Its been a long time since I made something for myself. I have been terribly busy creating dust and making cutting boards for people with Airstream trailers. I must say that I built that into a pretty decent business. But, its taken its toll on dreams and a lot of my time. and….
…There has been this aching thought in the back of my mind, ever since I watched acoustical performances where the drummer brings onto the stage, a wooden box, sits on it, and makes wonderful, haunting percussion sounds amongst the unplugged guitars, piano and other instruments. The box, a Cajon, a slap drum. The dream…to make one for myself! YES!!
The Cajon is a Latin-Afro percussion instrument that dates back the 16th century. Originally from Peru. You may have heard it without knowing what it was. It is a box, often made from plywood, that generally measures 18” tall by 14” wide by 13” deep. It has a 4” hole to resonate the sound. By striking the center of the “tapa”, the face of the box, you get a rich hollow sound. But if you strike closer to the edges, the snd goes higher. The top edge corners are free to ‘slap’ when struck, which is why they also call this a ‘slap drum’. I like the sound…sort of a blend of conga, snare and bongos. It works great, as I said, in acoustical music whether its jazz, latin, or even some rock (listen below). And its very portable!
I have wanted one for quite a while, but I didn’t want a crude plywood Cajon. I thought if ever I had the time, I would just make one from hardwoods…. I do have quite a bit of wood.. They are not hard to make, just a 6-sided box. So after a particularly hairy run of 37 orders for cutting boards, I decided to take the time, clear the workbench and make one for myself. A week later…..no longer a dream…..and it sounds great.
The face is ¼” luan panel (plywood) whereas the sides and top are solid black walnut (5/8”). The back is a mix if maple, walnut and madrona. I added splines made from light walnut for contrast. The handles control the use of internal snares. Oh, and I turned some walnut, on the lathe, for the knobs.
