Thread: Router lathe for stave drums

Originally Posted by Scally

From the pic of your shell it appears to be:

45 degree bevel inside
2-3mm flat
then a 8mm roundover.

Does that sound right?

The picture was just a reference for the type of snare bed I like.

Here's another example of snare beds....

Is that a ply shell?

A stave shell shouldn't need the internal hoops for strength.
What are the reasons for them?

That drum from the photo is a steambent shell - They are notorious for going out of round. They require reinforcement rings to keep in round. It is for this exact reason that ply drum shells are the industry standard as they replaced steambent construction methods back in the 1920's.

Some companies still make Steambent drums, but they are rare - Here is an example of the steambent construction method in the first half of the video.

[ame="http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=GmY04CeAh4g"]YouTube - [How It's Made] Drum Shells[/ame]


As far as hardware is concerned, i'll order from a supplier

classic tube lugs



a piston style snare strainer



triple flanged hoops

I found a pic of a drum being shaped on a router table.
I think it is similar to what you were talking about Joe?

After I get my jig running better, I might give it a go. It would certainly be easier to get the drum centered.

I made a big sanding disc to flatten the edges of the drums. It does a good job but is a handful to use.

This is the latest drum from the router lathe. 600mm long by 400mm diameter. It felt heavy in the jig and didn't roll very easily.

There are three more in progress and a set of Snare shell glued up.

Plenty of opportunity for refining the jig!!

Originally Posted by Scally

I found a pic of a drum being shaped on a router table.
I think it is similar to what you were talking about Joe?

Actually, Scally, that looks better than the contraption I used. My spiral cage wasn't hollow, thus the need for the dead centres and the holding frame. Your hollow shells allow the use of the centre rod with end blocks. For best purchase, I think the staves should be all the same length, perhaps a little longer to enable final trimming to length. Thanks for finding it.

Joe

Joe, I understand about your solid spiral cage.

I cut the staves about a cm over length for the glue up.

The big disc sander is then used to get the ends nice and flat.
This gives me good contact with the end templates.

I have four drums finished on the Stave router jig.

The big shells take a bit of work to rotate them with one hand and control the router with the other.

On the Jamo Jamo dununba, I routed the inside as well. I didn't try to get it perfect, jut take the steps away from the staves.
The shed and me were covered in sawdust.
This would be a good 'outside job'.

I sanded a 45 degree bevel on the inside of the rims them used a roundover bit on the router table to get the outside profile.
It did a good job because the rim was nice and flat and the weight on the drums kept it firmly on the table.

Everything was sanded to 240 grit then give a light coat of danish oil all over.