Name: Ger Tysk
Location: Boston, MA 
Amateur or Pro: Amateur
Finish Used: The drummer who I made this for didn’t want any staining but wanted to keep the natural look of the maple to contrast with the dark wood of the drum body, so I simply finished it with a few coats of clear satin polyurethane wiped on with a clean cloth.
Wood Species: Maple
Project Description:
This is a low stand for a small taiko drum (Japanese drum) made for one of my friends who is just starting out opening her own studio. She had a drum that needed a custom stand, but this type of drum is unusual, so she contacted me to see if I could make one for her. This is my first stand and my first woodworking project in which I extensively used a router .
I made a mock-up out of pine for her to test out, and after we discussed the pros and cons, I cut the stand out of maple. It is 2′ tall and supports the drum via leather straps (hand-sewed) that connect through the rings on the sides of the drum. The curved pieces were cut out with a jigsaw and sanded using a mouse sander. Then I ran all of the pieces through the router using a round-over bit to round each side.
The legs fit into a rabbet on each side of the bottom supports and are reinforced with one screw each. The stand folds closed for storage. I also cut and fitted the brass pieces individually.
Although I made some small mistakes with this stand, I’m proud of it since it’s my first major project and I have to thank The Wood Whisperer for all your router tips and making me more confident to use my router and router table during the construction of this stand.
I like the folding design!
very nice setup.
Really nice work! The stand is a great piece, and it makes that drum stand out like it should! I am sure your friend is very grateful to have it!
Hi Vic,
Those are actually locking cam screws. I pre-drilled holes into the tops of each of the stand pieces and then screwed the cam screws in – because they stand up from the surface the leather pieces can be taken off and replaced if they get worn.
Ger, I was asking about the screws you used on the leather at the top of the stand. They are the only thing in the design that throws me.
Thanks guys! Honestly, the choice of screws was whatever I had in my box o’ screws at the time. I think it was some #8 3/4″ wood screws. Since the screws were on the inside (and I countersunk them) the finish didn’t matter as much.
Great job Ger! Very nice and very clean lines.
Cheers
VERY COOL, Ger! I love the use of leather with wood. How did you decide on the screws you used? That drum is beautiful,too. You did a good job building to it.
Very classy!