drum sticks

Tapering a 1/2 dowel from 9/16" to 3/8" shouldn't be so hard. All you would need would be a mini lathe with a bed extension and a 1" skew chisel. Hollowing the drumstick would be harder for someone with limited skills, but could be accomplished.

Barry

Well, I recently turned some heavy-duty drumsticks (1-1/16th dia, approximately). Any old lathe will permit turning down a dowel, or turning down any hunk of wood - best bet - turning down a riven (split) blank, so you know the grain is good - many dowels are from sawn stock and may have grain runout that will make a weak stick.

To hollow out the end, you'd want a steady rest (at the cutting end) and a chuck (at the headstock) to hold it. Depending what sort of hollowing you plan to do, you might want a longer lathe bed than you initally think you need in order to accomadate drilling from the tailstock.

"Barry N. Turner" wrote: Tapering a 1/2 dowel from 9/16" to 3/8" shouldn't be so hard. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^ Barry, I went out and tried this, and had a very easy time with the part from 1/2" down to 3/8", but the part that went from 1/2" up to 9/16" just didn't work for me. How do you turn a piece to a diameter larger than the wood? :-)

At least somebody here is paying attention! I was thinking 7/16" not 9/16"! I know, I know....it says 9/16" very clearly! (I'd guess you just run the lathe backwards to increase the diameter of the stick!)

Barry

PS Remember the old carpenter's line, "I've cut it off twice and it's still too short!"

I think the original poster said FIFTEEN AND A HALF inch diameter dowel--plenty enough wood to turn down to 9/16"! Oh, wait--that's 15 1/2" LONG... ;-)

Ken Grunke SW Wisconsin

Coulee Region Woodturners AAW chapter

A dozen coats of poly should do it. :-)

Bob, Naugatuck Ct.

It's not as easy as you might think. As a percussionist you are accutely aware of the balance, response and feel of your sticks. Just simply making something that resembles a drum stick isn't too bad to do. Making it correctly isn't easy.

I had a request for custom drum sticks from a rather large guy (he hated the commercial sticks that he could afford as they just didn't "fit"). I made him some sets. Then I tried to make them "correctly". Then I tried again. Man, was he picky! But I could understand his point. I finally got it down to what he liked and he left the area for a different band. I learned a lot about drumsticks on that one. Made about 30 different sets for him.

As far as equipment...

1) Lathe .. at least 36" long (18" blank + scroll chuck for drilling + tailstock + jacobs chuck + drill bit + wiggle room) 2) Jacobs Chuck (like in a drill press) 3) Around a 9" long drill bit (if you intend on drilling the entire thing or at least up to half of it) But why? 4) Scroll Chuck to hold the wood while you drill it. 5) Steady rest both for turning it down to size and drilling it 6) Skew (my first choice but has a learning curve!) or other tool to cut it with 7) A whole bunch of practice!!! This isn't a weekender project if you've never turned before. 8) Lots of wood (have you considered what kind?) too. Figure on 5 wasted blanks for every "keeper" at least.

- Andrew

Andrew,

As a drummer in another life, I cannot understand the need to hollow out a drum stick.

But it may be that I was a heavy metal player, I could break many sticks in a night.

Could you enlighten me as to why you would want to make them more fragile??

Always looking for something I have missed in my travels through this life.

Best wishes, Dave

That was my question to the original poster (Steven) too, Dave. He said he wanted to hollow it out. I didn't. That's the reason behind the "But why" question I had in the "3)" materials list concerning the drill bit.

- Andrew

I should have been more specific about the type of drum sticks. I'm interested in making timpani or kettledrum sticks. Hollowing out a wooden dowel would simulate bamboo, which is the most common material used for timpani sticks. A wooden wheel or ball is glued to the end of the shaft and covered with felt. I considered turning a piece of bamboo into a tapered shaft. I don't know if this would work. I have been given various opinions about being able to accurately hollow out a wooden dowel that tapers down to 3/8".

Steven, the only drumsticks I'm on good terms with are made from hen's eggs by hens and roosters. Having crowed and cackled that:

Is the hole a constant diameter and how far thru the stick? What is the hole diameter and where is it located in the stick? Why can't you just turn a short hardwood tip to insert & glue into a length of real bamboo, then smooth & sand the whole mess?

As Lawrence said, a dry & clear riven hardwood blank might be better than a commercial dowel. I think if the hole is included in the narrower parts of the drumstick, the blank should be large (? 1.5" X 1.5 in) to begin with. Drill the hole into the rough blank first, then turn the drumstick to the hole. Somebody who has actually made drumsticks can correct all this, since I've never made one. I tried to make some bent (eccentric) drinking straws for a sick-bed gag gift once ...... I failed miserably, but the patient recovered. :) Arch .

Fortiter,

In my opinion, hollow wood is not really going to simulate bamboo well. By all means, experiment, but my gut reaction is that bamboo is going to be a lot tougher than a hunk of wood with the same geometry as the bamboo. So I expect that they might well break.

Drilling such long narrow holes is something that some people have more success with than others, so "varying opinions" are to be expected. I've got a bunch of data for doing it in theory, but have not had the opportunity, time, or need to experment with the various options in practice. It's all been posted here at one time or another.

If you can get decent bamboo to start with, you should be able to chuck it up and turn it down. Obviously you'll need bamboo with a small enough hole and a thick enough wall to permit your taper.

You can always cut a turning square down the middle, use a router to cut a groove, and re-glue it, then turn it.

A tapered hole ideally from one end of the shaft and out the other. I don't know if you can drill a tapered hole 15 1/2" long. I'd like the wall thickness of the shaft to be equal throughout...1/8"? However if the strength is going to be compromised at the 3/8" end I would consider varying the wall thickness or leaving the 3/8" end solid.

real bamboo,then smooth & sand the whole mess?

Not sure I understand the question. To make a timpani stick I could glue a wooden core onto a stick of bamboo. A core being the end of the stick that actually strikes the drum. It is usually made of wood, hard felt, cork, or leather, and is in a wheel or ball shape 1" to 2" in diameter. Soft felt is sewn onto the core as a cover. This is the most common construction method. My idea adds a taper to the bamboo shaft. The problem is finding bamboo with an outside diameter large enough and an inside diameter small enough to allow for a taper from 9/16" to

3/8". Graphite tubing is another material being used for timpani stick shafts.

Might give this a try.

How about a straight sapling, or branch, and burn out the pith? Maybe dogwood, yew, hickory, or some other strong wood...

Ken Grunke SW Wisconsin

Coulee Region Woodturners AAW chapter