How to Build a Two-Sided Cajon Drum (Fun Project!)

#woodworking #DIY #Cajon #Cajondrum #brattonbuilt #rabbets

This two-sided cajon drum is a super easy and fun build. There are many variations to the cajon drum and we chose to make one with two playable sides, two tapas! On one side we used 1/8 inch plywood and a snare, and on the other side we used 1/4 plywood and no snare. To make for an easy build, the snare is attached with 3/4 inch plywood using pocket holes.

My son wanted a standard drum set, but I thought we’d try out the Cajon first. This little box doesn’t look like much, but you can make some cool beats with it! It’s like having a snare drum, a tom drum, and a bass drum all in one. You can even get brushes and sticks to make more great sounds. Plus, it’s super portable and inexpensive!

We used scraps for most of this two-sided cajon drum, however we did have to hunt for the 1/8 inch birch plywood. We ended up finding it at the woodworking store “Rockler” (Which is an awesome store!) Later we found that many crafting stores like “Michaels” carry 1/8″ plywood too. The snare and rubber legs were bought on Amazon.

See below for a cut list, supplies used, and step by step directions on how to build a cajon drum.

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LUMBER CUTS USED FOR THIS TWO-SIDED CAJON:

Sides: (2) 16″x11″ pieces of 3/4″ Birch Plywood
Top and Bottom” (2) 12″x11″ pieces of 3/4″ Birch Plywood
Front Tapa: 17″x12″ piece of 1/8″ Birch Plywood
Back Tapa: 17″x12″ piece of 1/4 Birch Plywood
Supports: (2) 8″ pieces of Pine 1×2’s
Snare Support Piece: 10.5″x3″ piece of 3/4″ Birch Plywood

SUPPLIES USED FOR THIS DRUM BUILD:

Snare Wire
Rubber Amp Feet/Legs
Wood Glue
Super Glue (optional)
Super Glue Accelerant (optional)
Sand paper
Pre stain
Stain
Spray Lacquer
(48) 3/4″ Wood Screws
(4) 1 1/4″ Pocket Hole Screws

TOOLS USED FOR THIS CAJON:

Table Saw
Table Saw Sled
Power Drill
Orbital Sander
Router
Round Over Router Bit
Flush Trim Router Bit
Pocket Hole Jig
Clamps
Square

STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE THIS TWO-SIDED CAJON
(See directions with pictures at https://brattonbuilt.com/how-to-build...)

1. First, cut the 3/4″ plywood sides, top, and bottom.
(The cut sizes we used are listed above)
2. Next, cut 3/4″ wide and 1/8″ deep rabbets on the both side edges into the top and bottom pieces of plywood.
3. Now cut out a sound hole on one side plywood panel. We centered our hole 3 1/2″ from the bottom and sides. This “Kool-Aid” cup has a diameter of 4″.
4. We used a forstner bit to drill a small hole.
5. Then cut out the hole with a jig saw.
6. Now you can glue and clamp the sides, top, and bottom together being sure drum box is square.
7.To give your drum a polished look you can use a round over router bit on the top and bottom side edges.
8.Next, cut a snare support piece out of 3/4″ plywood and drill pocket holes on each end. Attach the snare to 3/4″ plywood, then position it at a 30 degree angle with the snare hitting the tapa about three inches from the top.
9.This may be overkill, but to add a little more support you can add 1×2’s using wood glue and super glue.
10. Then cut the 1/8″ plywood and 1/4″ plywood for the front and back. I recommend cutting them a little big then use a flush trim router bit to trim the tapas to size.
11.Next, line up and pre-drill holes for attaching tapas. We probably used too many screws here. Note: Don’t over tighten the screws. The tension of the screws, especially the screws on the top of the drum, make a big difference on how the drum sounds.
12. Now you can pre-stain and stain the sides, top and bottom. We used a jacobean stain. After then stain is dry you can spray on three coats of lacquer.
13. Finally put fasten the tapas and install legs. Then proceed to rock out!!