The Basics Discussions Mike Robertson's Tutorial

Photo courtesy of Koko Photo courtesy of Drums On Sale

The Basics Finding information on how to build a conga on the internet has been somewhat difficult. In may be partly because many people just hand carve them so there isn't much else to tell, but the other theory is that the complex stave shape discourages most builders. After some research and lots of discussion the plans for a stave method conga are presented below. One important note: conga building is not a money saving venture. If you want to go the least expensive route, then buying one already made is your best bet. But if you're in it for the joy of building, please proceed. One other thing worth mentioning right from the start is that this method requires a table saw with a very high blade. You will need almost 5 inches of blade above the table top. Here is a basic concept:

PDGood: This is great but a few questions remain. How thick are the walls of a conga? Does the blade height need to be a particular distance, or just enough to reach the widest part of the stave? Does the inside of a conga need to be turned? And the biggie - how does one go about creating a templat for the basic stave shape? (The first cut made in the video) Casper: I have two different sets of "big box" congas - my first set which is just some little LP Aspire drums and then my gigging set which are Meinl Marathon series. I measured the thickness at the bottom of each drum and had to guess a little bit since the edge guard systems prevented an exact measurement. Here's the shell thicknesses for both: Both drums are the respective Tumbas of each model. LP Aspire: 5/8" thick, 21 Staves Meinl Marathon: 7/8" thick, 24 Staves (much larger belly, much bigger sound, much more rewarding to play) Those are the finished shell thicknesses, so factor in your wiggle room waste factor and you'll have your starting thickness - I imagine 1" thick would be more than substantial. Both models have unfinished interiors and I can't remember ever seeing a conga with a turned interior. As far as the blade height; just high enough to completely cut through the widest part of the stave. To create the template I would first figure out what size drum you want to make and how many staves to use. Then decide how large of a belly you want to create and draw a rough sketch of the profile on some paper (maybe cut a brown paper grocery bag so that it opens as long as possible and use that). Once you're happy with your sketched template, cut it out and tape it onto what you want to make your real template out of, trace it and cut it out. I'm not sure if there's a "golden ratio" for the relationship between the belly size and hoop diameter. I can take some measurements and let you know what I find out once I have the rest of my Meinl drums with me if you're interested. I guess the most important thing to remember is that you can't make the belly protrude any further than what your table saw can actually cut (have to factor in the added height for the stave sled also). From there I would imagine it'd be trial and error. Koko: a.t.m. I am creating staves for a conga and am desperatly searching for a saw that has enough height to cut the stave's. I skipped the idea of a bandsaw, but maybe have to reconsider. Any other thoughts on how to cut the stave?

Casper: Koko, which part of the stave cutting process are you working on? Cutting out the original shape or cutting the bevel/taper? Are you going to plan on trying to steam the wood? I would probably reconsider the band saw idea if you have one with enough height clearance. If you're going to cut the initial curved shape from a template - you could use a duplicator pin on your saw to help with accuracy, etc... What size table saw do you have - 10", 12"? sadolcourt: A quick look of specs shows a 10" table saw has a 3.25" depth of cut, a 12" has 4". Presuming a jig made with 3/4" MDF base, you're left with 2.5" / 3.25", which is the maximum outside height of the belly curve from the jig's base. Of course, with the blade angled over, the max cutting height is less. Possible you may have to invent a jig with a rocking see-saw top. As the stave is cut, the front of the stave is low, the back is high. In the middle of the cut, you rock the see-saw, so the freshly cut front of the stave is tipped higher than the back end, which is now low. Alternatively, a curved jig that is clamped to your saw's table top. The jig has an entrance and exit ramp, which match the curve of the conga stave. The only issue is how to move the wood thru the cut while keeping your fingers well clear of the blade. jeroen: just curious how much height do you need? and whats wrong with a band saw? scally: I can see that the blade height might be a problem. A bandsaw will have the reach but my cuts would be very ragged. Handplaning every stave would be a lot of careful work. koko: wwooooow, found a shed with a saw that is high enough for cutting the conga staves! This week i have to finish the staves, next week hopefully cutting!! koko: Tried my luck at a local historical shipyard. They allowed me to use their table saw and this morning I have cut the staves. This weekend some more pictures, but here is a little preview. It was roughly assembled and needs some work, but you get the picture! These are pre-formed staves by laminating, cut with the aid of a sled and a tablesaw. Once the sled was ready it was straight forward cutting, but you must stay concentrated.

PDGood: Koko, how high was the blade of the table saw that you used? That seems to be a very important requirement to making a conga by the stave method. koko: The sawblade was 12cm (5issssh inch) and that was max I could squeese out of it. That was quite a struggle to find. You need a very very powerful machine to cut 12cm thick wood properly. (Other machines can cut that kind a wood, but don't give a decent cut). Of course with conga staves you don't cut through 12 cm thick, but you need a decent cut at that height. koko: The conga was finished and played tonight for the first time. We ripped a valje conga for the parts. (Size wise this is a quinto actually). This whole project was started a little under a year from now when I met Jeroen (not the same Jeroen we all know from his contributions up here), who is a professional percussionist. He wanted something extraordinary special and searched for a woodworker to do it.

This all is in the test and experimental stage right know but all is looking (and sounding) very promising. Jeroen was very pleased with what he heard today and took the conga (quinto) with him home for a real test ride. He will be recorded somewhere in October and hopefully I get a few soundbites for you guys too. We tested it on a concrete, a wood and a carpet floor together with a conga and tumba. (Both Valje) They made a good pair and mine sounded true and tone/colorful. All in all a real success for a first offender. This conga is different from others since it's built up with plywood laminated, it is way thicker and a little shorter. It is a test ride all the way. When we are done with it, I think it has seen all kinds a shapes and configurations.