Solid wood stave drums are pretty unique, for several reasons. Solid wood, is resonant and warm.  Wood reacts not unlike a pitch fork...  If its struck, the sound waves travel through it creating a resonance.  However when Glue is added to the construction, glue reacts as a retardant.  It muffles or kills the resonance.  Glue is an inhibitor. Make a drum out of Plywood and all that great advantage of using wood is lost.  Stave construction uses approximately 95 times less glue than the equivalent plywood drum .  Leaving the glue joints running vertical allows for freer transference of resonance from top head to bottom head.

TP drums uses an exclusive construction process you will not find made by another builder. I build my drums by laminating the staves.  This patent pending process of Laminated Stave Construction creates a unique sound quality. The exterior wood creates the attack sound and the interior wood follows with the overtone, complimenting or contrasting the initial tone.  In this way there are unlimited sound possibilities. The Laminated Stave Constructed drums in my gallery will be listed with the exterior wood first/ then the interior wood second.  Although having an extra glue line to create the lamination, the tonal advantages in my hybrid drums outweigh the disadvantages of the extra glue joint.  Seeing and hearing is believing.  Please feel free to contact me for a place to try one of my drums. 

The next issue with solid wood construction is grain orientation.  This is a silent killer!  Please don’t be fooled by other solid wood manufacturers that will tell you their drums are made correct.  The only way to build a stave drum is to use quarter sawn lumber.  The reason is movement. Wood expands only in one direction when the air is humid, and then will shrink when the air is dry.  If you orient the grain the wrong direction, you have the possibility of changing the diameter of the drum by up to 3/16 inch. That’s a lot!  This will set permanent edges into the head you are using, making it near impossible to retune. Not to mention could cause structural failure in the drum itself.  It can also change the tuning while playing.  If you are in a venue that continues to grow more humid as the night progresses, as do most venues, then the drum will change pitch as you play... Quarter sawn lumber is used as to control the amount and the direction of this movement. When Quarter sawn lumber is used the movement is measured in microns, thus producing a drum you can trust. One of my customers bought my drum in dry Southern CA and lives in balmy Florida.  He has never had a problem. And I will always stand behind my work!  Quarter sawn lumber is also stronger because of the structure of the grain.  Standing grain can take much more strain than flat grain. Therefore never accept anything but...

If you are ever confused, look for what are called 'Medullary Rays.' These are only evident in Quarter sawn lumber. The other tell tale sign is to look a the bearing edge.  The end grain of the wood should be pointing Perpendicular to the surface of the drum. See the images below for details

Notice the grain direction on the bearing edge of this drum. This standing grain or Quarter sawn material will tell you if the drum has been created properly.

Another tell tale sign of proper construction are the Medullary Rays seen in the picture at left.  Look closely at the red colored Bubinga and notice the small horizontal light colored flecks.  These are only evident in perfectly cut  Quarter Sawn lumber.

Details of Work

Building Techniques:

My drums are of a very high quality.  I am a woodworker before I am a drum maker.  This being said, I understand the properties of the wood on an elemental level.  Every wood has its own characteristics that can be heard, felt, and noticed by the lay person, even without being attentive to it.  My drums are a labor of love.  You will find attention to details that others will frequently overlook or dismiss as unnecessary.  In this way you are assured that all the wood in your drum is matched for tone and density, as well as color and overall appearance.  All my material is hand selected using years of in depth experience and a high standard for quality.  You can be assured that the drum you receive will be like no other, only to appreciate with age.

The most innovative feature of my drums is the lamination of materials.  Depending on the sound you are looking for, I can create an inner construction of any material.  This keeps the bearing edge on the outer material and will transfer the resonance to the inner material.  The outer material, sounds the attack and the inner material creates the unique decaying over tone. This technique is great for attaining a unique drum with characteristics not commonly found in other custom drums. 

Stripes or inlays are a feature highly recommended for the all drums.  In most cases a customer may order a stripe or two for decoration, but the stripes act as much more than just aesthetics.  I inlay the stripes about 2 mm.  In this way they create a vital part of the construction.  They act as tension bands holding the drum together during high pressure situations.  Every stripe added takes more and more time to the build but offers more and more strength.  The stripes can be made of any material to compliment the overall look of the drum, or contrast the drum for drawing attention to it. 

Finishing is an important part of the drum.  Being solid wood and striving for the most beneficial overall construction, I therefore stay away from heavy lacquers and and clear coats. I use very protective and thin finishes. Stains are available and many colors or dyes as well. Unique paint jobs such as pinstripes can also be provided.  

Most of my drums use a semi gloss Polyurethane/Tung Oil finish, for an ultimate protection and a natural look.  I also provide the more natural option of a simple Oil and Wax finish.  Most finishes can be accommodated if you are looking for something more unique, .   The poly mix I use on most of my drums creates a thin but strong protection against weathering and abuse, while still allowing for the natural warmth of the wood to show its best characteristics, also providing a look less condusive to showing wear..

Bearing Edges

I use many different edges.  My most often cut edge, uses a 45 degree inner cut and a 15 degree outer edge cut.  Other edges include very steep angles at 60 degrees, knife edges, or round overs.  Any combination of these cuts can be recommended  for just the sound you require.  Other edges can be produced and are certainly acceptable.  I have found an edge combination that happens to work well for most drums, and I tend to differ the cut only slightly to benefit each particular drum most. After cutting all edges are touched up by hand to ensure the most perfect edge possible.

Hardware

Because of my attention to quality and the overall feel of the drum, I tend to feel that a drum is only as good as its weakest element…  I like to use the highest quality parts I can find for hardware.  Sometimes they can mean paying quite a bit more for them, it will definitely serve you better though in the long run.  If you have an aversion to or preference for anything, please request it.  Otherwise the parts I have become accustomed to using will come standard on the drum you order.

 All Drums are signed, numbered, dated, and inscribed as built expressly for the individual buyer.