How to Build a Stand for Your Taiko Drum
By Sir Ogami Akira, Daimyo of Clan Yama Kaminari

This is a very easy project, and requires few tools.  You don’t need to finish the wood, and you barely have to sand it.  I was genuinely surprised to find out that the Japanese really didn’t care very much about their drum stands at all.  One of my favorite images is of a fabulous Buddhist ceremony in an incredibly beautiful temple, and it shows an extremely ornate drum sitting on a partially crushed fruit crate held together by bent and rusted wire. (Of course if you want to make it beautiful, that’s your business.)

 

There are three sizes of stands—small (shime-daiko, jin-daiko), medium (chu-daiko), and large (o-daiko).  The construction is exactly the same.  All that changes is the scale and the thickness of the wood you use.

 

For the purposes of illustration, the below instructions are for a small drum, like a shime-daiko.  At the bottom of the article I will give the dimensions for larger drums.

Materials-

  1. Four pieces of pine that measure ¾” X 1 ½” X 32”.
  2. Four pieces of pine that measure ¾” X 1 ½” X 11”.
  3. Sixteen 1 ½” drywall screws.  (1/4” wooden pegs would look better.)
  4. Two 2 ½” long ¼” bolts and screws.
  5. Four ¼” washers.
  6. ¼” rope.

 

Tools-

  1. Drill
  2. A ¼” bit, a 3/8ths” bit, and Phillip’s head bit.
  3. Wood glue.
  4. Belt sander (nice but not essential) or sandpaper.
  5. ‘L’ square.
  6. Ruler.

 

Procedure for a small drum (sitting or standing to play)-

 

  1. Take your belt sander and round one end of each 32” piece.  Smooth the sides and edges as well.  The rounded end is the top of the stand.
  2. Take all four 32” long piece and stack them together, narrow side up.
  3. Measure down 6” and make a mark.  Use your ‘L’ square to draw a line across all four at the 6” mark.
  4. Go to the bottom and measure up 8”. Use your ‘L’ square to draw a line across all four at the 8” mark.
  5. Turn the stack over and repeat steps #2 & #3.
  6. Separate the stack in half.  Take an 11” crosspiece and lay it against the lines on the top of both stacks.  Use your ‘L’ square to make sure everything is squared up. Put a few drops of glue on the OUTSIDE 32” pieces.
  7. Using your drill with the Phillip’s head bit, insert two drywall screws into the OUTSIDE pine pieces.
  8. Take your ‘L’ square and line up an 11” crosspiece against the lines on the bottom.  Put a drop of glue on the INSIDE 32” pieces.  Put two drywall screws through the 11” crosspiece and into the INSIDE pine pieces.
  9. Turn the assembly over.
  10. Take an 11” crosspiece and lay it against the lines on the top of both stacks.  Use your ‘L’ square to make sure everything is squared up. Put a drop of glue on the INSIDE 32” pieces.
  11. Using your drill with the Phillip’s head bit, insert two drywall screws into the INSIDE pine pieces.
  12. Take your ‘L’ square and line up an 11” crosspiece against the lines on the bottom.  Put a drop of glue on the OUTSIDE of the 32” pieces. Put two drywall screws through the 11” crosspiece and into the OUTSIDE pine pieces.
  13. Pick up the entire assembly and lay it on its side.  Measure down 16” and make a mark.
  14. Drill a ¼” hole at the mark, and insert the ¼” bolt.  Tighten it snugly, but not hard.
  15. Turn the assembly over and repeat #12 & #13.
  16. Lay the stand flat.  Measure in three inches from each side on an 11” crosspiece and mark the spots.  Drill 3/8” holes at the marks.  (This is now the bottom of your stand.)
  17. Turn the stand over and repeat #15.
  18. Lace the rope through the holes and tie a knot so the stand opens the right width to fit your drum.  Cut the ends so they don’t drag.
  19. Now you’re done.  Put your drum on the stand and annoy the hell out of your neighbors.

 

(NOTE- To make your stand much prettier and period-looking, wait until all the glue has set.  Remove the drywall screws and drill a ¼” hole in their place. Glue and insert a ¼” dowel and cut it flush. 

Next, remove the bolts and replace them with big damn nails that fit reasonably well in the hole. Cut off the nail about ¼” above the wood.  Put on a washer and peen over the nail.)

 

For a medium size drum (sitting or standing to play)-

  1. Use 1” X 2” wood.
  2. Cut the length to 40”.
  3. Measure down 8” (top) and 11” (bottom) for your crosspieces.
  4. Measure the distance between the edges of the rawhide on your drum.  Subtract 1” and that is how long to cut your crosspieces.
  5. Use 3” bolts.

 

For a large drum (standing to play)-

  1. Use 2” X 4” wood.
  2. Cut the length to 5’.
  3. Measure down 10” for your top crosspieces, and measure up 14” for your bottom crosspieces.
  4. Measure the distance between the edges of the rawhide on your drum.  Subtract 1” and that is how long to cut your crosspieces.
  5. Use 3 ½” bolts.