Seven Six Drum Company
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HANDCRAFTED…REALLY

All of the major corporate manufacturers of drums and most of the boutique drum builders use automated technology in all or some stages of the drum making process. That usually includes CNC routers and woodcutters. At Seven Six Drum Company, we build drums one at a time BY HAND. You'll see in the videos below that every step of the process is a very hands-on method, from selecting and cutting the wood into staves, putting those staves together to create a shell, turning the shell into a spherical shape, etc…nothing is left up to a computer, so you know your drum will be built with love and care. Bonus (what we call “lagniappe” here in New Orleans): you'll receive photos and video of the process as I move forward through your build, so you can see your custom snare drum or bass drum as it takes shape.

Seven Six Drum Company's Snare Drum Building Process

Olivewood + Wenge 100th Snare Drum Build

How to Build a Stave Snare Drum, Step by Step

Here’s a quick video of a build I’m working on at @76drumco. This one is for prolific drum collector Larry M. This will be his 12th snare from Seven Six Drum Co. - an even dozen. I picked up some GORGEOUS Olive wood slabs from @riversidelumber (see previous video showing all three slabs that I purchased) and I still have 1.66 slabs left to build YOU a drum. Get in touch at 76drums.com. #drums #drummer #customsnare #customdrum #snaredrumWatch on Instagram

Here’s a quick video of a build I’m working on at @76drumco. This one is for prolific drum collector Larry M. This will be his 12th snare from Seven Six Drum Co. - an even dozen. I picked up some GORGEOUS Olive wood slabs from @riversidelumber (see previous video showing all three slabs that I purchased) and I still have 1.66 slabs left to build YOU a drum. Get in touch at 76drums.com. #drums #drummer #customsnare #customdrum #snaredrum

100% solid Purpleheart stave shell being cut, assembled and glued-up for a client. Wood sourced locally from @riversidelumber #customdrums #drummers #customsnare #purpleheartsnare #handcrafted

Newest shells being built by @76drumco: we’ve got two 4x10 Hurricane Chinaberry shells (one is sold), and a 4x14 Padauk and 6x14 Walnut shell. These last 3 are up for grabs. Get with me if you want Seven Six Drums to create your dream custom snare #drummer #drums #snaredrum #customsnare #customdrums

Which do YOU prefer in this comparison…two Hurricane Ida Chinaberry 4x10 shells, freshly built and clear-coated. The one on the left is finished with 6 coats of hand-rubbed oil and the grain/figuring is highly featured so you can see the texture of the wood. The one on the right was finished with 2K polyester, the same type of finish you’ll find on most high gloss drums from the major manufacturers. The deep grain is filled in by the resin for a very smooth, glossy finish. Btw, the one on the right is available for buildup to your specs. #drums #customsnaredrum #woodfinish #drummer #chinaberry

I’m about to cut the bearing edges and snare beds on this solid Olivewood (meaning it is Olivewood through and through, not some other wood with a pretty veneer) 7x14 shell I built a couple of weeks ago. As usual, I purchased this Olivewood lumber at @riversidelumber #drums #drummer #customsnare #snaredrum #customdrum

This 14x18 Ambrosia Maple shell is a special order from a client who purchased 2 of my hand-crafted custom solid stave shell snares. He wanted a gong bass drum to match his Craviotto kit and wanted it to be a one-piece steam bent shell, like his Craviottos. We hired @caskdrumcraft to put the shell together and now we’re in the process of adding the @liberon_officiel hand-rubbed oil finish and then will move onto the drill and assembly. Going to be a beauty. #drums #drummer #customdrum #gongbassdrum #steambentdrum

Chatoyancy (pronounced /ʃəˈtɔɪənsi/), or the “cat’s eye effect,” is an optical phenomenon in which a narrow, luminous band of reflected light glides across the surface of a material as it is moved. Derived from the French word for “cat” (chat), it is most commonly observed in polished gemstones and figured wood. #chatoyance #mango #customsnare #customdrums #snaredrums

@76drumco builds drum shells that are just as pretty on the inside as they are on the outside. #drums #drummer #customdrums #customsnare #olivewooddrum

3rd coat of 8 coats of hand-rubbed oil finish shown here…This is a VERY special custom build for a great drummer in Albuquerque. 3/4” solid Olivewood staves with a center section of solid Red Cedar. #drums #customsnare #customdrums #drummer #olivewooddrum

Do you need a new piccolo snare drum? I have this beautiful 4 x 14 Padauk shell that I just got done building and finishing. All you need to do is get in touch and I will customize the hardware to your exact specifications. Let’s build a drum together. 76drums.com #drummer #drums #customsnare #customdrums #snaredrum

Finished Birdseye Maple and Bolivian Rosewood Aqua Blue @transtint dye stain 5x14 snare shell that became the @alfredjordanjr Signature Snare. More pics and video of the completed snare to come. #drummer #drums #customdrum #snaredrum #drummersofinstagram

Purpleheart! This Curly Purpleheart Custom Solid Stave Shell was built for the one and only @grooveguardian His DW Purpleheart snare was stolen, so I offered to build him a new one. This 7x14 solid Purpleheart shell is ready for drilling and hardware. Going to be a killer snare. #drummer #drums #customdrum #snaredrum #drummersofinstagram

Time lapse video of @76drumco building a 7.5x14” Bubinga solid stave snare drum shell. This one will be topped off with some hardware from @champagnedrum1 and Bubinga and maple hoops from @stellardrums Wood from @riversidelumber and @titebondproducts holding it all together. #snaredrum #customdrum #neworleansdrums #customsnare #snaredrumfreakz #drumset #drums #Drummer #drummersofinstagram #drumming #drum #drumlife #drummerlife #bubinga #percussion #drumkit #snaredrumlove #birdseyemaple #vicfirth #instadrums #zildjian #wenge #snare #instadrummers #drumlove #percussionist #drumshop #sabian #76drumco

Coming soon! @76drumco presents their first full drum kit 8/10/12/14/16 toms and 22” kick. All 100% solid stave Purpleheart. This is going to be a killer kit! Hit us up to design and build your dream kit! Purpleheart lumber sourced locally at @riversidelumber tools used: @dewalttough @boschtoolsna @klein_tools @fujisprayofficial @speedokote @freudtools @titebondproducts #drumkit #customdrum #neworleansdrums #customsnare #customdrumset #drumset #drums #Drummer #drummersofinstagram #drumming #drum #drumlife #drummerlife #purpleheart #percussion #drumkit #snaredrumlove #drumset #vicfirth #instadrums #zildjian #purpleheartdrumset #snare #instadrummers #drumlove #percussionist #drumshop #sabian #76drumco

20 dense Bolivian Rosewood staves will soon become a gorgeous 6.75x14” snare drum shell. Have it built up exactly like you want - contact me at 76drums.com. #snaredrum #customdrum #neworleansdrums #customsnare #snaredrumfreakz #drumset #drums #Drummer #drummersofinstagram #drumming #drum #drumlife #drummerlife #morado #percussion #drumkit #snaredrumlove #rosewood #vicfirth #instadrums #zildjian #rosewoodsnare #snare #instadrummers #drumlove #percussionist #drumshop #sabian #76drumco

Spent a little time on this 83 degree Saturday building a 7x14 Granadillo stave snare drum shell for a customer named Kent. Thanks as always to: @dewalttough for the tools, @dirtycoast for the space, @bellforestprod for the wood, and @titebondproducts for the glue. #snaredrum #customdrum #neworleansdrums #customsnare #snaredrumfreakz #drumset #drums #Drummer #drummersofinstagram #drumming #drum #drumlife #drummerlife #granadillo #percussion #drumkit #snaredrumlove #canarywood #vicfirth #instadrums #zildjian #hickorydrum #snare #instadrummers #drumlove #percussionist #drumshop #sabian #76drumco

7.5x14 Granadillo wood shell in the making. Granadillo is one of the hardest, heaviest, and most dense woods I’ve worked with. This piece came from @bellforestprod. This is going to make a screaming powerful and beautiful drum. It’s up for grabs. Contact me at www.76drums to customize this baby. #snaredrum #customdrum #neworleansdrums #customsnare #snaredrumfreakz #drumset #drums #Drummer #drummersofinstagram #drumming #drum #drumlife #drummerlife #bubinga #percussion #drumkit #snaredrumlove #canarywood #vicfirth #instadrums #zildjian #granadillo #snare #instadrummers #drumlove #percussionist #drumshop #sabian #76drumco

7x14 Louisiana Bayou Swamp Thing Cypress Custom Snare Drum shell after final coat of 2k polyester clear. Next up: hand-sanding from 1000 to 3000 grit, buffing, polishing, cut bearing edges, cut snare beds, drill holes for hardware and turn this sexy beast into a snare drum. Hours upon hours of work for a one of a kind instrument. #drummer #drums #customdrum #snaredrum #customsnare

@76drumco is building a custom segmented Bolivian Rosewood and Birdseye Maple 5x14 snare drum for @alfredjordanjr Here’s what we’ve got so far. Lumber from @riversidelumber adhesive by @titebondproducts clamps from @harborfreight saws by @dewalttough drum sander by @jet.tools #drummer #drums #customdrum #drummersofinstagram #snaredrum

The milling process…working on a 5x14 Birdseye Maple and Bolivian Rosewood shell I built for @alfredjordanjr This is a pretty one. Lumber from @riversidelumber 76drums.com for more info #drummer #drums #drummersofinstagram #snaredrum #customsnare

This is a story of how 20 Padauk and Louisiana Cypress staves ended up becoming 7x14” snare drum shell at @scaleworkspace . Wood from @riversidelumber Want this drum? Tell me what hardware you want and I’ll build it up custom for you. #snaredrum #customdrum #neworleansdrums #customsnare #snaredrumfreakz #drumset #drums #Drummer #drummersofinstagram #drumming #drum #drumlife #drummerlife #bubinga #percussion #drumkit #snaredrumlove #padauk #vicfirth #instadrums #zildjian #louisianacypress #snare #instadrummers #drumlove #percussionist #drumshop #sabian #76drumco

The Method

Every drum, start to finish, in my New Orleans shop.

A drum maker cuts an unfinished hardwood board using a Bosch compound miter saw in a workshop.
A craftsman cuts an unfinished hardwood block using a Bosch sliding miter saw in a workshop.
A craftsman measures an unfinished hardwood stave with a metal combination square in his workshop.
A drum maker holds cut, unfinished hardwood staves next to a Bosch miter saw in a workshop.
A craftsman measures unfinished hardwood drum staves using digital calipers at a table saw.
A craftsman cuts an unfinished hardwood board using a wooden push stick on a SawStop table saw in his workshop.
A drum maker measures a block of unfinished hardwood with metal calipers on a steel table saw.
A craftsman cuts raw reddish hardwood blocks on a table saw using a push stick in a drum workshop.
A craftsman cuts unfinished hardwood drum staves on a table saw using a wooden push stick.
A drum maker cuts unfinished brown hardwood staves using a table saw with a wooden push stick.
A drum maker tapes a dark wood veneer beside an unfinished natural wood shell and a polished chrome snare hoop.
A craftsman applies wood glue to unfinished hardwood staves beside a clamped purpleheart snare drum shell.
A craftsman glues natural wood staves beside unfinished drum shells and a chrome snare hoop.
A drum maker glues raw hardwood staves on a bench beside a chrome metal hoop, lugs, and tension rods.
A drum builder glues an unfinished wooden stave shell at a workbench with a chrome drum hoop in the foreground.
A drum maker clamps a segmented wooden shell on a workbench beside an unfinished stave shell and chrome hoops.
A drum maker secures an unfinished stave wood snare drum shell using blue nylon strap clamps.
A craftsman wipes glue from an unfinished stave hardwood snare shell held together by a metal ratchet strap clamp.
A craftsman glues an unfinished wooden shell on a workbench beside striped stave shells and a polished chrome hoop.