Hondo's Do-It-Yourself Drum Tuning Turntable

Hondo

Junior Member
I was inspired by John Good of DW Drums & his drum tuning video to make my own drum tuning turntable –

How To Tune Drums - by DW's John Good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl9wgXSfxew

Here’s how I made mine.


I went by my local Home Depot and bought what I needed there.

In the lumber section I bought a 24 inch pre-cut, round piece of particle board to use as the platen for $5.00-

dtte.JPG


The board is lying on a small rug that I bought for $10. You can use whatever carpet you might have laying around- you just want to use something that will protect the finish of the drum while it is sitting on the turntable.

Next, I bought the turntable mechanism itself. The one I bought was the Sheppard Hardware Products (#9548) Lazy Susan for $5.00-

dtta.JPG


I needed some adhesive to glue the carpet to the wood platen so I bought some Elmer’s Flooring Adhesive for $7.00 –

dttc.JPG


I also picked up some inexpensive putty knives (to spread out the adhesive) for $2.00-

dttb.JPG


In order to have the turntable rotate evenly, the lazy susan needs to be centered on the platen as closely as possible. Here is how I determined the center of the platen –

http://www.mathopenref.com/constcirclecenter2.html

What we really need is one line that cuts the platen in half directly through the center so that we can mount the lazy susan on that line – (I drew 3 just to make sure that I was centered)

dttf.JPG


From the center point I measured out ½ of the distance between two of the mounting holes, marked it, and mounted the lazy susan using drywall screws. Pre-drill the particle board so that the board does not crack. Make sure that the screws do not penetrate the other side of the platen or you will have sharp points sticking up through the carpet.

I removed the lazy susan and coated the platen with a good layer of adhesive, maybe the thickness of a coin. I laid the carpet on the floor, the platen on top of that and then added some weight to the platen to add pressure for good adhesion. I used boxes of tile and a few cans of paint and let it dry over night –

dttg.JPG


I removed the weight in the morning –

dtth.JPG


And started trimming off the excess (this is just an initial trimming- (I trimmed the carpet off right to the edge with a sharp utility knife) –

dtti.JPG


I then took a cigarette lighter and ran it around the carpet edge to melt any loose fibers (prevent fraying) –

dttj.JPG


Then I remounted the lazy susan to the bottom of the platen using wood glue on the screws –

dttk.JPG


I ran the screws in most of the way with my drill/driver but then did the final tightening with a screwdriver- you don’t want to over torque the screws –

dttl.JPG


Don't forget to lubricate the ball bearings - I used a little household 3-in-1 oil.

Here’s my turntable in front of my smart TV- now I can watch John & tune right along with him!

dttm.JPG


Materials & costs (US dollars)-

24 inch particle board circle - $5.00
Lazy susan - $5.00
Carpet -$10.00
Adhesive - $7.00
Putty knives - $2.00

[FONT=&quot]I hope this might help you make your own drum tuning turntable – Cheers![/FONT]
 
Last edited:
I was inspired by Steve Good of DW Drums & his drum tuning video to make my own drum tuning turntable –

How To Tune Drums - by DW's John Good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl9wgXSfxew

Here’s how I made mine.


I went by my local Home Depot and bought what I needed there.

In the lumber section I bought a 24 inch pre-cut, round piece of particle board to use as the platen for $5.00-

dtte.JPG


The board is lying on a small rug I bought for $10. You can use whatever carpet you might laying around- you just want to use something that will protect the finish of the drum while it is sitting on the turntable.

Next, I bought the turntable mechanism itself. The one I bought was the Sheppard Hardware Products (#9548) Lazy Susan for $5.00-

dtta.JPG


I needed some adhesive to glue the carpet to the wood platen so I bought some Elmer’s Flooring Adhesive for $7.00 –

dttc.JPG


I also picked up some inexpensive putty knives (to spread out the adhesive) for $2.00-

dttb.JPG


In order to have the turntable rotate evenly, the lazy susan needs to be centered on the platen as close as possible. Here is how I determined the center of the platen –

http://www.mathopenref.com/constcirclecenter2.html

What we really need is one line that cuts the platen in half directly through the center so that we can mount the lazy susan on that line – (I drew 3 just to make sure that I was centered)

dttf.JPG


From the center point I measured out ½ of the distance between two of the mounting holes, marked it, and mounted the lazy susan using drywall screws. Pre-drill the particle board so that the board does not crack. Make sure that the screws do not penetrate the other side of the platen or you will have sharp points sticking up through the carpet.

I removed the lazy susan and coated the platen with a good layer of adhesive, maybe the thickness of a coin. I laid the carpet on the floor, the platen on top of that and then added some weight to the platen to add pressure for good adhesion. I used boxes of tile and a few cans of paint and let it dry over night –

dttg.JPG


I removed the weight in the morning –

dtth.JPG


And started trimming off the excess (this is just an initial trimming- I trimmed the carpet off right to the edge with a sharp utility knife) –

dtti.JPG


I then took a cigarette lighter and ran it around the carpet edge to melt any loose fibers (prevent fraying) –

dttj.JPG


Then I remounted the lazy susan to the bottom of the platen using wood glue on the screws –

dttk.JPG


I ran the screws in most of the way with my drill/driver but then did the final tightening with a screwdriver- you don’t want to over torque the screws –

dttl.JPG


Don't forget to lubricate the ball bearings - I use a little household 3-in-1 oil.

Here’s my turntable in front of my smart TV- now I can watch Steve & tune right along with him!

dttm.JPG


Materials & costs (US dollars)-

24 inch particle board circle - $5.00
Lazy susan - $5.00
Carpet -$10.00
Adhesive - $7.00
Putty knives - $2.00

[FONT=&quot]I hope this might help you make your own drum tuning turntable – Cheers![/FONT]

I think you mean Mr. John Good
 
Not a big deal mate, and very cool tutorial. I will for shure be adding one of these to my downstairs drum workshop!
 
Thanks for this! Just watched the John Good video, searched immediately for a drum turntable and it led me here. Excellent stuff.
 
Like the idea, but wouldn't a larger than 6 inch lazy susan piece be better for stability on a 24 inch piece of board. Seems like it would be wobbly.
 
Good idea, but why not just use a drum throne? It puts the drum at the right height, it rotates, plus there's nothing to build. It's good to have extra drum thrones.
 
thrones would be great except for my uneven motorcycle seat and the back rest. I guess a used cheap throne or doctors stool would be ideal.. I'll have to check the hospitals junk pile.
 
I use the uneven roc and soc motorcycle seat. It works fine. No backrest though, I never saw the need for one since I am on the edge of my seat when I play. The only thing is you have to put something larger on it, like an old drumhead, for a 16" or bigger drum, and only when the "bottom" head is off. The unheaded shell will go right over the seat top and your bearing edges will get dented by the throne legs if you try and put the unheaded shell on the throne. Granted the round thrones will make the drum sit flat, they would be better for sure, but the uneven seats get the job done too. You still need an old head for the bigger shells, no matter which seat top you use.
 
You can use the turntable to your advantage and speed up tuning if you have two keys. Finger tighten the rods as normal. Now take the keys and place them on opposite lugs. Grab the right key with your left hand and the left with your right. While holding the keys, rotate the drum 180degrees counter clockwise. You have just tightened those two rods a half turn. Repeat all the way around as necessary. It ensures that the rods are all even before fine tuning. I do this on a carpeted floor with an old head under the drum. It works great and speeds up the tuning process.
 
Like the idea, but wouldn't a larger than 6 inch lazy susan piece be better for stability on a 24 inch piece of board. Seems like it would be wobbly.

Sure, but it was the only one available.

With a drum centered it was very stable.
 
Fantastic write up and instruction! Nicely done man!
 
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