Bass Drum Beaters

[Chrome]

How would you approach making drum beater heads such as this?

http://www.wembleydrumcentre.com/imagecache/9ac8aa3c-2969-4493-bb81-9c620107922e_285x106.jpg

Obviously I would turn it on the lathe :D, but it's a little more complicated than it would at first seem, as top and bottom are recessed and I'm planning to use a 7mm brass tube through the centre (like a pen tube). Here's my basic cross-section diagram. I'm struggling to think of a realistic method that would let me make them by hand without it taking a long time.

http://www.turnedoutwell.co.uk/image/cache/data/Misc/BeaterDesign-600x600.jpg

I'm planning to use Mahogany, Sycamore and other hardwoods as well as possibly acrylic inclusions. However I need a way to make around 4 an hour for it to be worth my while.

Can anyone offer any advice or suggestions please? :)

[Colin62]

I'd mount a couple on a mandrel, and turn a set of two at the same time. That way it'll be easier to make sure that each pair matches, and I'd say it's easily doable to knock out a pair every 30 minutes. You could drill the sides with a forstner bit to the correct thickness, then drill the centre hole, mount on a mandrel and finish by rounding off with a skew.

[turnerted]

Mount a piece of timber between centres of sufficient length to make several and bring into round slightly larger than the finished diameter . Remove from the lathe and cut off pieces to the required length using a drop saw or what ever you have available. Use a jig so's you don't have to keep measuring them. Mount each blank in a chuck and bore the holes as described by Colin .Mount on the mandril and finish . The chuck marks will turn off in the process.
Ted

[KBs PensNmore]

I made a tool mounted in the tail stock to cut wheels for toys. The timber was cut slightly over length, cut round on the bandsaw, mounted in the chuck and turned the diameter and shape in them in one hit. Each one was exactly the same diameter and internal shape.
I could knock out a completed wheel in 8 minutes, doing a 100 at a time. It used high speed steel from planer blades 5mm thick.
Don't know how it would go on hard woods or acrylics though, as it was used on pine.
If doing them in Acrylics why not look at casting them to shape and then they would only require finishing.
Kryn

[Barden Koenig]

I like this post. It appeals to the strength of a woodturning community and exposes some of its diversity and creativity. I also love imagining how to make a piece faster, accurate, and profitable.

My gut reaction to the problem is to start with lumber that's planed to have two parallel sides. Then cut slices with your preferred method (mine would be a table saw sled). Then take the slices to the drill press and drill the 7mm through holes for all pieces in the slice paying attention to drill into end grain. Then switch to an appropriately size forstner bit (less than the washer, but not by alot) and recess around all the 7mm holes from both sides approximately centered with the 7mm hole. It's key to have the piece clamped for these holes because the forstner bit's point won't be engaged to guide it. Ideally the flat bottoms left by the forstner bit will be parallel and uniform. Then work up a simple drive on the lathe at the headstock. You could mount a piece of wood in whatever chuck system you like and turn the end down to a 10 mm diameter that steps down to a 7mm stem that tapers nearly to a point. If the piece is long enough you can drive your blanks with a friction by applying pressure from a cone in the tailstock after aligning the 7mm hole in the blank with the two points and still reach all surfaces needing tooling in one mounting. Each slice of wood can be chopped into final blanks with your preferred saw and you're ready for production turning. If you've made a good enough drive set up you won't even have to stop the lathe between pieces.

Turning could look like this:
Align 7mm hole with headstock drive, bring up tailstock and align the cone. With hands free and clear, apply pressure from the tailstock engaging the blank via its friction drive. Rough off the corners. Use calipers if consistency is necessary. Round into the bead shape transitioning into the faces left by the forstner bits. Sand and apply finish. Release the tailstock pressure and the piece can be stopped with your hand and removed. Rinse and repeat.

The resulting pieces won't have finish all the way to the 7mm hole, but that's going to be covered by the washer.

Hope it helps!