veneer and drums.....oh boy...that takes me back a few years to recovering my first kit. First problem I ran into...sizes...unless you are going to use differnet booked match pieces you've got a fun job ahead. I've not seen to many pieces of veneer big enougn to cover a kick drum, (assuming you are covering an entire kit) 16X22 being the standard size, floor tom 16X16 and then it gets a little easier with toms and the snare. Also make sure your veneer bends easily without splitting or cracking, most veneer I've seen is fairly brittle. Then the same applies when screwing all the hardware back on. Just when you've got the finish perfect, you screw into it and cracks appear.......probably why in the end I gave up and just sent them to be recovered in the standard drum covering which is basically a thick plastic, about 4mm or there abouts. Would love to see it though if you get it done.

If size is a problem you could get some "eco veneer" It is manufactured from real wood, but comes in huge sheets, unlike real veneer that only comes in tree sized bits. Also in some pretty cooky colours which might go pretty well on drums.
http://www.newageveneers.com.au/envi...eer/index.html

Thanks for all the replies! Firstly I should say that the surface is smooth; and I only want to cover three drums - 10 x 8/12 x 9/14 x 14 - all sizes are inches.

I posted because I have heard drummers talk about this. Thanks esp for the good tip on cracking. Could this be helped by using poly as as a spray finish at the end?

The drums are Yamaha cheapos from Indonesia which are certainly not sonically A1. I tried staining them very dark - black actually - and the finish is very home-spraypak. But what bothers me more than that is the sound is average. I am trying to think of ways to solidify the sound. Laminate plastic wrap actually does that - I've covered a few kits - but I am interested in the veneer.

I know where you are coming from in regards to cheap drums. My first kit was 6 or 8 ply rubbish basically. The sound though is 30% quality drum heads (Remo Pinstripe still the best on the market in terms of sound and reliability) 40% tuning and dampening and 30% drum shell quality. Drums are very much like guitars in this respect, my guitar sound would be 40% amp, 50% pickups and 10% wood.

After years of tuning drums there are people out there who could put a drum head on a plastic bucket and make it sound great.

Hi,

Try Briggs Veneers, based in Wetherill Park,

www.briggs.com.au

They have a minimum order quantity though, however a large variety of species

Cheers,

Peter

Some good advice here, while natural timber veneers are unlikely to be available in suitable widths, you may be lucky, speak to Briggs but last time I dealt with them, they had a $100 minimum order for cash sales.

The "reconstituted" timber veneers will give you the necessary width and are available from Eveneer or New Age Veneers although with this product, it is wise to have it paper backed which means having it shipped to Five Star Finishers in Qld to have the backing applied.

Best results will be obtained using 2 part epoxy type adhesives such as Techni-Glue and using a vacuum bag set-up.

Also, be warned.........while you may enhance the visual aspect of your kit, it is likely that the additional "ply" on the shells will alter the sound of the shells and not necessarily in a good way....................been there, done that.

Some good advice here also, I have supplied a few drum companys overseas with 2 X 1 or as we now say here 50mm x 25 mm quarter sawn blackwood and Tasmanian Myrtle for steam bending then they laminate veneer on top.
Regards Bob

Originally Posted by HiString

Some good advice here, while natural timber veneers are unlikely to be available in suitable widths, you may be lucky, speak to Briggs but last time I dealt with them, they had a $100 minimum order for cash sales.

The "reconstituted" timber veneers will give you the necessary width and are available from Eveneer or New Age Veneers although with this product, it is wise to have it paper backed which means having it shipped to Five Star Finishers in Qld to have the backing applied.

Best results will be obtained using 2 part epoxy type adhesives such as Techni-Glue and using a vacuum bag set-up.

Also, be warned.........while you may enhance the visual aspect of your kit, it is likely that the additional "ply" on the shells will alter the sound of the shells and not necessarily in a good way....................been there, done that.