A drum is a great instrument, but much less complicated to build than many others. This makes it a great item for Makers to construct. Ryan Hollywood, who works as a technician at Falmouth University Academy of Music and Theater Arts, decided to make this excellent drum out of assorted scrap wood.
According to him, “Drum building just sort of became a hobby which has taught me a lot about working with and finishing wood. This build was only meant to be a bit of a play and a way to use up some offcuts. I hadn’t intended posting it online outside of sharing it with friends but I was pleasantly surprised by how it turned out.”
As it turned out so well, and has gotten a good response on the internet, he regrets not taking more pictures of the process. With the exception of a few details, the basics of this build can be found in the gallery below.
Strapping everything together and using a copious amount of glue seems pretty self-explanatory, but how he made the shell into a smooth surface on the inside and out might not be obvious at first glance. My guess was a very large lathe, but he actually used a router table with two jigs. One allowed him to turn and mill the outside, while the other allowed the inside to be smoothly turned and milled.
Overall it took about two weeks to complete this drum, working for a few hours in the evening. Waiting for the lacquer to dry was reportedly what took the longest time. The quality is excellent, but this isn’t his first try at a custom drum, so sometimes it’s helpful to specialize. Check out the video to see it in action!
For another DIY drum (using a much different process), check out this excellent build.
[via Reddit]
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