Snare Drum – More Discussion on the Bearing Edge & Adding Rings

The detail that has been in a constant state of flux is the profile that will be used for the bearing edge.  We have talked about at least half a dozen various designs, I have created several drawings and three different physical mockups.  Good news is that we have settled on the double 45 degree profile.  However, I was a little concerned with the size of the flat on the mockup being too small but before I could email the client he sent me a note questioning its size.  Back to the drawing board to create a revised drawing that increased the flat from less than ¼” to a full ¾” but this was too much. 

After making a couple of mockups, one at 5/8” and one at 9/16” we agreed that 9/16” looked like the best fit.

Left 5/8" and Right 9/16" Bearing Edge Mockups

With that decided (for now) I marked up the roughed out rim ring so I could start working on the finished turning.  The two lines on the left face represent the completed thickness of the bearing edge and the single line on the right is where I will start the transition from the thickened bearing edge down to the ¼” thick body.

Layout Lines for Initial Turning

Here I have turned the interior thickened rim down to it’s final dimension and the thinner body nearly down to it's finished dimension.  I am leaving the thin section a little thick for now to allow for any glue runs from the next ring and to provide material for a smooth transition between rings.

Turning in Progress

With the rough turning done I taped the inside edge to catch any glue runs when I put the second ring on.  I am not planning on any major runs but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Taped Blank Ready for Second Ring

The preparation for gluing the second ring on is the same as the first, running it through the thickness sander to flatten and make the top and bottom surfaces parallel to each other.   The only other thing was to add some registration lines to align the joints in the second ring so they are centered on the segment block below.

From there it was just getting everything ready to glue up and doing a dry run to make sure it was going to go together without problems.

Setup for Gluing

After the dry run it’s a simple matter of gluing and clamping everything together.  Have I mentioned that you can never have too many clamps?

Letting the clamped blank cure overnight I then took off all the clamps and mounted the blank back on the lathe.  Although there were no major glue runs the tape was still a good idea because of a number of small squeeze out blobs.

Second Ring Mounted & Ready for Turning

After turning the outside smooth I started on the inside.  This photo is when I have almost completely got the interior rough turned to a circle.  There is just a small ridge left to remove.  When that is done I will turn the inside very close to the required diameter which will blend the two rings so the transition  between them is seamless.

In the photo below the inside turning is done on the first and second layer, the piece has been removed from the lathe and it is ready for the 3rd layer to be glued on.  You can see the interior smooth transition between the first and second layers.

Ready for Third Ring

The process is the same for the third ring as the second one so there is no need to go into any detail here.  It’s just a little time consuming as I only have enough hose clamps to put one ring together per day.  Only exception is as the rings stack up I have to go to taller clamps.

 Here is piece with third ring glued on, mounted on the lathe and ready to turn.

I did run into one problem turning this layer.  The outside turned down fine but while I was working on the inside I began to feel some vibration while turning at the outer edge.  The vibration did create some ridges but not enough to cause a major problem.  In an effort to cure I stopped, sharpened the tool, adjusted the lathe RPM to a different speed and that solved the problem.   I hope the vibration does not increase when I add the fourth and final layer.  However, experience is that the farther you get away from the headstock with unsupported material the more likely the vibration problem rears it's ugly head.   The good news is the 4th layer has a thickened rim so the additional mass may help out.  It will be interesting to see what happens.

Three Layers Done and Ready to Add the Fourth

Next Up – Final Glue-up & Finish Turning