Glossary
Glossary Of Drum Building Terms
Air Vent – A small hole on the side of a drum, which relieves the air pressure inside the drum when it is struck.
Badge – This is the manufacturer’s logo on the side of the drum. Often this will be used to disguise an air vent.
Batter Head – A drum head normally found on the top of a drum. This is the head that is struck by a drummer or percussionist
Bearing Edge – The edges of a drum’s shell. These have a great impact on the sound of a drum, as it is the contact point between the shell and the head.
Brad Point Bit – A drill bit that is similar to a standard twist bit except that it ends in a point. This allows it drill very precise holes without wandering.
Chamfer Bit – A router bit that cuts a 45-degree profile on the edge of a piece of wood. This is the most common profile for cutting the bearing edges on a drum shell.
Claw –Used to attach a wooden rim to a drum.
Counter hoop – see rim
Drum Shell – The cylinder that is the resonant body of a drum. A shell can be made from wood, metal, or acrylic plastic.
Head – The resonant membrane that is stretched across the end of a drum. Traditionally this was some type of animal hide; modern companies manufacture heads using thin plastic.
Hoop – see rim
Isolation Mount – This fixture holds a drum without touching the shell. This is said to increase resonance.
Lug – These fixtures, which are attached to the drum shell, accept the tension rods that tighten the drumhead. Lug casings can be hollow or solid.
Lug Gasket – A rubber or plastic insert that rests between a lug and a drum’s shell. These can serve to insulate the shell from the lugs. They can also be used as spacers to make sure that the lugs line up with the holes of the counter hoop.
Lug insert – This is a small threaded nut that is inserted into cast drum lugs to accept the tension rods. These allow a small amount of leeway when a drum lug doesn’t exactly line up with the holes in a drum hoop
Ply Shell – A type of drum shell that is formed by laminating a number of very thin layers of wood into a cylinder. Glue is applied to each layer or ply, then a certain number of plies are pressed in a circular mold until the glue is dry.
Reinforcement hoop – A thin strip of wood that is glued to the inside edge of a drum shell. Its purpose is to add strength to the shell and keep it round.
Resonant Head – A drum head normally found on the bottom of a drum. This head resonates to give a drum more tone and sustain after the batter head is struck.
Rim – A hoop on each end of a drum which holds the drumhead in tension. Hoops can be made of metal and wood.
Router – A rotary cutter with an adjustable base. The router motor spins a cutter which can cut many different shapes and profiles.
Segmented shell – A shell formed by gluing angled pieces of wood into a circular ring. Multiple rings are then stacked together until the desired height is reached. To finish, the shell is lathed or routed into a circle.
Snare Bed – A flat spot on each side of the lower bearing edge of a snare drum. These recesses allow the snare wire to rest against the snare head along its entire length.
Snare Butt – Works in conjunction with a snare strainer to stretch the snares across the bottom head of a snare drum by holding the other end of the snare wire.
Snare Head – A drum head found on the bottom of a snare drum. This head functions as a resonant head but is very thin to accentuate the sound of the snares stretched across the bottom of the drum.
Snare Strainer – This is a mechanism on the side of a snare drum used to tension the snares. Most models have a tension knob, which allows the tension of the snares to be adjusted from loose to tight. A strainer also features a throw off leaver that allows the snare tension to be released completely.
Snares – These are the strands pulled across the bottom of a snare drum to give the snare drum its characteristic sound. Most commonly these are made from a metal spiral wire, but straight wire, gut, and plastic chord are also used for different sounds and textures.
Solid Shell – A shell formed from a single piece of wood. Normally a board is heated in a steam box until pliable. The piece is then bent around a circular mold to form a drum.
Spur – Bass drum spurs are legs found on either side of a bass drum to support it and keep it from rocking. Some have rubber feet to protect any hard surface a drum may sit on; others have spiked feet to dig into carpet to prevent the drum from moving.
Stave Shell – This type of shell is made by gluing angled staves of wood into a circle. This style of construction is very reminiscent to that of a wine barrel. To finish, the shell is lathed or routed into a circle.
Straight Bit – A router bit which features a straight cutting edge. This is perfect for making square even cuts on the edge of a board.
Tension Rod – A threaded rod with a square head that is inserted through the drum head and tensioned into the lug.
Tom Mount – This is a clamp used to attach a drum to a piece of hardware.
Uni-Bit – A drill bit with steps that make it possible for a single bit to cut a number of different sized holes
Wrap – A thin layer of decorative plastic laminate that is applied to the outside of a drum.
