How to build drum shells. Cutting The Wood First, select the right type of wood.
How to build drum shells This week were making a 14" Walnut Snare Shell. Starting witrh raw wood, then build the shell, finish it, and drill for hardware. You know that “tap test” that everybody does to show a shells tone? Feb 8, 2024 · Learn how to make drums from scratch with our step-by-step guide. We’re going to take you through the entire process, step-by-step Feb 24, 2025 · Have you ever wanted to own and play a drum, but felt the instruments were too expensive to buy? Or maybe you’re looking to expand your little one’s collection of percussion instruments on a budget. Another important blog post to view along with this post is “How to Keep your Wrap Seams From Coming Up“. Oct 14, 2014 · DIY Drum Set - Building your own drum set from scratch is 100-percent worth the effort. The main reason for using thicker plies is to produce drum shells more quickly, for example, assuming DW and Yamaha use the same technique, Yamaha can make the same thickness shell 66% faster than DW. You can choose a single color for a simple look or get creative and paint designs, patterns, or even your name on the drum. Create your own custom snare drum with Nordic's top-quality snare shells. How To Build a Steambent Drum. Discover the materials needed, choose the right drum shell, attach drumheads, install hardware, and make your own drumsticks. Basic Description Making Your Own Acrylic Shell Repairing Acrylic Seams Drill Bits for Acrylic Cutting Edges Cutting Acrylic Shells Removing Scratches On Acrylic Filling Holes In Acrylic Acrylic Rims Venting An Acrylic Drum The Sound Of An Acrylic Drum RCI vs Gold-N-Times Octobons - Pipe vs Tube Basic Description Most people (if not all people) buy the acrylic Sep 16, 2025 · How To Make Old Drum Heads Sound Better? When using drum heads, whether old or new, ensure they are correctly centered on the drum. Building your own drum shells is an exciting part of making a drum kit. Whatever the reason, homemade drums are fun and easy to make with a variety of materials. Stave: Short sustain and higher fundamental pitch. You can get in touch with HHG drums here:more Jan 16, 2017 · It is STILL the #1 result in a google search for 'how to build a drum'. Sep 2, 2016 · Many years ago, I began the quest for a consistent and easily repeatable method for veneering pre made drum shells. I needed a method that did not limit me to costly backed or wide sheet veneer. Let the paint dry completely before using the drum. The shell must be sturdy and resonate well. This process involves cutting, shaping, and sanding the wood to achieve the desired sound quality. hubpages. I am a hobby woodworker so building the stave shell was less daunting than it might be to some with little experience or lack of tools. Moved PermanentlyThe document has moved here. You want drum shells to vibrate along the length of the shell- keeping it more flexible along the length gives a lower pitch, and allows it to vibrate with less energy, yet you need the shell to be strong enough around it’s circumference to support head tension. If you’re using a plastic or metal shell, you may need to sand it slightly to help the paint adhere better. Cutting The Wood First, select the right type of wood. Maple, birch, and mahogany are popular choices. Building a drum shell requires patience and attention to detail, but with the right materials and a little bit of know-how, anyone can make a beautiful, professional-sounding drum. Step by step - everything you need to know to build a drum. Acrylic: Acrylic shells offer a Apr 22, 2025 · For example: Bass Drum: Use a large plastic bucket or a metal trash can for a deep, booming bass drum. It allows you to create a custom set tailored to your needs. May 9, 2013 · Drum Building Supplies Parts and Terms Explained In Drum Building 101, Drum Building Resources by Philip If you know absolutely nothing about drums or drum making then you may refer to these definitions. Rob has graciously given us permission to republish from that wealth of information. 4K subscribers Subscribed Jan 21, 2025 · Shells: Wood: The most common material for drum shells, offering a wide range of tonal characteristics depending on the type of wood. Should you go for the warmth of wood, the clarity of steel, or the unique characteristics of synthetic shells? In this post, I’ll share my personal journey with drum shell materials and highlight some insights from experts like Carl Palmer. Building a Stave Snare Drum: Playing drums for years i've always wanted to make my own drums. There are several options for making your own kit. Here are common methods for wood and metal shells: Wood Shells Plywood: Long sustain with plenty of volume and varying fundamental pitch. Where the world's greatest drummer meet. More specifically while constant… Making Famous Drum Company Steam-Bent Single Ply Drum Shells (Part 2) Famous Drum Company 338 subscribers Subscribed Jan 5, 2010 · How to Wrap a Drum Shell Using a wrap to finish your drum is a great way to get an outstanding finish in very little time. Steam bent shells are considered among the most desireable because of their acoustic properties and simplicity of design. See full list on discover. Jan 14, 2013 · BY SCOTT ROCKENFIELD You love the way your old drums sound, but they’ve begun to look a little ragged. Building a drum kit from scratch is a rewarding project. Discover the essential tools and techniques for crafting your own unique percussion instrument. With a variety of stunning options to match your preferences, expert craftsmanship, and fast turnaround, you can build your perfect snare starting at just $375! Seven Six Drum Company is proud to present our 100th drum, “il Centesimo”, and here's a time-lapse full length video showing how we built a custom stave snare drum. Learn more about our custom, hand-made shells, including our process and sourcing. After centering, place the hoop over the head and align it with the lugs on the shell. DIY Fusing / Joining Drum Shells Testing bit height “Reverse Bearing Edge” The first step is to make the shells fit together. It is quite simple really. You can buy shells already made and add the hardware and finish or you can attempt to make the shells yourself. The result is a glittering beauty: Acrylic shells with an interior splatter-design and an additional gold-glitter stripe on the inside. Many elements of a drum shell’s construction will have a direct impact on how the drum sounds and responds. The process here involves taking two layers of veneer that have the grain oriented perpendicular to each Jul 31, 2024 · The art of drum building has been developed and refined over the course of hundreds of years. How To Build a Solid Wood Drum - everything you need to know. He wanted us to acknowledge the now defunct sites drumshed. The boards are first cut to length using a saw table, and the simple jig shown to the right. Welcome to the official website and store for Nordic Shells. We’ll discuss how to choose the right shell material and what happens during the morphing process before moving on to bearing edges, hardware fitting, and Here is the process I use to make plywood that eventually gets pressed into a drum shell. 5. Old drum heads often show significant wear, such as scuffs and dents, indicating they need replacing. Popular choices include maple (warm and balanced), birch (bright and punchy), and mahogany (rich and warm). Apr 19, 2025 · Before painting, make sure the drum shell is clean and dry. Dec 8, 2011 · If you have ever built a drum that you end up wrapping, you may notice that wrapping your drum all the way to the edge can cause your drum to sometimes* have issues with the drum head fit, and resonance. Metal: Materials like aluminum, steel, and brass produce a louder, more resonant sound with a distinct metallic character. Jul 18, 2022 · Solid shell drums are drums that are made with a single solid ply of wood. We'll prep the veneer, press into plywood, then we'll make the Jul 13, 2019 · Choosing drum shells is the first step in creating drums. The edges of each shell are of utmost importance; this is the point of contact between the drum and drum head, and need to be consistent in order to product the best sound/tuning possibilities. Each type has unique sound qualities. It used to be made of animal skin in the old times, but now it’s made of plastic. Drum shell – This is the body of the drum. With drum shell… We stock Keller VSS Maple drum shells in 5, 6, 8, and 10 ply, Vintage Mahogany shells, RCI acrylic shells, and everything you need to build drums. Get your raw shells now and make beautiful drums with us! Mar 24, 2010 · How to Wrap a Drum Shell This is the 2nd and last post on how to wrap your drum shells! Enjoy! Check out the first post here. The drilling of the hardware and vent holes precedes the rigorous sanding process, which gives the shells a soft and smooth finish. com Drum shells are made from birch, beech, maple, and oak, among other types of wood and materials. Drum manufacturers will take a sheet of wood and round it out to create the shell. Aside from the diameter, depth, and material of the drums Creating The Shell Creating the drum shell is an essential step in drum making. How to Make a Stave Snare Drum!: OK, so this project started when a friend of mine told me he was going to make a snare drum from an antique table and I thought, "Wow! How?" He told me about stave drums and how they are made up of individual segments all glued together instead of b… Dec 20, 2024 · Shell Construction Methods The way a drum shell is constructed significantly impacts its sound. Don’t worry — you can give them a new lease on life by rewrapping the shells yourself. I finally came across stave snare drums. They’ll then smooth it over and very often add things such as reinforcement hoops to make the shell more durable. How to build djembe drums. Drum Shell Roller Jig: The common method for cutting drum shells to depth, be that a case of working with an existing drum, or cutting a new shell from a full 24" deep plywood tube, is to ride the shell stock along the table saw fence. Happy to say we can now officially make our own plywood snare drum shells from scratch at hhg. info, and all the drum builders out there who contributed to this treasure trove of information. They use two-ply and three-ply plywood. Basic Description Making Your Own Acrylic Shell Repairing Acrylic Seams Drill Bits for Acrylic Cutting Edges Cutting Acrylic Shells Removing Scratches On Acrylic Filling Holes In Acrylic Acrylic Rims Venting An Acrylic Drum The Sound Of An Acrylic Drum RCI vs Gold-N-Times Octobons - Pipe vs Tube Basic Description Most people (if not all people) buy the acrylic The folks at Nordic Drum Shells sent me a brand new set of custom Walnut/Maple shells to build my latest kit. It’s easier to do than you might imagine, and you will save some big bucks that you otherwise might have spent on a whole new kit. I selected the shortest board, trimmed the ends to ensure they were cut square, and used this to set the position of the stop block. This will play an important role in how your drums will sound in addition to the others (heads, bearing edges, and tuning). Over the past couple of years i really started researching different methods. Nov 29, 2022 · Learn the characteristics of drum shell woods Find out which one is right for you! Learn what the most popular wood is! Also, check out our post on the best TAMA drum kits. You can add some small chains or wires on the bottom head to create the characteristic snare sound. Feb 9, 2015 · What You Need to Know AboutDrum Shells Since 1977, the world's most widely read drum magazine: in print, online, and the Modern Drummer app. Applying Contact Cement After you have made sure there is not sanding dust Looking to build a custom drum set? Here is a detailed look at all of the tools you will need for building a drum or drum set! How to build an acrylic drum. The DIY Fusing / Joining Drum Shells method used is identical regardless of size though. Traditional drum shells are made of wood, but with recycling in mind, alternative materials such as plastic buckets, metal containers, or even cardboard tubes can be repurposed to create unique drum shells. Of course, they still have not arrived Jun 19, 2025 · Featured image: Sonor drums being made in Germany Ever wondered how a drum goes from raw materials to a finished instrument? In this article, we’ll show you how drums are made and how you can make a drum following industry practices. An extension is clamped to the sliding protractor, and a stop block is clamped to the extension at the desired length. It involves cutting, shaping, and sanding the wood to create the perfect base for your drums. Instantly loved the look, sound, and quality of these drums … Aug 12, 2023 · From choosing the perfect drum shells to customizing the hardware and finishes, building your own drum set is a journey of self-expression and musical exploration. Note that in this video, I did not film the cutting of the snare beds…that occurs just before drilling and assembly. However, they are not easy to build, and as a result, most builders choose a different method. If you’re going to do it, do it right. Welcome to Episode 40 of our Drum Making Diary. Watch then entire process from unboxing, finishing, drilling, and assembly (and a few Jan 28, 2010 · 2) Once you know the size of the drum you wish to build you can the cut up the MDF to the correct size (I plan this before I buy the MDF and get the shop to cut it for me) if you are doing a 14” drum allow for about 2” either side to create the support (making an 18”x18” square. A complete discussion on the various drum building methods. Jul 27, 2024 · Learn how to build your own custom drum kit with our step-by-step guide, from choosing shells to painting and customizing your kit. A few months ago, I decided to order the shells already made from a drum making supply company. Dec 22, 2024 · The material of your drum shells can make or break your sound, and with so many options out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Because of this, there is far less information on how to build them than other methods. Steam-Bent: Vibrant with long sustain and true fundamental pitch. If you are wrapping multiple drums you should find out if your wrap supplier has specific configurations already cut to size for your drums, if not you’ll need to calculate how much wrap you Jul 5, 2024 · How Drum Shells Are Made // Behind the Scenes at Nordic Shells Mike Malone 17. In this article, we will discuss the basics of making drum shells and provide tips on how to get started. Snare Drum: A smaller metal can or a plastic container with a thinner shell can be used for a snare drum. While the majority of drums are built from wood, one of the biggest factors that impacts a drum’s sound is how the wood is used. Apr 16, 2024 · Learn how to make a drum from scratch with step-by-step instructions. Then each board can be Here is the making of my self-made custom drum set. The drumhead The drumhead of a drum is a membrane stretched over a drum shell. Basic description: Also sometimes called 1 ply shells, steam Apr 13, 2015 · The reason being that the more mini and cocktail drum kits I make, the more 22″ bass drums I have laying around. ) 3) Now to make the Circle Jig. How to build a stave drum - construction methods, supplies, stave angles, clamp methods, lathing, gluing. The drum shell material can be wood, metal, acrylic and even stone. We just want to show you what a deceptively complex instrument a snare drum is, after all. Start your drum-making journey today! Feb 14, 2022 · Let’s dig into how to make drums. Measure the wood to the desired Mar 18, 2024 · The drum shell forms the body of the drum and significantly influences its sound. This tool cuts away a small portion of your wrap so that the drum head only makes contact with the shell and not the wrap. To get the wood boards to a pliable state, they need to be soaked for weeks or months and then steam and pressure are How to build an acrylic drum. Aug 30, 2013 · Truth is, we don’t expect you to run out, source the parts, buy the tooling, and build your own snare drum (although you can certainly try). org and drumtown. Oct 25, 2019 · Ever wonder how to build your own drum set? Know some important tips plus motivation & desire, the drum set from scratch is worth the effort! Philip’s eBook on how to make custom drums was instrumental in encouraging me to proceed with my idea of building my own custom drum. . Nov 26, 2018 · Being a woodworker of sorts, I have been itching lately to make my own drum kit. By the end, you’ll In the case of re-rings, I have always loved the way DW drums sound, and (in addition to the shell material and bearing edges), DW utilizes re-rings on the majority of their maple drums. A complete resource of materials, methods, and suppliers. momyzohjiabdbuvdolchxiswbstcvvzlsqyohfaqflstuyhokpmloayoeaotqavpxymsxjarcdobzu