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jon46089
12th August 2005, 03:14 PM
I have become obsessed with solid timber drum shells - actually turned after gluing staves, like a wine barrel, but with straight sides. Most drums are made from plywood because it’s cheap and strong. But there has been tremendous interest recently in solid stave drums because of their superior acoustic properties. They are also visually stunning. Some background / links provided below:

Brady drums in West Australia have been producing stave shell snare drums for serveral years and are world renown, but check their prices, e.g. $1600 just for a snare drum.
http://www.bradydrums.com.au/

Several US companies have started offering solid timber snare drum shells, e.g.
http://www.headdrums.com/weare.html

There is a 16-year old guy in Sydney who is offering stave shell snare drums to the world drumming community. He will be making a stave snare shell for $120 out of timber I provided.
http://www.imagedrumworks.com.au/

Most stave shells are snare drums since they are relatively shallow in depth, e.g. 6 inches, and fairly thick, e.g. 0.5 to 1 inch thick. The shallow depth and the stiffness of a thick shell makes the machining and finishing of the internal surface fairly straightforward.

However I am really intrigued by the shells offered by
http://www.joshuatreepercussion.com/
You can see they manufacturer a full range of sizes, including 16 inch dia x16 inch deep floor toms and 22 inch dia x 20 inch deep bass drums, but the shells are as thin as 5/16 inches (8 mm) thick. Their prices are also reasonable, but still too prohibitive to ship here to Australia and pay import duties etc.

My question concerns the difficulties of manufacturing such large and thin drum sells. I am confident of cutting and glue up of the staves but not the final turning. The big difficulty is the finishing of the internal surfaces. Your “gut feeling” about how hard it would be to turn this sort of shell and any other information or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

silentC
12th August 2005, 03:33 PM
Someone asked this same question last year: http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=8922

Don't know what the outcome was, have a read.

I imagine you would need some specialised turning gear to do it. Do you reckon it's worth the time and money? I don't play my kit in studios anymore, I suppose it might be nice for a natural sound there - but I doubt the average punter would tell the difference on stage.

rsser
12th August 2005, 06:15 PM
Looks like an increasing number of turners aren't looking for a first class internal finish.

Eg. going for grooved or just rough-turned insides.

But that's a matter of aesthetics; not sure about the effect on acoustics.

jon46089
13th August 2005, 02:22 AM
Thanks for the link. This guy was thinking about starting out with a solid log, which is beyond what I want to do. As a matter of interest, there IS actually an Australian company which makes drums from solid logs. Check out these drums made from Ironwood (can you believe!!!).
http://www.spiritdrums.com/snare/beat.html (http://www.spiritdrums.com/snare/beat.html)<O:p</O:p

I really don’t care what average punters think anyway. I want to do this for the fun of it and of course to get a really great sound. As far as the money is concerned, did you check out the imagedrumworks site? A solid snare shell complete with bearing edges for $120 is unbelievable value. But the real kicker is that I have a Sleishman drumkit, where the shells are free floating, without lugs attached to the shells, see
www.sleishman.com (http://www.sleishman.com/)<O:p</O:p

So I don’t have to buy lugs (from the US) and then drill holes in the shells for installation. Rather, I would only have to pop off the drums heads, pull out the old and insert the new shells, and bung the head back on.

I have the 11¼ degree router bit for bevelling the edges of staves for a 16 stave shell, and will be attempting glue up of a raw stave shell soon, using pine for practice. My time is not the issue here.

The main purpose of the post was to find out how hard the turning of the inside would be, since I have already found a hobbyist who could turn the outside of the shells, but balked about doing the inside. On the other hand, on the web I have seen the results of turning the inside of timber vases with access through unbelievable small necks. This would be much more difficult than turning the inside of a constant diameter drum shell, like I want do. <O:p</O:p

FYI, the shell sizes (DxL mm) I am looking to have turned are:
10x10, 12x10, 14x14, 16x16, 20x18

Thanks

HiString
13th August 2005, 02:34 AM
Apologies in advance for the lengthy discourse which will veer slightly away from the specific question along the way.............. :)


Jon,

Drum shells are made in four basic ways.

1) The supposed "holy grail" is a true solid shell turned out of a solid piece of timber, Brady's do these only on special order and their asking price is approx., $6000. There is a guy up Cairns way doing them occasionally too and possibly a few other people.

2 and 3) Stave and segmented constructions are rated similarly. Depending on the timber or combination of timbers used they can be visually "exciting". Dee Jay Drums in Adelaide work in this style and if purchasing, I would suggest them before anyone else.

4) Ply construction, with the outer layer being either a "finish" or an "exotic" veneer which can be stained or painted. Alternatively, a lesser grade veneer is used on the outside and these shells are usually covered with "drum wrap".

Which sounds the best?.............Disregarding the "low end" kits and commenting with only the more respected brand names in mind.........There is no definitive answer, as firstly there are too many variables within timber itself, secondly the choice of heads and hardware will usually make more difference to the sound than variations in the shells (with some exceptions) and lastly and probably most importantly is the player themselves as playing ability and style will contribute more than anything else to the sound produced.

Oh, and as SilentC said............the average punter wouldn't know or care.

The current interest in, specifically stave but also segmented construction has come about because every second drummer and his dog has realised that at least in principle, building a stave shell is not that difficult. On the other hand, ply construction, done correctly, requires a vastly greater level of preparatory (R&D) work, time and dollars and is fraught with many more problems which is why very few people venture down this path................how do I know? Guess what I've spent most of this year working towards :D..........and I've still got a long way to go.

OK, in regard to turning stave/segmented shells (and a lot of this was covered in that thread from last year but as I hadn't read it until now I'll carry on regardless)...........

You could do it with a lathe which has an out-board turning capacity. Variable speed is preferable and it will need MASS in it's base to stop it wandering around. Personally, I have a Teknatool Nova with around 250kg of ballast in the base.

You could do what a lot of the "manufacturers" are doing and purchase a suitable s/hand metalworking lathe. If of adequate size, a boring bar can be used to finish the inside of the shells. This way, you can be turning out shells without having to learn woodturning skills but please don't ever regard drums made this way as being truly "hand made".

The third option which a number of guys have used is to make up a router jig which can be quite successful if properly designed for the specific task and is likely to be somewhat cheaper and easier to use than the other options.

According to what he had said in the past, Image in Sydney started out using a router but has now got hold of a metal lathe, however, by his own admission he has only produced a small number of shells, consequently his experience at this time is somewhat limited but he appears to be on the improve. There are others around with way more experience.

Fortunately or unfortunately, there are no real text books about this and there don't appear to be any hard and fast rules regarding right and/or wrong approaches to it. Personally, I haven't done enough with this form of construction to feel confident in saying anything specific apart from do as much research as possibly before committing too much time and/or dollars.

BTW, you may find this site of interest...... http://69.36.7.211/index.php .......it is Ghostnote, a drumbuilders website heavily populated by guys from the US and a small number of Australians, UK'ites, etc. :)

:cool:

HiString
13th August 2005, 03:08 AM
You got your last reply in while I was still typing :D .

Consider this............there is absolutely no guarantee that a solid or stave shell will sound better than what you already have in a Sleishman kit and it is quite possible that to change shells may be a backward step. Come to think of it, why you would even consider this when you have one of Don's kits is almost beyond me :eek: . I know Don Sleishman has used segmented shells for snares in the past but I would strongly suggest you discuss your ideas with him before going too much further. Also, there is a belief that the way Don does his bearing edges has a lot to do with the function of his drums.

Actually, last week, I saw three stave shells (1 mahogany and 2 purpleheart) imported from o/seas which are probably destined to be sent down and set up in Sleishman hardware :) :) .

:cool:

La truciolara
13th August 2005, 07:34 AM
.....
The main purpose of the post was to find out how hard the turning of the inside would be, since I have already found a hobbyist who could turn the outside of the shells, but balked about doing the inside. On the other hand, on the web I have seen the results of turning the inside of timber vases with access through unbelievable small necks. This would be much more difficult than turning the inside of a constant diameter drum shell, like I want do. <o>:p</o>:p

FYI, the shell sizes (DxL mm) I am looking to have turned are:
10x10, 12x10, 14x14, 16x16, 20x18

Thanks

The turning is not that difficult and as you say there is so much access within the drum that positioning the tools is not the problem.
The difficulty lies in the dimention as you have to turn on a fairly large lathe.
In addition I suppose you need to construct a supporting tool which will go IN the drum in order to handle tje tools corectly.
All the above in feasible, and kind of fun/challenge to do. Too bad I'm so far from you as I would love to do it.
I am sure you will find a wood turner, there are so many in Australia as compared to italy....
Good hunt.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
13th August 2005, 09:31 PM
I posted this, deleted it thinkg "nar, too silly" and then decided what the heck. If it's too silly, 'tis only another reddie or six. :D

I was thinking along the lines of making a set of "super" pin-jaws to use in expansion mode when I came up with what's probably a silly idea... How about using a small car or wheel-barrow wheel (a bit larger than the intended inside dia.) mounted on a faceplate? Something with the old-fashioned squarish cross-ply tread, rather than the more modern rounded radial profile.

Ribbon-clamp the outside of the roughed form, deflate the tyre, slip one end of the form over and re-inflate the tyre until it grips. Turn the inside of the exposed half then repeat the process, reversing the blank. Turn the outside after the innnards are finished.

I don't know how true it would run (a pair of push-bike wheels side-by-side might be better?) but the concept might be worth looking at in more detail...

jon46089
13th August 2005, 11:10 PM
Thanks for the education HiString – but LaTruciolara has pointed out “The main purpose of the post was to find out how hard the turning of the inside” (of the shells).

With respect to the education - I am already aware of how drum shells are made, plus I am already a member of the Ghostnote drum forum, whose members I might add have a more POSITIVE approach and have actually provided INSPIRATION - sort of a different kind of attitude. Your “no guarantee” statement could apply to EVERYTHING that has ever been done in human history. I guess I just don’t see the point of making a statement like that. Since all of this is a deviation, I’ll finish by saying that I am not naïve and stupid and that I am seeking TECHNICAL, NOT PERSONAL advice and opinions. So please – no more comments along the lines that the shells will cost of lot of money and may not sound any good.

I have seen and heard the segmented shells Don Sleishman has used and we both think they sound absolutely incredible. Members of Ghostnote report the same with their own drums. Don has used solid and segmented shells for his snares ONLY, for the reasons outlined in the original post. I have not discussed the solid timber shell idea for toms and bass drum with him … yet … and yes, I would probably seek his advice concerning the bearing edges. My opinion is that the shells can built for $$$reasonable and that they will sound incredible, but even more so using the Sleishman floating shell system. I am also very much aware this will require a lot of my time, but consider this type of challenge to be fun. If they don’t sound great, then I will just put the plywood shells back in. Enough already on why I want to attempt this.!!!

On a technical issue, Don Sleishman actually cuts his own bearing edges on imported (expensive) plywood shells using what might be described as a capstan lathe, i.e. the shell rotates about a vertical axis. For non drummers, the bearing edges are on each end of the shell where each drum head makes contact, and the ends are usually chamfered inside and outside with a small radius on the tip.

A capstan type setup might be a better option for turning the surfaces of the shells, since the weight would be supported by the rotating. Any thoughts on using a capstan lathe? <O:p</O:p

Skew ChiDAMN!!
13th August 2005, 11:54 PM
I've had a longer muse on the wheel/tyre thing and it'd probably take too much effort to get it to run true.

Going back to more conventional methods, how 'bout modifying a set of cole jaws to take a cage? The attachment shows what I mean, apologies for "roughness." The cole-jaws are only minimally sketched here, the main reason I'd use these instead of a faceplate is the rubbers could be used to centre the drum blank. In the outer hoop, cutting slots instead of just holes for the threads would allow it to be used for a range of sizes.

Also missing from the sketch are the wingnuts at each end of the endless threads. Use your imagination. ;)

The same principle could be used to turn the outside. Cole-jaws to centre the piece, a disk instead of the hoop at the other end and one piece of endless thread running through the headstock to the centre of the disk. Assuming you have a hollow headstock, of course.

A capstan lathe would have the advantage of not needing to carry the weight, but considering the size of some blanks that even my MC-900 has handled, well...

La truciolara
14th August 2005, 01:40 AM
...
...
...
A capstan type setup might be a better option for turning the surfaces of the shells, since the weight would be supported by the rotating. Any thoughts on using a capstan lathe? <O:p</O:p
That would probably make the turning far easyer for the external part as the drum could be fixed in a simpler way than on a traditional horizontal lathe.
However, I do not see how you could turn the inside unled you have a Lathe used for meccanical production with automated supports for the tools.
Maybe you should check with a meccanical workshop.

My idea was to mount (on the horizontal lathe) the drum on a male disk (ie, the male part will block the drum from the inside) and to secure the fixing, I would have the male disk mounted on a much larger disk on which to fix several cones to push the drum from the outside toward the inside.
The difect of that procedure is that you will probably have to do two different disks, as, when you will have finished one edge (as you explained it above, you will have to turn the drum around. At that stage both inner and outer dimensions will have change. But the challenge is quite interesting.

HiString
14th August 2005, 01:48 AM
Jon,

Apologies if my posts came across that way, however my initial response was due to the fact that based on your original post, I strongly suspected that you were a lot less knowledgeable/experienced than you obviously are in regards to things drummish. Unfortunately, I didn't see your second post which somewhat clarified your position until after I had hit the submit button, etc., consequently, rather than risk being misinterpreted again, I'll bow out of any further discussion in this thread.

:cool:

jon46089
14th August 2005, 03:58 PM
No worries HiString. After sending the reply I felt my reaction a bit sensitive since you were actually trying to help.

I am surprised to find someone who is a drummer with a good knowledge of drum shells that is active on the woodworking forums.

Jon

reeves
14th August 2005, 07:44 PM
Looks like u owuld need to make some custon jam chuck or extended jawsa to turn the inside.lamped for outside//u would need a sizable lathe but the outbaord atahe dmention in a cm900 would be fine..i guess...about 18 inches across
?

Jarrah can be a hardish would to turn..my guess would be a metal lathe would be more acruate....than chisels...a banjo maker near here, use one onj his banjo rim...s

the barrel style and staves is pretty solid, also interlocking piece slike abanjo rim could be even more solid.....

bobz
19th August 2005, 03:19 PM
Well I`ve been there and done it guys. Have a look at the photos. The quality of the photos are poor because they were scanned using a 3 in 1 printer. The finished drum looks much better than the photo. Making the blank has to be done with precission. A good sawbench and surface planer being essential pieces of equipment. First you have to decide how many staves you require, the more staves the thinner the material required. Less staves the thicker the material required to get the diameter needed. Divide 360 by the number of staves required and then further divide that result by 2 to obtain the angle of the staves sides. It`s a good idea to obtain the drum heads first so you can derive the width of the staves on paper so after turning, the drum will fit the heads. I use jubalee clips linked together to cramp the drum blank for gluing and also for dry fitting. When the blank is dry clamped you should hold it up to some light and make sure no light shows in the joints. A slight error in the stave angle always shows up in one joint anyway, so it`s easy to check. If there is a slight error in the angles I fine tune by hand with a razor sharp finely set jack plane. Care at this stage is important, you don`t want it to fall apart while turning do you, can cause injury. One of the photos shows my home made button jaws for my 4 jaw chuck. This is used to rechuck the drum blank after turning to turn the inside bevel for the leading edge. A snare bed has to be cut on one end by hand also using a slightly convex plane. I aim for about a 3/32" fall off for this.

La truciolara
19th August 2005, 08:21 PM
Well done bobz !
and pictures are far better than any type of explanation given in "english ?!?" by an Italien. ;)

jon46089
21st August 2005, 12:51 AM
Thanks for the info Bob. Since the original post I have started playing with MDF for the staves (purely as an experiment). The reason is that MDF is cheap, comes with precise thickness and is flat. Today I cut 16 staves, so the bevel angle is 11 ¼ degrees. According to calculation, for a 13 7/8 inch OD (ALL drums are 1/8 inch less than quoted diameter) the 16.3 mm thick staves should be 70.2mm wide and will fit snugly between a hole 359.8 mm dia. and a plug 320.3 mm dia. This will allow a maximum finished shell thickness of ½ inch after turning. I used an 11 ¼ degree router bit to bevel the edges and the bit was adjusted so that each pass reduced the stave width by bout 0.2 mm, so I was able to get the stave widths within this tolerance. The plug and hole were made out of a single piece of MDF using a straight router bit and a router compass. A rough and ready initial fit indicates everything seems pretty good, although I can foresee that fine tuning of the bevel angles might be needed. I ran out of time and will be able to better tell in the next few days.

I am planning on holding the staves between an internal plug and external hole at both ends and then using tie down straps around the outides to hold the staves while gluing. I checked out what is meant by “jubalee clips” which seem to be what Aussies call pipe clamps, so it is unclear what you did here.

The staves are 600 mm long because I am interested in toms and bass drums. Many guys have done snare drums, which as pointed out in the original post, snare drums are not very deep and have thick shells. However toms and bass drums are thinner and have deeper shells, and hence are much more difficult to make.

Have you done any toms or a bass drum?

HiString
21st August 2005, 01:22 AM
Jubilee clips = wormdrive hose clamps.

Get the largest ones you can find, unscrew them until the "tail" is no longer engaged in the screw/worm drive then take the tail of one and engage it in another clamp, the do the same with the tail of that one......continue joining them until there are enough to go around the circumference of the shell......and tighten as necessary :)

:cool:

RETIRED
21st August 2005, 08:44 AM
A better way of "clamping" staves is to use big rubber bands cut from car, truck or tractor tubes depending on what diameter you have.

They are quick to fit, exert an even pressure and glue doesn't stick to them. Most tyre services can help with old tubes if you ask.

jon46089
10th April 2007, 12:57 PM
Updating an old thread after recent private message enquiry. <o></o>

3/4 inch bullnose and round nose router bits were used to make the interlocking staves, same method as Flute & Bead Bit Set used for canoes, but much larger dia. is better here.
<o></o>
The staves can rotate for self alignment and they will be stronger than simple butt joints. Also, the joins will be inclined to the final surface making any filling a lot easier and better.

<o></o>For assembly, bases were made from 16mm MDF screwed to 16 mm plywood. A circular groove, with accurately machined inner and outer diameters, was routed then into the MDF (only) for inserting the staves. This and other info was calculated using a spreadsheet: drawing Round_Nose_12B_Stave.jpg. Looks complex, but simple in practice since the bullnose routing is done to get the "stave width" dimension measured with calipers.
<o></o>
Dry_assmbly.jpg shows top and bottom strap clamps which pulled the staves together using a circular lid corresponding to ID (removed for pic).
<o></o>
Glue up was piece at a time using sieved jarrah saw dust added to West System 105 epoxy to form a paste. The “Glad Wrap” around outside helped minimize leakage out of vertical joints (After_Gluing.jpg). Epoxy was scraped back into internal joints as it thickened while hardening.
<o></o>
ALL_Stacked.jpg shows the six shells all glued up with bases still attached. My contact with a metal lathe pulled out after the shells were made.
<o></o>
The big guy (bass drum) is 20 inch dia. Pretty scary if they were to break apart while spinning on a lathe. However the staves are glued solid into the 32mm thick bases, which could be used for mounting onto a lathe face plate and the lids could be fixed to the other end to help keep everything together.

Tapping them makes this great ringing sound for a second or more. They have been sitting around for a year or so. Machining the outside would not be too hard but I think the inside needs a metal lathe. Final thickness is 5/16 inch (or thinner is better). Any new ideas would be much appreciated.

<o></o>

HiString
10th April 2007, 01:17 PM
Jon,

Have you been to the Drumshed forums? There is a thread there (by Koko) about "turning" staves without a lathe which has some pics of the router "jig" he uses.........I'm actually thinking of adapting the idea for some work (not staves) that I may be doing.

:cool:

Frank&Earnest
10th April 2007, 01:52 PM
My apologies for jumping in. This thread intrigues me, I am always looking for new challenges and would like to try my hand at turning drum shells straight from the log. Previous posts and links have given me an idea about sizes, but I have no idea about their relative value, besides the obvious relation with difficulty/bigger size.
Could somebody please tell me the diameter/length/thickness of three or four of the most prized standard size drums (only up to 20', I am not totally crazy!) I could try aiming for? Thanks in advance.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
10th April 2007, 07:32 PM
3/4 inch bullnose and round nose router bits were used to make the interlocking staves, same method as Flute & Bead Bit Set used for canoes, but much larger dia. is better here.

The staves can rotate for self alignment and they will be stronger than simple butt joints. Also, the joins will be inclined to the final surface making any filling a lot easier and better.

http://www.ubeaut.biz/woohoo.gif

Now, this is a damned good idea! I know I'm no drum-maker, but I've turned staved items before and I can't help but wonder just why I've never seen this idea before? Especially considering the headaches everyone has cutting the angles juuuust exactly so.

Worth several greenies, in my books. But you'll have to be satisfied with just one. :wink:

HiString
10th April 2007, 11:41 PM
I have to agree with Skew, that method certainly addresses the issue of angle accuracy.

F&E,

Standard or popular drum diameters range from 12' to 14" for snare drums (sizes either side of this are less common), 10", 12" 13" 14" and 16" for toms (you will also find 6", 8" and occasionally 15") and kick drums normally start at 18" going up through 20", 22" 24" and 26". Actual shell depth varies depending on a number of factors, one of which is what is fashionable at the time. Thickness is another issue again.

True solid shells (from a log) require a lot of time for the timber to cure correctly without splitting, it is generally accepted that allowing for curing times, it can take between 1 to 2 years to produce a shell......obviously this is dependant on a number of factors but solid shells require a fair degree of commitment.

:cool:

Frank&Earnest
11th April 2007, 12:53 AM
Thanks HiString. I was thinking of finding a way of cutting concentric rings from a suitably seasoned log. Would any hairline cracks be a major problem for sound quality or would an epoxy or similar hard finish take care of them? Thanks again

HiString
11th April 2007, 01:48 AM
Anything that compromises the natural resonance is a problem, whether or not hairline cracks could be filled, etc. with epoxy is something I cannot give a definitive answer on, ideally, it would not normally be done, at least not by any serious drum builders I'm acquainted with. Personally, I'd be aiming for total continuity of grain throughout the shell.

Just as with tonewoods for guitars, etc., it is possible to "tap test" a drum shell.............hang the shell (balanced) on the thin edge of a rule or on the tip of your thumb and give the outside a sharp "thump" with the hard ball of your other hand (the base of your thumb)......a good shell will resonate with a fairly defined note with few, if any, odd overtones or unsympathetic harmonics.

Disregarding timber species or for that matter, the construction methods used............shell thickness will have a major bearing on a drum's pitch.......thicker shells are normally higher pitched, thin shells have a lower pitched resonance. Remeber that when fully fitted out, drum shells are subject to varying amounts of tension, this is most applicable to the snare which is tuned much higher than the other drums.

Also, unless you have an old kit which you are prepared to strip for the hardware, it would be wise to work out........... 1) where you are going to source all the necessary hardware from (it's not overly plentiful in Aust.), and.........2) realistic costings (we pay a premium out here). I use top end and custom gear which I have to import from the US and have to allow around $500 to fit out a snare drum and that's not including the materials and hours involved in the shell :C .

:cool:

Frank&Earnest
11th April 2007, 02:04 AM
Thanks again for your comprehensive answer, HiString. As regards hardware, I have no desire to actually make a drum, I was only interested in the mechanical challenge of turning the shell. I am sure that if I ever achieve that, there will be people here happy to take it off my hands...:D
Cheers
Frank

HiString
11th April 2007, 12:30 PM
Comprehensive? I've barely scratched the surface :wink: .

Just for interest I've attached a pic of an Ironwood log being turned into a shell........this is up in Cairns and the guy does some beautiful work.

:cool:

Frank&Earnest
11th April 2007, 05:35 PM
Comprehensive? I've barely scratched the surface :wink: .

Just for interest I've attached a pic of an Ironwood log being turned into a shell........this is up in Cairns and the guy does some beautiful work.

:cool:

That's woodturning? With a humongous methal lathe? too b****y easy!
Where is the challenge in that? :U As I read somewhere around here lately, "we are not into easy, mate!" :D (ok, ok, I have moved on from the foot operated lathe...:-)

Cheers
Frank

Skew ChiDAMN!!
11th April 2007, 05:44 PM
Hmmm... somewhere around in these forums [rummage, rummage] is a link to a video clip [rummage, rummage] where a bloke turns drum shells [rummage, rummage] from logs in the field [rummage, rummage] with a gizmo hooked up to his 4WD. [@#^%#!! Can't find it. :(]

The clip only goes for a minute or two and shows almost the entire process. From memory, the logs were green and he was basically only roughing them to shape, ready for drying... but a cored log will dry out a lot more quickly and because most shrinkage is radial, it is less likely to have problems with splitting! :thyel: I know that I wanted one the moment I lay eyes on it! :wink:

As a bonus, it'd be easier to inspect the roughed log and decide whether it's defect free and worth curing or whether it's a waste of time taking it home. I'm sure all turners with chain-saws have, at some stage, suffered the heartache of eagerly waiting for a particular log to dry, only to discover a hidden fault or inclusion once they've finally started turning it. :doh:


Oh... just BTW... I've moved back to using a treadle lathe. We are not into easy, mate! :p

jon46089
12th April 2007, 02:30 AM
The link HiString was referring to by Koko on the Drumshed forum for turning both the outside and inside of a solid drum shell using a custom design router jig is given below:
http://forum.drumshed.org/showthread.php?t=16005

I remember following the thread, but the design details are sketchy from the photos. It would be difficult to get the router inside a smaller diameter shell, such as 10 inch. Also, it took about 20 minutes of very carefully slow hand turning with simultaneous axial feed to do just one surface, and this was a small drum. He refined the setup using a belt drive attached to a drill for the turning (Page 6 of Drumshed thread). It just seemed too fiddly at the time, and required lots of practice/custom fab etc.

So you must think the router jig is viable HiString. How are you going to adapt it?

Opinions on practicality of the router jig from those that are not into doing things easy?
Do you think it's worth a try?

HiString
12th April 2007, 04:12 AM
Jon,

I have a vague recollection that the basic idea behind that jig had surfaced on one of the forums long before Koko ever appeared, anyways, while I agree that "as is", it doesn't lend itself to small diameter shells, I think that provided it is made and used correctly, it would work quite well, albiet somewhat slowly, although I doubt that turning on a lathe would necessarily be much quicker.

The design leaves itself wide open for improvements...........for instance, it would be possible to set the router cradle up with a cross-feed driven by the shell rotation and have it geared for a suitable feed rate.

I have to make some modifications to some gear and I'm thinking that the router jig will give me accuracy I won't obtain if I try doing it on my lathe.

:cool:

rhancock
8th May 2007, 10:44 PM
Oh... just BTW... I've moved back to using a treadle lathe. We are not into easy, mate! :p

Sorry, hijack... Skew can you have a look at my thread please.... http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?p=507596

Cheers, Richard

BTW... Drums... my daughter would love that...

zenzian
25th March 2008, 09:40 PM
Just to let all interested know that i have recently began building custom stave drums with custom made solid brass lugs to accompany these snares.

I am also buildin maple drum kits to similar specs as those used on the Sonor Delite kits.

Will have website running with pictures and information shortly. Will also post some pictures on this site of completed work.

Will be using Australian outback timbers such as Rosewood, Gidgee, Mulga and other suitable timber sourced locally for snares. Will also be making full stave built kits in future.

Look forward to hearing from woodworkers and drumbuilders and drummers.

Scally
27th February 2009, 12:24 AM
Over the last few months I have been making some large African drums.

I have post some information in the Musical Instruments section.

While I was searching around I found this old thread.
Since I seldom venture into the Woodturners section I thought some of you may not have seen my adventures.

The jig is my version of Koko's 'poor man's lathe.
The big rough drum shell is supported each end on bearings. The router runs along the top while the shell is rotated by hand.

It does a neat job on the outside.

I have tried to rout the inside but it was hard work. It would need some refinement to do a decent jobs.

I have a few more drums to make so any suggestions would be welcome.

NeilS
27th February 2009, 03:22 PM
The jig is my version of Koko's 'poor man's lathe.
The big rough drum shell is supported each end on bearings. The router runs along the top while the shell is rotated by hand.




Whatever works, Scully.

I expect that a lathe would be quicker, with the option of a quick power sand to complete the job while it's still rotating on the lathe, but then there is the cost of the lathe (it would need to be a decent size for those drums) plus the turning tools.

The insides could also be turned after the outside if you made up a super-sized set of Cole jaws, see this posting (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=41169) from Hughie. But is it worth it? Looks like the drums have skins both ends so the inside won't be seen. Perhaps an accoustics issue, although I have noticed the inside of my son's djembe drums (made in West Africa) are quite rough.

Neil

hughie
28th February 2009, 07:45 PM
I have tried to rout the inside but it was hard work. It would need some refinement to do a decent jobs.

I have a few more drums to make so any suggestions would be welcome.
[/QUOTE]

Scally,

If you have access to or can pick up a old radial drill something similar.Then you could do what a friend of mine was building.

He made up a giant sized hole saw out of a piece of steel pipe. One end fitted into the drill and on the other end he silver soldiered several pieces of tungsten carbide as cutters.

Mounted the drum blank in the/on the and used the hole saw to chew out the centre. It gave him a drum and a solid core for a smaller drum.