How to Build a Drum Riser
Making a drum riser can allow you hear your fellow musicians better by placing you and your drum set above the floor, which helps eliminate bass traps in your immediate vicinity. By creating a strong wood structure with string support under the main floor of the riser, you can make a transportable drum riser that would be perfect for live shows as well as rehearsal.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Protective glasses
- 44' of 3/4-inch plywood
- Circular saw
- Power drill
- 1/8" drill Bit
- 9 Fixed-pin hinges
- 4 Loose-pin hinges
- Phillips-head screwdriver
Instructions
-
-
1
Put on protective glasses and cut two 12-inch wide 3/4-inch thick planks to 8-feet long with a table or circular saw. These will serve as the front and back of the drum riser. Cut two more planks to 6-feet long to make the sides of the riser.
-
2
Cut four smaller planks to 4-foot long to serve as support for the weight of the drums. We will eventually criss-cross these pieces to maximize their strength.
-
-
3
Drill pilot holes for the hinge screws using a power drill and 1/8-inch bit. Using two equally-placed fixed-pin hinges, attach one 8-foot long piece to a 6-foot piece at a 90 degree angle. Attach the hinges tightly by using a Phillips-head screwdriver.
-
4
Do the same with the other two planks, but placed as a mirror image to the other connected planks. The two fixed-pin hinges will be located diagonally from each other when finished.
-
5
Connect the two L-shaped pieces using two loose-pin hinges, which will allow you to disconnect and transport the drum riser easily. This will create the finished base for the riser. Remove the loose pins and replace them with homemade pins, bent at the tip so that you can pull them out with your hand or with a pair of pliers. Make sure to line both hinges up before securing to the wood as you want one pin to go through both hinges for quick release.
-
6
Cut a notch, one inch wide, six inches deep in the center of each of the smaller planks used for support. Flip one around and slide into the other piece. Do so for the other pair. These supports will be able to handle the weight of the drummer and the drum set. Place them in the box you have just created.
-
7
Attach two 6-foot by 4-foot pieces of 3/4-inch plywood with 5 fixed-pin hinges so that the drum riser top can be folded and easily carried. Make sure there are no hinges within one inch of the edge as they will cause to platform to rise up as the hinge must clear the outer box created in steps 1 through 5. Place over main box structure with the hinges facing down when you are done.
-
1
