A New Year’s Eve Celebration: Wrapping up 21 days of Drum December with a heart full of gratitude and a resonant new drum for 2026.
We did it. Let’s drum in the New Year!
Look how beautiful the Drum December drum turned out. This where we started with Drum December. You can learn exactly how we crafted this instrument by visiting the previous 20 days of the series. The golden translucent rawhide is like golden stained glass when it is backlit, a testament to the patient curing process and the beauty of the deer rawhide.
A Final Note on the Journey
As the final resonance of this drum rings out, I am struck by the power of community. What began as a kiln dried, white oak board and a dream of a New Year’s heartbeat has transformed into a sacred instrument, witnessed by thousands across the globe. Thank you for walking this 21-day path with me—from the first steam-bent curve to this final, triumphant pulse. May this drum’s voice carry our collective intentions for peace, healing, and creative connection into 2026.
The Marriage of Wood and Skin: Day 20 marks the completion of the stringing process, bringing us one step closer to the first heartbeat of the New Year.
The Final Stretch — Ready for New Year’s Eve
Day 20 is a momentous milestone in our journey! This update spans two high-energy days—December 27 and 29, 2025—to bring us to the finish line. To ensure this drum finds its voice by New Year’s Eve, it had to be strung by midnight on December 27. Despite the whirlwind of Christmas festivities and a few winter storms, we made it!
As I write this on December 30, the drum is nearly cured. I have just tested its resonance, and it sounds heavenly. The deer rawhide has dried to a stunning, golden translucence, reminiscent of stained glass. We have successfully completed our 20-day journey together!
Measuring the Architecture of Sound
Before the lacing begins, precision in measurement is key. For a drum of this size, I use a specific formula: one arm’s-length of sinew per pleat (pair of stringing holes). With 22 pleats on this white oak frame, I measured out exactly 22 arm’s-lengths to ensure a continuous, strong lace.
Tightening and Learning
After threading the sinew from side to side around the frame, the focus shifts to tightening. This is a nuanced process I often teach in my workshops and include in my custom drum kit instructions. During this stage, my assistant asked several insightful questions that many first-time makers share. We’ve included that conversation here as a helpful learning moment for your own crafting journey.
Weaving the Spokes
By December 29, the rawhide was nearly dry—the perfect window to create the spokes. Spokes serve two vital purposes:
Tuning: They gently tighten the rawhide to achieve the desired pitch. Ergonomics: They provide a comfortable, secure grip for the drummer’s hand.
I use a basket-weaving technique to create these, which can be an art form in itself, often resulting in patterns like trees or stars. For this specific drum, I crafted small, wide spokes for a sturdy and elegant finish.
20 Days of Transformation: A Retrospective
Think of how far we have come! Over these 20 days, we have:
Milled kiln-dried lumber and used sun-steaming to hand-bend the frame.
Dried, cut, glued, sanded, and finished the white oak with black cherry stain and varnish.
Rough-cut, soaked, and used digital templates to prepare the deer rawhide.
Punched stringing holes, measured sinew, and completed the final stretch.
Cured the hide and wove the spokes to secure a glorious, resonant sound.
Ready for the New Year
We are officially ready to drum in 2026! Come back tomorrow night to hear the first official heartbeat of this New Year’s Eve drum.
Bring the Rhythm Home If you feel called to own a custom drum or want to experience the making process yourself with a step-by-step drum kit, please reach out via my About Page or email me directly.
Join us tomorrow for Drum December Day 21, for the big New Year’s Eve Reveal!
Removing the excess: Preparing the soaked deer rawhide for stringing and stretching on Day 20 of Drum December.
The Art of the Template
Preparation is the silent partner of success. Before we lift the rawhide from its sacred soak, we must ensure every measurement is exact. Thin rawhide, like the deer skin we are using for our White Oak frame, can dry out remarkably fast. If the hide becomes too dry during the stringing process, you risk the sinew ripping right through the skin—a setback we avoid by being “safe rather than sorry.”
Engineering the Perfect Fit
To protect the hide and ensure the beautiful wood of the frame remains visible, I begin by creating a precise template.
The Measurement: I cut a paper guide measuring roughly 1.5″ in length. This ensures the rawhide wraps perfectly, leaving about 0.75″ of space between the stringing holes and the edge.
Digital Precision: After sketching the rough pattern, I move into the digital space. I photograph the pattern and use Photoshop to precisely space the stringing holes.
The Cut: Using my Cricut Maker, I turn that digital file into a physical pattern. This machine truly makes light work of creating an accurate, repeatable guide.
Retrieving and “Swaddling” the Hide
Lifting the rawhide from its bath is a delicate, two-person job. As I hold up a fresh towel, my assistant carefully removes the quartz and geode anchors.
The hide is gently pulled from the water and placed into the towel. The process of wiping it dry feels remarkably like drying a baby after a bath—it requires a gentle, caring touch to move the moisture away while keeping the hide supple.
Once “swaddled,” I move it to a festive workspace and lay it upon a fresh, dry towel to keep it from slipping.
Tracing and Punching: The Final Prep
With the template held firmly against the damp rawhide, I trace the perimeter and every single stringing hole with a pencil.
Steady Hands: It is vital that the template does not shift during this process; a slip here could be disastrous for the drum’s final tension.
The Cut: I move gently but swiftly with tin-snip scissors, following the traced line to trim the hide to its final shape.
The Holes: Using a leather hole puncher set to a medium size (approximately 2.5 mm), I punch out the marks for the sinew.
Real-Time Update: On Schedule for the New Year
As of 10:00 PM on December 27, 2025, I am thrilled to report that we are officially on schedule! To have this drum ready for New Year’s Eve, it had to be strung by midnight on the 27th to allow for a full three days of drying in a 50% humidity-controlled environment. We hit the deadline! The heartbeat of the New Year is officially within our reach.
Join us tomorrow for Drum December Day 20, where we move into the powerful work of stretching and stringing. The drum is almost ready to find its voice.
Moving from the deep stain of Day 16 to the protective glow of Day 17: Preparing to varnish the white oak drum frame.
Making the Drum Frame Shine
Varnishing is rarely a single-day task; it is a meticulous 2–3 day process that requires patience, a steady hand, and a keen ear for the wood’s texture. While the varnish gets harder the longer it dries—which is our ultimate goal for a durable instrument—this hardness can make it difficult for the next layer to bond. To ensure a professional, glass-like finish, we must navigate the delicate balance of drying times and sanding.
Choosing the Right Finish: Water-Based vs. Spar Varnish
For drums intended for rugged, outdoor drum circles, I typically use a natural spar varnish. It applies thickly and offers heavy-duty protection, though it requires significant drying time.
However, for this white oak frame, I chose a clear, non-yellowing water-based Varathane finish.
The Benefit: It dries much faster than oil-based alternatives.
The Challenge: The coats are much thinner, meaning the wood grain often “raises” after the first application.
In the video below, you can actually hear the raised grain as I sweep my hand across the dry surface. This texture must be smoothed before we can move forward.
The Secret to Sanding First Coats
Sanding the first coat of dry varnish is easier than it looks, provided you have the right technique. Because I am on a strict timeline—with the goal of stringing this drum on Day 19 (December 27, 2025)—I chose to sand after just one coat.
Pro Tip for Sanding:
Wet the surface: Lubricating the varnish prevents the sandpaper from “grabbing” too aggressively.
The Paper: Use 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper.
The Motion: Lightly draw the paper along the surface, always following the direction of the grain.
Note: If you are using a very thin acrylic “varnish,” it is often safer to wait until the 3rd coat to sand.
Once sanded, the frame must be wiped down and dried. Always use a tack cloth as your final step to remove every microscopic speck of dust before the next coat of varnish touches the wood.
Controlling the Environment
Timing is everything. I applied the first coat roughly eight hours ago, but the humidity outside was climbing. To ensure the frame dried in time for the second coat, I moved it into my humidity-controlled drum painting studio, which I keep strictly between 45% and 50% humidity. This controlled environment is essential for a consistent cure.
Efficiency on the Turntable: The Game Changer
The way you physically handle the drum during varnishing dictates the final look. I prefer to use a lazy-susan (turntable) painting surface equipped with risen bars.
Why use a turntable?
Continuous Motion: It allows for long, fluid brush strokes that follow the grain without the artist having to change positions.
Self-Leveling: Fewer brush strokes mean the varnish has a better chance to self-level, resulting in a smoother finish.
Drip Management: If excess varnish begins to pool at the bottom edge, you can easily catch and wipe it with just the tips of your bristles as the frame spins.
Using a turntable was a complete game changer for my craft, and it is the secret behind the flawless finish on this white oak frame.
Come back tomorrow when we cut the rawhide and put in the water to soak.
See you on Day 18!
Read more about my art and contact information at Love Art By Po and the many drums I make. To contact me directly, please use this email:
Transitioning from the smooth finish of Day 15 to the deep, rich tones of Day 16: Applying the first layer of stain to the hardwood drum frame.
The Race to Drum in New Year – 2026
The rhythm of the season is building toward a crescendo. While many were tucked away with holiday films on Christmas Eve, I was in the workshop, continuing our journey toward a finished instrument. To drum in the New Year with a voice that is both resonant and beautiful, we must follow the proper order of operations: sand, stain, varnish, and finally, string.
Reflecting on the Foundation
In our Day 15 video, we tackled the critical task of erasing the overlap seam. Using a portable spindle sander, I smoothed the transition until the wood felt like a single, continuous loop. As you can see in today’s introduction, that seam has completely vanished, leaving us with a flawless canvas for our colour.
Engineering the Workspace: The Staining Station
Success in finishing starts with a stable environment. Whether it is a sunny summer afternoon outside or a brisk winter day in the shop, I rely on a portable, heavy-duty folding table that has weathered years of artistic projects.
Building Your Staining “Cradle”: To ensure the frame is evenly coated without sticking to the work surface, I create a temporary riser system.
The Materials: I used trimmings of red oak from my table saw bucket, though bamboo garden stakes work wonderfully in the summer.
The Technique: Break your wood trimmings to length so they span the width of your frame.
Pro Tip: Use green painter’s tape to secure your sticks to the table. This prevents them from shifting while you work and allows for effortless cleanup, as the stain won’t bond to the tape.
The Art of the Application: “Black Cherry” on White Oak
White oak is a legendary hardwood, prized for its pronounced grain and historical use in antiques. However, its density makes it a challenging student in the workshop. To properly stain a wood with such deep pores, you cannot simply wipe the color on; you must work it into the fibres.
The Staining Process:
Saturate: Use a lint-free cloth soaked in Varathane “Black Cherry” stain.
Rub Across the Grain: This force-feeds the pigment into the deep, open pores of the white oak.
Wipe Along the Grain: A final pass in the direction of the wood’s growth removes excess liquid and creates a uniform, professional finish.
A Christmas Eve Revelation
The timeline for a New Year’s drum is strict: to have the hide stretched and dried by midnight on December 31st, the frame must be strung by December 27th. This meant the staining had to be completed by the 24th to allow for proper curing.
Adding this workshop session to my Christmas Eve festivities—slipping away between wrapping gifts to check on the wood—added a special layer of joy to the holiday. When the stain hit the wood, the result was breathtaking. My shop assistant, the cameraperson, and I were all stunned by the revealed grain. It became clear in that moment why white oak was the choice for the heirlooms I have admired all my life.
White oak has been an adventure—it is stubborn, heavy, and demanding—but seeing this “Black Cherry” finish reveal its hidden patterns has made every hour of labor worth it.
The frame is ready. Join us for Day 17 as we move into the varnishing phase!
See You Tomorrow for Day 17
Read more about my art and contact information at Love Art By Po and the many drums I make. To contact me directly, please use this email:
The final sanding stages begin in the woodshop for Day 15.
Levelling the Joint: Precision Sanding in the Winter Workshop
Welcome back to the workshop! Today is all about the “Great Sanding.” The dust is flying as we move into the first and most critical stage of finishing: leveling that joint.
In today’s video, I’m at the drum sander, pink shop apron on, getting to work on the white oak frame. You’ll see me focusing on the seam where the wood overlaps.
“We are sanding the sharp edges off of the seam. We are using a RIDGIDOscillating Edge/Belt Spindle Sander so that the seam is really nice and even. Some of my competitors leave this inside edge. But you won’t find that here at Love Art By Po.”
The “Po” Difference
For me, the inside of the drum is just as important as the outside. By using the drum sander to level those sharp edges, I ensure the frame feels like one continuous, seamless piece of wood. It’s a small detail, but it’s what makes a Love Art By Po drum a professional piece of art.
The Holiday Schedule
We are moving fast to hit our December 27th stringing deadline! Here is what the next few days look like:
Day 16 (Tomorrow, Dec 24): I’ll be finishing the hand-sanding and moving straight into the custom staining process.
Christmas Day (Dec 25): The studio will be closed. I’ll be taking the day to celebrate with family while the first layers of our work cure.
Day 17 (Boxing Day, Dec 26): We hit the ground running with the first coats of varnish in the painting studio.
Come back tomorrow for Day 16 to see these frames finally get their colour!
See You Tomorrow for Day 16
Read more about my art and contact information at Love Art By Po and the many drums I make. To contact me directly, please use this email:
Stepping into the winter workshop for Day 14! The real-time race to New Year’s Eve begins.
From Summer Bends to New Year’s Song: The Real-Time Race to December 27
Welcome to Day 14! The seasons have shifted, and it is officially winter here at the Love Art By Po studio. As I toss this fresh Kingston snow into the air, I am inviting you to step out of the summer archives and follow along with the Drum December real-time videos from inside my workshop, where it is warm.
We have finally moved back into the winter wood shop to finish the frames that we have been working on throughout the first thirteen days of Drum December. Sitting here at my bench, surrounded by some of the cherry, maple white oak frames I crafted in the heat of the summer, the journey ahead feels both exciting and urgent. On New Year’s Eve, I plan to drum a drum made from one of these hardwood dry-bent drum frames.
It is December 22nd, and we are now in real-time. My goal is to transform this raw white oak frame into a finished work of art—much like this sanded, green-stained, and varnished maple frame beside me (featured in the video below).
The clock is ticking toward my December 27th deadline. We must have the frame ready to string by then so the rawhide has the time it needs to dry, allowing us to drum in the New Year together.
Between Christmas celebrations and family gatherings over the next four days, I will be balancing holiday joy with shop discipline. To transform these raw summer hoops into a finished masterpiece, I need to follow these specific steps:
The 8-Step Sprint to Stringing
Level the Joint: Using a drum sander, I’ll sand the joint edges. The goal is to make the overlapped ends appear as one continuous, seamless hoop.
Progressive Sanding: I’ll sand the entire frame using 80, 120, and then 220 grit papers. It is vital to start coarse and transition progressively to the finest grit.
Detail Work: Using a “mouse,” palm sander, or oscillating sander, I will delicately sand every inch until the wood is perfectly smooth and all scratch marks vanish.
The Hand-Finished Touch: I’ll complete the final sanding by hand for total control.PRO-TIP: Do NOT use 400+ grit sandpaper. If the wood is too “polished,” the stain cannot penetrate effectively to reveal the beautiful, natural woodgrain.
Custom Color: I’ll hand-mix a custom stain and apply it to the wood with a cloth to bring out its unique personality.
The First Coat: The frame moves to the painting studio for its first layer of varnish.
Refining the Finish: Once dry, I’ll lightly sand the varnished frame and wipe it down with a tack cloth to ensure it is dust-free.
The Final Glow: I’ll apply the remaining coats. While I hope for two, sometimes it takes three or four to reach the perfect luster.
Why the Frame Matters
I treat my drum frames like a standalone piece of art because I choose not to fully cover the outside edge with the rawhide. I want the wood to highlight and accent the rawhide head, not just support it.
Come back tomorrow for Day 15 for the full drum sanding tutorial. It is truly amazing how rough, unfinished wood can be transformed to look like opaque stained glass.
Clamped wood drum frames from the summer bending sessions, ready to be finished in the winter studio.
Beyond the Clamps: Wrapping the Summer Bend for a Winter Reveal
We have reached Day 13 of Drum December. Using my innovative dry-bend technique and the disciplined 6-clamp method for freehand organic formation, the drum frames are now set. They have been glued and secured into their unique shapes and sizes—now, we must give them the gift of time.
The Art of the Cure
In the heat of the summer, I prefer to hang the clamped frames in the maple tree at the Love Art By Po studio. I’ve found that the blazing summer sun and a hot woodshop can be too aggressive; the glue and wood need to work their magic at their own pace. This stage cannot be rushed.
Whether they are hanging in the cool shade of a tree or resting in my humidity-controlled studio, the environment must be just right. To ensure the wood “remembers” its new shape without stress, I maintain these optimal conditions:
Temperature Range: 18–27°C (65–80°F)
Humidity: 55%
Lighting: Reduced UV exposure with dappled, indirect sunlight
More Than Craft: The Living Drum
Once dry, the frames move into my controlled environment for about 30 days. But this isn’t just storage—it is an introduction. I bring them into a living space filled with family conversation, singing, and music. I introduce them to their “sister drums” by playing the finished drums that surround them.
Some might think of drum making as simple carpentry, like crafting a coffee table, but the wood tells a different story. If you do not acknowledge their living nature, they rebel. For years, I heard stories of drums as family members who “talk” in their own ways. I never truly comprehended how that was possible until I began making them myself. Now, I know the truth: Drum making, most assuredly, becomes LIFE.
The Pivot: Moving to Real-Time
Today is December 21, 2025. Our summer-bent frames have dried, been unclamped, and are fully conditioned to the spirit of my studio. Starting tomorrow, Day 14, we leave the archives behind and move into real-time.
We are officially on a countdown to New Year’s Eve. To drum in 2026 with a newly finished piece, I must have the rawhide strung by December 27. Rawhide requires three days to dry in perfect conditions, and with the shifting winter weather outside my stringing studio, this will be a true nail-biter.
Nature will do as Nature does, and the drum is a part of that natural world. Join me tomorrow for Day 14 as we step into the workshop to begin the sanding and finishing.
Mastering the “6 Clamp Method” to ensure a secure, even bond on the dry-bent drum frame.
Drum December Day 12: Mastering the 6-Clamp Method
Welcome to Day 12 of Drum December! Today is the day we tackle dry-bending and clamping head-on. In this tutorial, you’ll learn the vital “what-to-dos” (and the painful “what-not-to-dos”) of securing your frame.
Clamping hardwood is a bit like attending your grandmother’s third wedding and being asked to dance by a gentleman who took lessons from Chubby Checker. Just like a dancer from the ’60s, the wood keeps trying to “Twist.” By following my innovative 6-Clamp Method, you’ll have no problem taking the lead in this clamping dance.
The Anatomy of the Dance: Twist and Circularity
When making drum frames, there are two primary style considerations you must face:
The Twist: How much natural “sport” or torsion your finished frame will carry.
The Shape: How perfectly circular or organic you want your finished drum to be.
Both of these decisions are finalized during the clamping stage. This is exactly why I developed the 6-Clamp Method—to give the maker total control over the wood’s final expression.
Avoiding the Tangled Clamp: The Staggering Method
In Day 11, I explained how the shape changes depending on which end overlaps on the outside. Today, we focus on the direction of the clamps.
Because you are using six heavy-duty C-clamps in very close proximity, the handles can easily get stuck against each other. It can be a deeply frustrating process! Below is a video of my own experience trying to turn clamp handles that weren’t staggered. If you find it painful to watch, just imagine being the one trying to turn them under pressure!
To solve this, we stagger the clamps—top and bottom—in a disciplined sequence. This allows us to intricately pull the seam together while “reading” the bend and twist of the frame.
The 6-Clamp Sequence: A Step-by-Step Guide
I have created this incremental schematic to show you the exact order of operations. Note how each clamp is placed to manage the tension of the 3″ to 5″ glued seam:
Clamp #1: Placed on the top, dead-center of the seam.
Clamp #2: Placed directly beneath the first, but facing the opposite direction.
Clamps #3 & #4: Placed on the side of the center clamps closest to the inner board end.
Clamps #5 & #6: Placed on the remaining opposite side.
Shaping with Baffles: Controlling the Curve
In the schematic video above, I omitted the cutoff baffles (the hardwood blocks that protect your frame) for clarity. However, you must use them!
The size of the baffle on the inside of the frame actually alters the drum’s final shape.
The Standard: I typically use a 1″ x 3″ piece of oak.
The Adjustment: If you want to flatten a side or create an egg-shaped drum, you do this by widening the inner baffle. The wider the baffle, the flatter that section of the frame becomes.
The Rule of Thumb: I generally use a 1″ wide piece on the inside and a 2″ wide piece on the outside, adjusting the spacing as I feel the wood react.
The Goldilocks Grip: Just Enough Pressure
By alternating your clamps, you aren’t just preventing a handle jam—you are managing the twist. When the first clamp goes on, you can adjust the shift and slide of the frame. The second clamp adds stability, and clamps three through six do the heavy lifting.
Tighten them as firmly as your hand can turn—no need for tools. You are looking for the glue to “squeeze out” evenly along the seam. Be careful not to over-tighten! If you squeeze out too much glue, you’ll create a “starved” joint. This results in a fragile frame that may snap when the powerful tension of the rawhide eventually pulls it into its final form.
Looking Ahead
If you think a tree has a long memory, just wait until you see the nature of rawhide. Keep following the Drum December series to see how we work with animal skins in the coming days.
Even if you never pick up a clamp yourself, I hope you’ve learned how to straighten out “The Twist.” Just start in the middle of the floor and lead your partner—side-stepping and swaying until the song is done and you both become one with the true drumbeat of life.
Day 11: Applying high-pressure clamps to the glued frame is the final step to ensuring a rattle-free, resonant instrument.
Drum December Day 11: Mastering the Compression and Clamping of Your Drum Frame
Welcome back to Drum December! Today, we are diving into one of the most transformative stages of the process: using my innovative dry-bending technique to compress and clamp the drum frame. This method is born from my preference for non-polyurethane glues, which we explored in our Day 10 tutorial.
By utilizing sun-steamed wood that has been “trained” during the pre-bending phase, we gain incredible creative flexibility when it comes time for the final clamp. If you missed the early stages of this journey, you can catch up on Day 5 and Drum December Begins to see how we prepare the wood to be shaped.
The “impossible” C-Shape
After trimming the frame on Day 9, you are left with a piece of wood that has a massive 16-inch gap between the ends. It looks like a giant letter “C,” and honestly, it looks impossible to close. But this is where the magic happens.
Choosing Your Bending Method
There are two primary ways to bring those ends together:
Mechanical Bending: Using a dedicated jig or form to force the wood into a circle.
Freehand Bending: Bending the wood by hand and clamping the ends using only hardwood cutoffs as buffers.
I personally prefer the freehand dry-bending method. My clients love it because it results in a more organic, natural shape and a superior sound.
The Critical Decision: Inside or Outside?
Before you apply a single clamp, you must decide which end of the wood will overlap on the outside. This might seem minor, but it is vital:
The choice of which end goes on the outside literally alters the final shape and resonance of the drum.
The inner end experiences a much tighter curve than the outer end.
Even with identical ends, swapping the overlap order can create a completely different hoop shape.
The Miracle of Elasticity
The most remarkable part of this technique is the elastic response of the hardwood. Because of the sun-steaming and pre-bending, the wood becomes incredibly flexible. In my demonstrations, you can see a cherry wood frame compressed over 16 inches with ease.
I view myself as a facilitator for the tree. When you encourage the wood to bend naturally, it “sings”. If you force it, the wood rebels, cracks, and the sound becomes muted. A drum maker’s job is to unlock that voice, not silence it.
Letting the Tree Sing: The Philosophy of the Bend
It is truly a remarkable thing to witness, and I often wonder why this method isn’t the gold standard. When we dry-bend, the results are simply superior to clamping freshly steamed wood—especially when crafting those challenging, small-radius frames.
Using this technique feels less like “construction” and more like an act of listening. In the forest, trees are designed to dance; their limbs are built to bend when the wind caresses them. In my workshop, I see myself as a facilitator of that natural expression.
When you allow the wood to bend on its own terms, it sings. When you force it, the wood rebels; it cracks, it groans, and its spirit becomes muted. As a drum maker, my calling is to encourage the drum to find its voice, not to silence it through force.
The “Vet Visit”: Understanding Wood’s Resistance
Once the wood has agreed to take its shape and the decisions of Day 10 are behind us, we move into the physical intensity of the clamping stage.
Even a willing tree has its limits. Wood has a memory and a will of its own, and it behaves much like a dog on the way to the veterinarian. The pup is perfectly calm in the car until you turn that final corner—the moment she realizes what’s happening, she “flips out.”
The drum frame does the same. It will rest quietly in your hands until the moment you bring the glue bottle near. It is the strangest, most miraculous sensation: you can feel the frame shift from a gentle yield to a spirited push-back against the compression. To navigate this, you need a sturdy vice and quick clamps within arm’s reach—or a very strong, steady assistant to help you hold the tension.
The Trick of the Trade: Precision and Protection
Because the wood is alive and moving, using C-clamps is a high-stakes, time-sensitive dance. The second the clamp touches the wood, everything wants to slide and shift. I used to panic during this stage, but I eventually learned the secret: The One-Inch Rule.
Keep it Tight: Ensure your C-clamp is open less than an inch. This allows you to turn the handle and lock it down before the wood has a chance to escape.
The Safety Net: If you can’t turn the handle fast enough, snap a couple of quick clamps on either side of the joint. They will hold the frame long enough for you to seat your heavy-duty C-clamps properly.
Honor the Surface: Never let metal touch the frame directly. A C-clamp is a powerful tool that can easily dent the wood. Always use hardwood cutoffs as a barrier between the clamp and the frame. Even with light-duty clamps, these barriers are essential for protecting the integrity of the wood.
In the video below, you can see this “C-clamp dance” in action as we bring the ends together for the final time.
Pro-Tips for Successful Clamping – A Summary for You to Remember
Keep these clamping tips in mind:
Speed is Key: If using C-clamps, keep them open less than an inch so you can tighten the handle quickly before the wood shifts.
Use Backups: If you can’t move fast enough, use quick clamps on either side of the joint to hold the position while you set your C-clamps.
Always Use Barriers: Never put a C-clamp directly on the frame; it will dent the wood. Always use hardwood cutoffs as a barrier between the clamp and the drum.
Clamping Numbers: Use at least six clamps to secure the joint while it dries.
Barrier Dimensions: Use wood cutoffs approximately 1″ x 3″ for the inside of the frame, and 2″ x 3″ for the outside.
What’s Next? Tomorrow, on Day 12, I’ll show you exactly how to arrange those six clamps so they don’t get tangled or interfere with the curve of the frame. It’s a bit like a puzzle, but I’ll walk you through it!
Love Art by Po creates 3 grades of frame drums: Drum Circle, Instrumental and Gallery. Also, Po makes 10″ drum, DIY drum kits. Go to the Drum page to read more about the grades and how to purchase them. Here is the link.
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