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My New Stave kit

Started by dizz, August 07, 2012, 09:35 AM

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dizz

Hi guys.

I built another stave kit!  I still owe props to Bob Dias for the inspire!

This is my main kit now.  Curly maple with cherry highlights.  8 10 12 14 16 toms 20 kick 13 x5 and 14x3 piccolo snare







Here's what they sound like.  This clip is straight off the mics.  Mics to Fire-pod to Zoom Q3HD no EQ or FX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXCj7uQZc44#ws]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXCj7uQZc44#ws
Maceo Play-along




Bart Elliott

They look and sound beautiful ... congratulations and well done!

dizz

Thanks Bart!

It was a ton of work but I don't regret a minute of it.  I really took my time and it was fun. 

Did I save money?  Not really hehe

Alex Smith

Great full sound and a beautiful look. How many kits have you created and how did you start?

Matthew Warwick

Very nice set, and it sounds great too!

I do woodworking as a hobby so I'd be curious to know a few things about building a snare in the future or something. How difficult is it?

I can think of many different woods I'd like to see in a snare drum shell and if I can be the one to choose what woods those are, that'd be awesome!

dizz

Quote from: Alex Smith on August 07, 2012, 02:55 PM
Great full sound and a beautiful look. How many kits have you created and how did you start?

This is my second 'kit'.  The first has it's own thread in this same section with the word stave in it as well.  It was made from Red Oak - not the best wood to work with.  Maple on the other hand is a pleasure to work with.

I started with a snare drum simply to see how possible it would be.  Then built a kit to match the snare.  Those drums sound just fine as well.  They don't look as nice as the maples though.  And the oak is only a 5 piece - but it was experimental.

I used wood I had around on my first try since it was just an experiment.  If I could turn back time and do it again, I'd have purchased a species of my choice even for the experiment.

dizz

Quote from: Matthew Warwick on August 08, 2012, 09:57 PM
Very nice set, and it sounds great too!

I do woodworking as a hobby so I'd be curious to know a few things about building a snare in the future or something.

I can think of many different woods I'd like to see in a snare drum shell and if I can be the one to choose what woods those are, that'd be awesome!

Thanks Matt

First if you decide you want to attempt such a project, let me know and I can shave time and frustration from your learning curve with a few simple ideas and links. 

The best advice I can give is don't rush it - and know that this is a project that will take time.  Any corners you cut in the beginning might very well be regretted.  It's possible that the drum you build can turn into a family heirloom so why not savor each moment and not rush the building.   If a piece isn't cut at quite the correct angle or doesn't quite fit together right - just redo that piece.  In a year you'll have forgotten the extra 20 minutes you spent on the drum - on the other hand if you don't take that extra 20m to fix something not quite up to your standards, you'll be forever reminded about it each and every time you see it.

The other reason to not rush it is safety.  Respect that table saw and router.  You need your fingers for drumming!

QuoteHow difficult is it?
It's not difficult in the classic sense of the word.  On the other hand there are aspects that could be considered difficult.  Patience is key - especially in the beginning when you're not seeing rewards but you're putting in a lot of effort and time.  (sound familiar? not unlike learning to play drums!)  Personally I find the finishing process a little bit difficult.  This part nears the completion stage of building and has to be right.  It is the part where most builder fail or 'cut corners'.  Tighter grain woods make finishing and bearing edges go much simpler than very grainy woods (like the red oak)

The Snare is the easiest drum to build.  Good quality lumber for a snare wouldn't cost much since it's not much wood.  However you'll feel the price of top priced exotics when you're building an entire kit (that goes for the hardware as well)

It's messy.  You will create a lot of sawdust.

The basic tools needed are
table saw
router
drill
imagination
calculator
formulas (don't let this scare you it's pretty a simple algebra equation) having to do with pi

You don't need a lathe but can use one if you have one.  I have one but didn't use it.

One of the most interesting parts of building your own drum is being able to experiment with the bearing edges.  With my production store bought drums (tamas), I just wouldn't feel comfortable augmenting the bearing edges and I never have (aside from deepening a snare bed on one of my tama snares).

My edges are different than most production edges.  The edges I have on the kit featured in this thread are quite a bit 'sharper' than what you likely have seen on production drums you've replaced heads on.   The thing is though that since I build myself, I can fine tune to my heart's content without worry.  (PS if you think you might want to experiment with your edges it's a good idea to mount your lugs 3/32" or so further from your edges.  That way you don't run out of wood between the edge and the lug.  Anytime you change an edge you're removing wood so prepare for it in advance if you think you'd enjoy this kind of tweaking.   You might be surprised what a different snare bed can do to the sound of a snare.

If you have an old snare laying around you can use the hardware from it for your first attempt if that's where you're headed.  Although once you put all that work in, you might not want to 'settle' on used and/or less than stellar hardware. 

I learned a lot on the first drum and kit.  I'd built most of the jigs I needed the first time around to do the second.  A decent portion of the work (aside from finishing) is building jigs.  Once you have the jigs, it'd be good if you can save them - that way your next project will be much less work.  It's still quite a bit of work though.  Having said that, it's not rocket science and frankly it's quite simple to fabricate a drum so long as you have quality tools.

I can go on and on and would be glad to help however I can but gotta run for now. 

Thanks for the replies guys

dizz