Process
The Handcrafting Process
Shell Types
Artisan Drumworks specializes in and recommends stave-shell design for snare drums and drum sets. We believe bending plies or solid pieces of hardwood produces unnatural stress to the timber, thereby impeding the drum shell’s ability to resonate freely. Ply drum shells, in particular, use an enormous amount of glue in their construction, much like plywood. Solid Ply shells are also forcefully bent and made to stay in round by using glue-in reinforcement rings. Stave drum shells are under no stress and use a minimal amount of glue resulting in maximum resonance and clarity of tone. Vertical orientation of the grain also lends itself to the natural, very unique, and organic beauty of the drum. 
The secret in stave drum shell design is the free flow of sound energy. Please see our “Why Stave” page for clarification on this all-important issue.
We also offer full drum sets in our stave shell design. All of our drum shells are crafted with great care and passion, and with the highest level of quality and attention to detail in which we pride ourselves.
Process
Our drum shells are carefully handcrafted from start to finish. We begin by hand selecting your choice of hardwood. After meticulously milling each stave, we then glue up your shell. After a curing period, your drum shell is turned inside and out to within .005” of being perfectly round (about the thickness of a piece of paper). The shell is then drilled to accommodate your hardware choice. We then painstakingly cut the bearing edges beginning with a 45degree chamfer on the inside. Then we hand-cut the counter edges and “snare bed” to perfection using only fine precision hand tools. This is where we put our “signature” for tonal quality on your drum.
Next, your drum goes through a 8-step proprietary finishing process for Oil/Wax finishes, a 12-step process for Hand Rubbed finishes, a 21-step process for High Gloss finishes, and 30-step process for French Polished finishes. We use only the absolute finest finishing products available.
Finally, with great care and attention to detail, we install our “badge”, assemble the drum, and tune and test for the brilliant sound we have been anticipating since your drum’s inception. After tying on a lifetime warranty card, our job of crafting is complete.
Now it’s your turn!