conga construction

[random]

i'd like to build a set of congas and need a little information.

from what i heard somewhere long ago, aren't congas built with strips of wood running the length of the drum?

if i'm wrong correct me, but if i'm right, how many strips would i use?
what are the most common sizes for say... a four drum set?

[agogobil]

 http://www.google.com/search?q=conga+construction&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=xx-elmer&btnG=Google+Seawch]they're just like a very long stave drum or beer barrel ... piece of cake!

[random]

alright, thanks!

[random]

okay, i'll probably use red oak cut into strips half an inch wide, inch thick i'd guess.  i'll use 22 for the 11" drum, 24 for the 12", 26 for the 13" and 28 for the 14".
i'm not sure on the thickness.

i'll buy all the hardware, unless i can get it made at school.

sound good?

[random]

change to half inch thick.  i'll build a steamer and jigs to bend the staves to the right shape.  

[nudrum]

Have you done the math for the circumference versus the diameter?
C=pi times the diameter.

so the diameter is 11",  11 x 3.14 = 34.54

34.54 x 2 = 69.08 pieces of 1/2" wood

That's my figuring.

Good luck!

[windhorse]

The really good ones have the staves beveled so that when glued together fit snuggly.

My Sols are built of 1/2 " thick 2" wide staves 31" long, and actually vary in thickness from 1 1/4" at the bottom, 2" at their thickest about 3/4 the way up the drum, then 1 3/4" at the top. This provides convex shape which also allows for equal thickness of the barrell from bottom to top, along with greatest contact of glued surface area.

The quinto has 20 staves.
The segundo has 22.
The tumba 24.
The super tumba 26.

I'd recommend Fat Conga or Timba med thick or thickest heads.
Bueno Suerte!  ;)

[nudrum]

Well ,I guess I'm not sure how the geometry works for building congas, no surprise there!
I'm sure the thickness of the wood makes a difference in the number of staves needed.

[random]

alrighty, thanks guys!  gotta wait til tuesday to start

[Mark Schlipper]

Nudrum is right, youre thinking diamter, not circumference.  

Also, It might be easier to start with ashiko rather than conga.   Same basic priciple, but not bellied.  So you can just make a cone, which will be much easier than bending to a bellied shape.

[random]

ah, i knew something didn't seem quite right.  i figure i'll just go straight into congas because i have an amazing resource, woodshop club!!!  i can make anything i want and have all the help and expertise i need.  my teacher has done everything from congas to violins.

[Dustin-Greer]

Good luck!  There are drum companies that have been building these things for years, and still dont sound so great.  On the other hand, I have a friend who had a pair of congas made for him in Virginia by a woodworker there, and we're using these in an upcoming show.  They sound great!  If you can find mahogany, use it. (but not if you will ruin a couple b4 getting it right, there isn't much mahogany left in the world!)  I would personally measure the Gon Bops traditional congas and try to match the dimensions, But they are my favorite congas.

[random]

mahogany i probably can't do.  the school does have a nice supply of wood though.  imagine walnut congas, i don't know how they'd sound but they'd look quite cool, and the school has an over supply of it.

[Dustin-Greer]

The hard woods just tend to make a ringy sound that I don't personnally like.  The ringy sound is what a lot of other people like, though they might not call it ringy.  The softer woods give a nice rich tone with a quick decay, which is what I'm looking for.  I don't think I've ever heard any walnut congas, but I'd bet the sound will be somewhere between oak and mahogany.  Walnut is beautiful, that's for sure.

[random]

i might experiment with all the different woods in the supply room.  find the one i like best, walnut would be really cool though.