Making a Snare Drum

A project that I've always want to do is a Drum build. I never had a reason or the extra little drive to do it before. Now that my daughter is in High School band playing the drums. I thought it would be a good time to do it. She plays the bass drum now, but wants to switch to the snare. One thing I found real quick was the price of the hardware. It cost so much to buy the hardware it was just cheaper to buy a drum and use the hardware from it. I lucked out and found a great used one on Facebook market for $40. Even if you paid full price for the drum I got, its still cheaper. Link below.
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[@mfwoodshop]

Stave Calculator Used - uniontownlabs.org/tools/stave/

[@joshuaguzman7467]

This is extremely inspiring. I don’t have a lot of years in woodwork but this is something I definitely want to try out! What better way to personalize my drum set than to build my own snare. Thank you !

[@mfwoodshop]

Lots of fun

[@Dellpodder]

I'm currently going down the stave drum making rabbit hole, and your inside routing jig is the cleanest I've seen yet. Good idea using the rollers off of an outfeed stand!

[@mfwoodshop]

Glad I could help!

[@BALES5000]

Drum looks good!. If you cut/sand snare beds into it, you'll be able to pull the snare strands tighter to the bottom head and eliminate any buzzing.

[@mfwoodshop]

Cool. I'll look into that. I really don't know much about the drum proper sound. I build this for my daughter. I though it would be a fun project and it was. I've watched some of your builds you make some kick A** drums.

[@JosephCenter]

You beat me to it by 3 months....

[@dannylugojr3428]

I was going to mention the same thing about the " snare bed". I don't think it was done !

[@salder70]

What is a snare bed? I am looking into building one this summer

[@BALES5000]

@@salder70 drummagazine.com/snare-beds-what-they-are-and-what-they-do/

[@garyleegomez8670]

The man is right about cutting snare beds. Beautifully made snare drum. Also, replace those GP stock heads, they're usually lousy, with Remo or Aquariun drum heads, sound would be vastly improved.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks for the tips!

[@andrewallason4530]

I’ve been using hydro-heads for about 40 years. Much richer, fuller, fatter sound. Love’em, baby! Great job on the new shell. Your daughter will be extra proud to play it. Stix with it! Cheers from Tassie.

[@ScrapwoodCity]

Pretty cool project man! Loved the router jigs!

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you they really saved my butt on my this one

[@JordanJMSDrums]

Man, this is such a beautiful snare! Would love to review a drum like this

[@mfwoodshop]

Go for it!

[@jamesjarvis3442]

You are a very talented person. That is very amazing you making a snare drum. You done a amazing job. Amazing

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you so much 😀

[@drummerchappell]

Very kool! Something I’ve always wanted to do myself is build a drum. A solid shell would be neat but I’m not sure how I would steam a plank of wood hot enough to roll into a shell. That clip is most likely for marching, you can attach a sling/strap to go over your shoulder. If it’s for sheet music I haven’t personally seen an attachment for it, however there’s a ton of drum gadgets so I wouldn’t be surprised! I would personally tighten that bottom reso head much tighter and tighten the top batter head, it should feel almost solid. Either way good luck with future projects and I hope your daughter enjoys drumming as much as I do and is learning a lot!

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks me for watching

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

Solid shell? Which way should the grain go? Can you cut a log to size and remove the core and then remove the bark? I guess you could drill a hole in the middle (on the long axis) and mount it on something, to spin. Then drill a hole at a radius point, and pass a bandsaw blade through that hole. Then simply spin the log on it's axis, to cut the core out quickly. I assume the bark would make it sounds worse, but it would look cool as hell, if you found a way to leave it on.

[@ricoloco2803]

I think that mystery piece may have had a partner to attach a strap for marching.

[@DaveGatton]

Great job Mike. That snare drum came out fantastic. I especially like how you figured out what jigs you needed to do the job and made them. Well done buddy.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you Dave

[@chemcody5119]

I've always thought that you march to the beat of your own drum. :) This was a very cool project Mike. You did a great job!

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you Chem

[@walterlatorre8936]

Absolutely beautiful snare drum. Kudos to you.q

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you kindly!

[@benjamindupuis6740]

Very nice work, thanks for showing the tools! I'll soon try to build one without a router, all by hand.

[@mfwoodshop]

Have fun

[@roberttaylor8322]

The piece you asked about is most likely a harness point for drum line.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks

[@GuysShop]

Nice job on working out the jig needed for the build. Looks great!

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you Guy, in the end completely worth it

[@paulsmessyworkshop]

Mike, that is a really great project. One of those that is just a mind blower. Great jigs too. Lots of WOW factor.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you Paul I had so much fun with this one

[@robertsalminen3597]

Mike, this is brilliant! I have been looking for a better way to make my jig smaller. Excellent job, man.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks you Robert

[@tomsdreamshopworx]

It’s all about the jigs. Nice work Mike!

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you Tom, you not wrong

[@lalodiaz3886]

wow you made it look so easy bro! I want to make a snare and your video helped me a lot. thanks bro greetings from Mexico 😎😎

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks for watching glad it helped

[@studio-beat-box]

I haven’t seen you doing a snare bed on the underside. We usually do a small curve on both sides, where the snares meet’s. Good idea for the jigs you used. Thanks for sharing.

[@mfwoodshop]

Both top and bottom got the curve. Thanks for watching

[@Javiercontre11]

nice drums

[@mfwoodshop]

Glad you like them!

[@FredMcIntyre]

Awesome work Mike! 😃👍🏻🥁👊🏻

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you Fred

[@BigTwig858]

Very nice work…… like the other comments….Snare Beds a must. ~6.25” w…..1/8” drop 3”-4” center and sweep up to zero

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks for the info!

[@derrickmartens3530]

great drum. they used that little clip you were asking about to attach a sling and then the drum can be played while marching.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks

[@raynegroni6765]

This is fantastic. Excellent woodworking. ...drumming not so much.

[@mfwoodshop]

Agree, and that a fair Statement

[@Payterman]

This is incredible!

[@mfwoodshop]

thank you

[@AddiKolb]

I love the rogers lugs you added to it! Amazing piece my friend!

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you very much!

[@jaleelpriest5755]

Do you know exactly what they’re called?

[@Thefineartofdistraction]

Very very very impressive, I’ve played the drums for 35yrs & I own 2 custom drum kits, where I picked the wood, the sizes & the colour. I think I NEED to give this a go. Would it be to much of an inconvenience if I asked how wide each piece of wood is, I would love to give this a whirl, I understand if you want to keep it a secret. If you were to build another drum you can actually get a free floating system, where basically you don’t have to drill any holes for the lugs, basically the lugs a held there via the tension rods & the top & bottom skin. Food for thought if you wanted to attempt another one. But seriously dude, this drum ROCKS, especially for your first attempt, well done. Ps, I just subscribed & I look forward to watching more of your videos

[@mfwoodshop]

I dont have any top secret info. the width depends on the circle size try this web site for Stave construction. www.woodturnersresource.com/extras/projects/segmentcalc/index.html

[@a.p.5906]

Tighten the strainer, and get yourself a Remo RemO's drop on muffle and you'll be amazed of the sound. I used them for years

[@mfwoodshop]

thanks

[@VaughnBrown1965]

Not bad man. Not bad at all

[@mfwoodshop]

thanks

[@crisdrumming]

Wow man, you did a great job. Even the intuition to prepare the drum with simple pieces of wood is mind-blowing! I suggest to buy some proper hardware, maybe a die cast hoop and an EVANS or REMO drum head for snare and make it tune by a professional drummer. Level of satisfaction for your job could considerably become higher after this corrections.

[@mfwoodshop]

thanks

[@juandavidospina6237]

Great job guys

[@mfwoodshop]

thanks

[@Medievalfan94]

One can see that you are an excellent woodworker, but one can see that you are not a drummer, too :D A nice pair of heads and snarebeds would have elevated this drum above and beyond. You are a good father, your girl can be proud of you!

[@mfwoodshop]

Drummer I am not, thought it would be fun to make

[@the_katman2181]

Great job, man.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you

[@nickbutts1984]

Dude these videos are awesome

[@mfwoodshop]

Glad you like them!

[@ivannio8519]

Super work

[@ivannio8519]

Super dad too ;)

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@vandavis911]

it's Kool . you should start a drumshop. that clip is for a strap. the one you asked about. cheap snares have them . like gp and griffin. good job dude. it needs a better tuning. but your a damn good builder . I'm a 30 yrs drumming I'd buy a shell if you built more.. peace.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you Van

[@markwithers7790]

Great job man...!!!! A few things come to mind. Im thinking with the grain going the way it is that shell would more than likely warp over time? Maybe not but its a bit risky with all that effort to make it round. Also, that could be rounded up with a lathe with a similar jig very quickly.

[@mfwoodshop]

Mostly for fun type of project for me. My lathe is not big enough that would have been my first choice.

[@DrivewayWorkshop]

Mike that drum is freakin beautiful.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you Jim. I really put some of my best work in to it.

[@rosslazzara]

Driveway Workshop !! Love it !!

[@rogermoscrop4523]

Michael, thanks for the enjoyable and informative video and reading the comments. Post COVID it would make an interesting follow on to take the drum to your local drum shop and see what their Drum-Tech does: Hears, suggests, modifies? I’d hope they’d do free-of-charge as a promo...

[@mfwoodshop]

Sounds good!

[@lalhmunmawiapachuau7777]

Great work sir.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you

[@lalhmunmawiapachuau7777]

Now I have to subscribe to your channel 👏😊 What's the thickness of the shell?

[@genewilliams617]

Hreat looking snare for sure.

[@mfwoodshop]

thanks

[@aftertheendtimes]

Amazing work 🥰

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you! 😊

[@flannel2699]

Afraid I was cooking while watching so may have missed it but I didn't see you carve a snare bed. If you're not familiar, it's a depression in the lower bearing edge (perhaps an 1/8") blended in smoothly so it hardly notices, which creates a slight curve in the cross section of the head where the snare is in contact.. this curve allows a relatively even pressure between the snare wires and the snare head across its length, providing much improved control over the snare sound and eliminating the annoying rattles, even at quite low tension. You could cut it on your router table or carve it by hand (carefully!). It should transform the instrument, fancy hardware or not. Another top tip(s) is decent heads, nylon washers for the tuners and a suitable bearing edge conditioner to ease tuning. Have fun..

[@mfwoodshop]

I did cut it I used the router table

[@flannel2699]

@@mfwoodshop excellent! (I was probably stirring something..)

[@JimDockrellWatertone]

Neat challenging project. I like it lots.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you Jim. for sure many different little challenges, but just take them one at a time and they are not that bad.

[@markserbian4355]

The little 90-degree piece is for a drum strap for, sort of, marching.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks

[@waltariusofficialretrowavesynt]

Beautiful

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@solartidowe]

Great job! The spare part may have been a component from the muffler assembly.

[@mfwoodshop]

Good call!

[@hallowed45]

pretty cool drum.. was very interesting seeing how you made the shell. \MM/

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks Doug

[@remotexpolde]

Only 1.21 minutes in and my jaw dropped off and ran away. This is astonishing. WTF!!!!

[@mfwoodshop]

thanks for Watching

[@remotexpolde]

@@mfwoodshop You bet! It's 1000% Kick A** you're doing this for your daughter. to me, it seems Both genuine affection and unsung genius are equally at play here, from everything to construction to the tools you built to facilitate it. Kudos! This was amazing to watch. Cheers!!!

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks

[@MrJbunch1]

Great work

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you. I had fun doing it

[@CatabductionsAnoym]

The other band member miss the stick ricochet man!

[@mfwoodshop]

Ok

[@BillyMcCord]

Awesome man !

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks Billy lots of fun making this one

[@davidonstott5317]

The clip is for a sling (for marching)

[@mfwoodshop]

It only take one?

[@telsonalves8060]

Super TOP !!!!

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you

[@tomislavmatisic6675]

i think that little piece is for a belt for marching vertical.. i guess :)

[@mfwoodshop]

Ya, I think so

[@ivanalfonsocorderogutierre7498]

This part is to adjust the belt to charge in a march use it!

[@mfwoodshop]

thanks

[@borealstudios]

Those metal pieces from the old snare drum looks like microphone clamps.

[@mfwoodshop]

ya maybe

[@BergflitzerFoto]

Coole Sache 👍👍👍👍👍

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you

[@Taydrum]

You did a really good job, it looks amazing, but the sound is off. It needs some tweaking, either tuning, better heads or snare wires. Not trying to be harsh, just a thought.

[@mfwoodshop]

Ya I know at the time I didn’t know how. My daughter took it to her instructor and he tuned it up.

[@Taydrum]

@@mfwoodshop A good tune solves most problems. Cheers!

[@carlospadilla5589]

Exellent

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you

[@STATIONBUDAYASALURANBUDAYA]

Amazing👍

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks for the visit

[@donison28]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="7">0:07</a> that music tho

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks

[@rickabick1982]

HI, interesting. AT <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="525">8:45</a>, with the rollers, why didn't you mark up your jig like you did for the exterior and simply just hold the tool in place and turning the drum around and move to your next mark ??? just saying ! great work !!!

[@mfwoodshop]

That probably would have work just didn’t think about

[@JeremyTripp87]

Had the same thought. Paused the vid to see if someone had thought of it and here you are, the second comment. Haha

[@Weaksauce730]

@@JeremyTripp87 I also think that there's some stability intruduced with his method. If the drum were to be spun constantly, there's probably more to chance for human error to wobble it and cause some blemishes. Maybe he couldn't find a good way to spin the shell with stability. With this method, his left hand can hold the drum (somewhat) steady.

[@drs-Rigo-Reus]

the angled piece of steel most likely is for carrying the drum when walking.

[@mfwoodshop]

yup

[@justinpinette1503]

@@mfwoodshop This is not the type of snare drum that would ever be used for marching. You can lose that piece of hardware.

[@alfiemckenzie2493]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="945">15:45</a> im pretty sure its for a strap, maybe? Looks good though.

[@mfwoodshop]

Maybe right not sure

[@rickp6825]

Marching strap for sure, have used these type of hooks for years

[@Brockenkloppen]

Yea , as far as i know ,those are for holding straps in marching music for example.

[@drs-Rigo-Reus]

What type Bosch router is used please? In the process of building one myself.

[@mfwoodshop]

I used a bosch Colt router

[@Azeez396]

So I have a question, instead of using thicker wood staves that youd have to cut down later, why not just start with a thin piece of stave thats already your desired size?

[@Azeez396]

I havent tried it out myself but my guess is that such thin pieces wouldnt jam well together with glue or that the project then becomes too fragile to work with.

[@Azeez396]

Currently working on a drum related project involving steam bending the staves to form a double tapered cylinder. The staves are about 25 inches in length each and Im going to try with a thinner sample like plywood. What is your ideal girth or thickness for a drum shell?

[@mfwoodshop]

With staves you will have a flat spot on each stave, so you go thicker to bring it down so it will be round in the end.

[@ricoloco2803]

So when does the kick drum video come out?

[@mfwoodshop]

Thought about making another. My daughter does play anymore so probably it going forward with that

[@therealandrewlund]

It's a bummer that good hardware is so expensive, because it does make a big difference in how the final drum sounds. Putting crappy lug mounts and rims on a beautiful handmade shell will not take it anywhere near its potential.

[@mfwoodshop]

I know it makes a difference. This was my first and probably only one I’ll do. If I was a drummer I would have done better hardware. Thanks for the input

[@MarcosLopez-hy3px]

Excelente !!!

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you

[@rolandocaraballo]

How do you do the calculation of the angle for the cuts and how many is need it

[@mfwoodshop]

www.woodturnersresource.com/extras/projects/segmentcalc/index.html Stave calculator online tool

[@TheMygro]

Can you give us the list of tools you used? Thanks.

[@mfwoodshop]

In the description

[@mmelimophethe7736]

Wow good evening sir! What type of wood did you use there?

[@mfwoodshop]

Used Hickory on this

[@jonathanhahka9939]

I think that small bracket could be a mic mount?

[@mfwoodshop]

Ya, maybe

[@albertcontreras8284]

How wide to you rip each individual block

[@mfwoodshop]

Depends how big you want the circle to be. You have to use a stave calculator to figure that out.

[@Jonas4747]

Really nice, a snare drum is on my list for a long time as well... Did you put an air vent hole?

[@mfwoodshop]

I did 5/8” near the top

[@jscjazz2065]

Nice build. What were your stave dimensions? I’m trying to build one but keep getting spaces between the staves when assembled. I’ve tried multiple degrees and used the online stave calculator website everyone uses. I always end up with spaces between them. Any tips?

[@mfwoodshop]

Just remember the saw has to be setup absolutely perfect. Especially if you do many staves, any error in the cut will compound over all the parts. In my experience either use less staves to reduce the compound or use more clamping force to close the minor gaps.

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

Making a drum is interesting and probably a very enjoyable hobby project, but there's also the economic aspect to consider. For example, you don't know what it will sound like, until you've already paid for it. So it is, buying a pig in a poke, on the one hand (much more economically efficient to go to a music store, test out all of the used snare drums, and buy the one you like best). On the other hand, if you have a wood shop, you probably enjoy making things, and so you're killing two birds with one stone (which is a form of efficiency). And you'll have the pride of playing an instrument that you made, as well as the opportunity to acquire enough related knowledge to innovate, or at least customize an entire drum set, from scratch. I did notice that you ended up buying a used drum, as part of the economic calculations... it seems that a used drum, with no heads, and damaged bearing edge is the best bet for hardware.

[@mfwoodshop]

did this for fun

[@Rick_Sanchez_C137_]

I think on your jig for the inside of the drum I’d use dowels in place of those out feed rollers (since I don’t have any)… should work good enough… Good video! Cool drum!

[@mfwoodshop]

I would think Large dowels would work fine. As long as they dont flex you should be fine

[@drs-Rigo-Reus]

most likely forgot to add the snarebed? It buzzes too much.

[@mfwoodshop]

probably

[@azurplex]

I'm curious to hear it with the heads tuned and snare set well.

[@mfwoodshop]

Me too. I haven’t done it yet

[@FazeRLAID]

Me also

[@PatCavanaugh1]

Those jigs were genius. And the drum looks great. What species of wood did you use?

[@mfwoodshop]

Thank you, I used Hickory. Mostly scraps left over from my kitchen table build.

[@chriskiefer7493]

I think it's for a strap.

[@mfwoodshop]

I think so

[@DuarDrums]

Hola!! Excelente trabajo!! Podría decirme que madera uso?

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks, I think

[@austinmelling8271]

whats the tool youre using under the jig and what bit?

[@mfwoodshop]

Router and a straight bit

[@user-ln8ys3ql7x]

At what angle do you cut the boards and how many pieces is it need? Good job!

[@mfwoodshop]

Depends on you. how many parts you want to deals with. I used this site to figure it out. uniontownlabs.org/tools/stave/

[@user-ln8ys3ql7x]

@@mfwoodshop Thank you

[@Jonas4747]

Wow that is beautiful. I have a Snare Drum on my list for this year. How did you fasten the plywood disks to make the outside round? were they glued on? also do you guys think oak would be a suitable choice for a snare?

[@mfwoodshop]

Glue, and oak should be fine you just want something to reflect the sound so just about any hardwood would be best.

[@AddiKolb]

I would go with solid European maple wood!

[@shanegeorge7344]

What is the weath of each Peace

[@mfwoodshop]

I think they were 1.5” it’s been a while

[@ninetyyellow]

did you cut the snare beds?

[@mfwoodshop]

no

[@luispan1091]

Awesome work! congrats!, just a question, how did you calculate the distance between each lugs?, Thanks!

[@mfwoodshop]

I used the rim as a template

[@1111pianoman]

dude...they covered that in plane geometry the week you decided to ditch the class...

[@JosephCenter]

Nice work! I see that @Bales already mentioned snare beds, which will give you much better and more accurate snare response. I think I might have seen something, but I'm not sure if you added an air vent. That will also help control the tone. Both are super easy steps (far easier than assembling and milling the shell) and will have a huge impact on the sound. I'm really not touting my own channel here (seriously), but the first time I used the router table for my snare beds (kzbin.info/www/bejne/maTWf2SqaceFocU) it had a huge impact on quality.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks for the info

[@rickabick1982]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="925">15:25</a>, not sure, but does this piece would be to hold a small wood block to make the rim shots like often in jazz or balad songs ?

[@mfwoodshop]

Maybe I think it for a strap while marching

[@D1rkD1ggler]

Neat.

[@mfwoodshop]

Thanks

[@rooftop.voter542]

Your work is awesome. How do you make the inside shell so uniform looking after milling it with that round over bit?? I use a cove bit on my stave drums I build but they don’t come out looking that good... cheers!

[@mfwoodshop]

lots of sanding,

[@rooftop.voter542]

@@mfwoodshop what do you use to sand the inside?? Disc sander or what? Thanks for the reply!!

[@mfwoodshop]

Mostly hand sanding

[@Drumsholic]

How many snares do you build yet? It's a small company that you make to sell these snares or you do it for hobby??

[@mfwoodshop]

Just for fun

[@Drumsholic]

@@mfwoodshop you buy all these equipment ,build a lab just for fun??Unbelievable or means you are too rich and you are bored soon...thats it?Of course not i think!!

[@philipmccann2358]

Can you JUST play the one drum you made so that we can hear what it sounds like ?

[@mfwoodshop]

I hear ya, But i'm not a drummer. I did this for fun mostly, My daughter has the drum now

[@johnbeach7490]

How much would you charge to build and ship a custom one?

[@mfwoodshop]

Sorry I don’t due orders. I just do this stuff mostly for fun and help others get inspired to build stuff.

[@speaktowalls]

This is awesome! How much did it cost?

[@mfwoodshop]

I had about 45 in it