Radius Drums shells are made from strips of solid wood called staves. Each stave is cut with a bevel and placed vertically in the same way a barrel is made. It’s then made round by a series of milling procedures on the outside and inside. Some stave builders use a lathe for this. At Radius Drums we have separate router stations for each individual process ensuring great accuracy.
This method of drum construction is much different than most of the commercial drum shells out there which use multiple horizontal/vertical layers of plywood. Typically a plywood shell is constructed by layering multiple thin sheets of wood with glue applied between each layer of wood. These are put in a mold to hold their shape until dry.
On the other hand, a stave shell is made from solid wood pieces glued vertically in its natural state. There is only glue between the vertical stave joints instead of the entire circumference of the drum shell. By constructing wood drum shells in this way it eliminates the deadening effect that multiple layers of glue can cause.
Another positive aspect is having the bearing edges placed on the end grain which allows for a maximum transfer of energy following the wood grain between the batter and resonant heads. The advantages can be clearly heard in the natural resonance and projection stave shells produce.
