Civil War rope tension snare drum

Jon – I think it looks great. History reenactments are great fun as well. I’ve been to a couple of small ones and have always come away awed at the people who put them on.

-- You can't get a hug from Facebook.

Very nice work! They look great.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Great job.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Jon -

Very cool! I will have to show this to my son – he his a huge history buff with an interest in the Revolutionary War and Civil War.

David

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

Great drum. Looks like fun.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Great project – I agree with everyone else – looks like a fun project – Mr. Mozart would be proud.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Great job. That is really cool. Was down in your neck of the woods last weekend. Was in Fredericktown last weekend. Love the area.

Great job. That is really cool. Was down in your neck of the woods last weekend. Was in Fredericktown last weekend. Love the area.

Thanks Ron…It’s funny you were in my neck of the woods last weekend. I was in Arnold last weekend, taking a nap in the car while my wife was shopping at Kohl’s.

-- Jon

Jon -

David

David,

If you would want a sketch of how I built it, I could get something together. I bet it could be built for less than $50, even if synthetic fiberskin drum heads were used. That was the messiest part, dehairing the deer skin and scraping it. Synthetic heads look like real rawhide, but without all the prep, and they are not affected by humidity.

-- Jon

Beautiful, beautiful work Jon. Thanks for letting us see it.

-- Better to say nothing and be thought the fool... then to speak and erase all doubt.

Could you send me a sketch of how you built the drum. We are starting a small CW Fife & Drum Corp.
Thanks in advance
www.civilwarmn.com

I sent this in a PM so you’d be sure and get it, but copied it here for the whole group if anyone is interestd…

Wasioja,
Does it need to be 100% historically accurate? I tried to do that, but real rawhide heads are a PAIN! I started off with calf skin, and then changed to deer skin…but it is still very tempermental in MO humidity in September (when we have our reenactments every three years) Every other drum I’ve seen at events has a fibreskin head, which looks just like rawhide, and does not have all the headache/mess associated with the real stuff. I would go with a 16” which was a common size, or if these are young/small guys, maybe go with a 14”. here is a link to what I’d use, but shop around, or you may have a local music store who can get these. http://www.ruppsdrums.com/Drum_Heads/Remo/Remo_Fiberskyn_Drum_Heads/remo_fiberskyn_drum_heads.shtml

The construction method I use is not totally authentic, though I couldn’t find enough documentation when I built mine to know what that is. It seems these were built from many makers, and different ways. Some used laminated wood, while others from staves like a barrel. I built a frame and wrapped a plywood skin around it. I’ll try to draw up a sketch and get photos. Might be a few days.

The worst part of all this is building the hoops. I heat bent oak for mine, and it was a bear. In retrospect, I think I could do it now with a lot less effort. Do you know someone with a thickness planer? That is what I used to take one ply off the plywood so it would bend easy. You can use a belt sander, but it’s hard to do and time consuming.

The snare strainer is something I spent a lot of time on, as I made molds and cast it from brass, but one could be made from hardware store material- I’ll also try to sketch that. Someone else has been asking me about this, so i may do a blog on it. I’ll be in touch

Jon

-- Jon

Would love to see the sketch of how you made this. High school band is planning a civil war halftime show and would love to make some of these,

Thanks in advance,

jasonandtera@comcast.net