Cutting v. Steam bending

[dende]

Interesting points.

LP uses the laminate construction for the interior/exterior and Siam Oak (Rubber wood) particle board in between.

In Uruguay they use a form of fire bending as well with soft wood that is relative to pine. They march with these drums so they need to be lightweight.

The idea of the particle board seems like an abomonation, but LP's drums arent the worst in Guitar Center. It would make more sence if it were MDF (Medium Density Fiber board), as a lot of people use the thicker MDF for making speaker boxes over solid wood and plywood for its even vibration.


and about the Uruguay Drums, this photobucket account has some production photos of the ones your talking about http://www.flickr.com/photos/11826453@N ... otostream/ and i think its pretty cool

[Jerry Bembe]

I used to dislike the rubber wood saw dust and glue construction method but it is often more stable than solid wood staves. Technically this is a "green" building method as well, the trees used are discarded trees that do not produce latex anymore. The boutique builders with exotic and solid wood staves do waste more wood per drum than LP and corporate giants.

The saw dust and glue with laminate can allow for a greater flexibility with potential shapes of shells due to the plastic nature of the material as well. An artist could create shapes that would not be commercially viable with the cutting or steam bending methods. It would be interesting to see the possibilities.

In a person's home this is a possible building method. Use wood glue and saw dust mixed and shaped in a mold. The staves could be cured over a fire or in an oven set between 160 - 180 degrees F. Then glue on the exterior and interior laminate.

I have warmed up to this method of construction and might give it a try myself.

Interesting points.

LP uses the laminate construction for the interior/exterior and Siam Oak (Rubber wood) particle board in between.

In Uruguay they use a form of fire bending as well with soft wood that is relative to pine. They march with these drums so they need to be lightweight.

The idea of the particle board seems like an abomonation, but LP's drums arent the worst in Guitar Center. It would make more sence if it were MDF (Medium Density Fiber board), as a lot of people use the thicker MDF for making speaker boxes over solid wood and plywood for its even vibration.


and about the Uruguay Drums, this photobucket account has some production photos of the ones your talking about http://www.flickr.com/photos/11826453@N ... otostream/ and i think its pretty cool

[dende]

I used to dislike the rubber wood saw dust and glue construction method but it is often more stable than solid wood staves. Technically this is a "green" building method as well, the trees used are discarded trees that do not produce latex anymore. The boutique builders with exotic and solid wood staves do waste more wood per drum than LP and corporate giants.

The saw dust and glue with laminate can allow for a greater flexibility with potential shapes of shells due to the plastic nature of the material as well. An artist could create shapes that would not be commercially viable with the cutting or steam bending methods. It would be interesting to see the possibilities.

In a person's home this is a possible building method. Use wood glue and saw dust mixed and shaped in a mold. The staves could be cured over a fire or in an oven set between 160 - 180 degrees F. Then glue on the exterior and interior laminate.

I have warmed up to this method of construction and might give it a try myself.

very interesting, i imagine it like working hot cork, like re-corking a sax.

and making drums from solid wood does create alot of waste. IDEA! maybe save all the scraps from making a solid drum or three, and experiment with the left over cuttings, chopping it up, and forming it like a clay pot. Seems nice, i usually throw it all away. but that is a buttload of glue to use

[Anonimo]

POST REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR

[dende]

The trade off with cutting staves is you actually cut across the grain when you cut the peice of wood into a curved shape, that is the grain will not be continuous as the saw cuts through it to make the curve. Thus at the ends and in the center the grain lines are much shorter, and nowhere does the grain travel the full length of the stave. This could potentially be problematic due to the stress caused by the hands and floor playing the drum could lead these shorter lengths of grain to separate or create fissure like cracks. A steam bent stave has full continous grain.

I have drums made by both methods and both methods work well to make durable great sounding congas.

I was reading Tony's Conga Blog and came across a post that stated that sound waves travel down the grain, automatically making bent drums better. it seems rather subjective, is there any credence to this?

[bongosnotbombs]

The trade off with cutting staves is you actually cut across the grain when you cut the peice of wood into a curved shape, that is the grain will not be continuous as the saw cuts through it to make the curve. Thus at the ends and in the center the grain lines are much shorter, and nowhere does the grain travel the full length of the stave. This could potentially be problematic due to the stress caused by the hands and floor playing the drum could lead these shorter lengths of grain to separate or create fissure like cracks. A steam bent stave has full continous grain.

I have drums made by both methods and both methods work well to make durable great sounding congas.

I was reading Tony's Conga Blog and came across a post that stated that sound waves travel down the grain, automatically making bent drums better. it seems rather subjective, is there any credence to this?

A highly dubious claim IMHO.

[pcastag]

I've also heard that , since you're cutting through the grain on a cut shell vs. having the grain continuous on a bent shell. I really think after playing many types of drums, both bent and cut that it's the skin, the shape, the quality of the wood and the ability of the craftsman to turn a bunch of staves into a sonorous vessel that has the most impact on the sound. Oh yeah, and the dude that is playing may have some impact as well!