Slit Drum

Looks great and I am sure it has a unique sound. Fun project !

-- Rob,Gaithersburg,MD,One mans trash is another mans woodshop treasure !!

Neat idea. Well done.

Can you comment on the mallets? What are those ends made of?

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

Hi could you tell me or popint me in the direction of where I can find plans for this type of thing .It would be a great toy for my little grandson.?Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Great job Phil, Ive been wanting to make one of these for a long time and now you have inspired me!! Thanks!!!

Alistair, here is a link;

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-plans/tone-of-fun-tongue-drum/

-- I didn't go to college, I was too busy learning stuff - Ted Nugent

Very cool and clean looking drum. I would love to build one myself some day.

Hey Rich, I seen some videos on these and they always use those super bouncy balls you can get at toy stores or even the dollar store. Everyone I seen just used dowels inserted into these balls….

-- Dan ~ Texarkana, Tx.

Very Cool! Great Job!

-- Robert B. Sabina, Ohio.....

To answer the questions: Rich, the mallets are indeed made from “Super Balls” bought at Walmart. I carefully drilled a hole in each ball and inserted a dowel for the handle. Alistair, Tomakazi has posted the correct link. That’s the plan I used.

-- Phil, North Carolina

I never cease to be amazed at the imagination of people that work with their hands! Incredible idea. Could it be tuned by adjusting the length of cuts?

-- Dave www.bluesagehues.com

For tuning, do a search on “tongue drum tuning”. Can be done but sounds like an involved process. Appears to be accomplished by shaving the “tongues”

Go

-- Go http://ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=730

I tried making one of these as well…yours appears to have come out better than mine, but it is a cool project. the 3 longer tongues, on mine, ended up sounding very similar, but the short two have a nice tone to them. I’ve been told that in order to tune them, you have to whittle away on the underside of the drum—for more bass whittle away near the free end, for treble whittle away closer to the non cut side.

Great job!
I made the same drum out of poplar and danto.
I love the sound.

-- If you want it and it's within reason... It's on it's way!