Drum riser idea

cg2112

Senior Member
I'm thinking about building a drum riser, but I think 5gal buckets are going to be too tall, I want a riser that's about 8-12" tall. 12" would really be about as tall as I want. Lowe's has 1 gallon buckets that might do the job, too. Has anyone used smaller buckets? I assume they'll be thinner (I haven't checked them out yet).

I had another idea, maybe you guys who have built these before can tell me if it's a bad idea. I was thinking about two 6x3 pieces of 1in thick plywood, and lifting them up with a bunch of these:

0136753_PE294558_S2.JPG


These are $3.50 table legs from Ikea, I figure I could cut them down to between 8" or 12", and use six on each piece of plywood. Think this would be solid enough?
 
I built a riser using five-gallon buckets. it was 15.5 inches tall.



Here's a link to another thread where someone built a riser using 3 1/2 ballon buckets. they might do the trick.

http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67266

Actually, for me the 5-gallon buckets were less expensive than the 3.5-gallon buckets. The 15=inch height brings my head up to the level of the rest of the band.
 
A riser built with 2 gallon buckets would be about 10" tall, which is just about right. Using 3.5 gallon buckets would make the riser around 13" tall, which isn't too bad, either. 3.5 gallon buckets, for some reason, are way more expensive than 2 or 5 gallon buckets, so that's probably the way I'll go.

It'll won't quite bring me to head level with the rest of the band, but it will give me a little more height, at least so that I'm up a little higher than a sitting crowd at a gig without a stage.
 
I made a drum riser utilizing plastic milk crates instead of buckets. I never thought of buckets until after I was finished. The crates take up an awful lot of space when traveling. Some of the guys put gear in them such as cables and all the stuff that usually get thrown around in cardboard boxes. The good thing about the crates is if you want to be elevated a little higher, just double stack them. I made a curtain to go around the edge, you would need another "taller" curtain for the two level setup. Mine is 7' x 8' wide and it takes 12 crates for one level. It looks very pro. If I knew how to post a picture, I would. The buckets would not take up very much space at all.
 
I hate that when guitar players put their stands in front of the drum riser. "Put your stuff in front of your amp on your own side of the stage!"
 
Does your hi hat leg sit that close to being off the riser all the time?

I just noticed that. The answer is I don't have a lot of extra room on the riser but I don't leave a leg hanging off. I'm sure I moved it back in closer a few inches before I started playing.
 
I just noticed that. The answer is I don't have a lot of extra room on the riser but I don't leave a leg hanging off. I'm sure I moved it back in closer a few inches before I started playing.

Nice looking kit, which yamaha series is that?

Are you using the method where the lids are screwed to the riser? If So how hard is it to get the buckets off the lids when done?
 
Nice looking kit, which yamaha series is that?

Are you using the method where the lids are screwed to the riser? If So how hard is it to get the buckets off the lids when done?

It's a Stage Custom Birch kit in natural wood finish.

The lids are screwed to the top platform of the riser The buckets go on and off pretty easily. I'm using the gray buckets and the blue lids from Lowes.

Here's a link to a youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pmiPcg9OUI
 
Isits, how thick is the wood? And, how to you connect the pieces together? Or, do you just place them side by side? Thanks!
 
Isits, how thick is the wood? And, how to you connect the pieces together? Or, do you just place them side by side? Thanks!

The top is 1" thick. I originally used 1/2" plywood but found out it wasn't sturdy enough. I glued and screwed another piece of 1/2" plywood to the original piece face-to-face. It's overkill but I didn't want to scrap what I already had. 3/4" would probably be fine for anything but a stainless steel kit.

There are three sections. Each section consists of two pieces of wood that are connected by a piano hinge. I use a total of four latches to keep the pieces together. Two in the front and two in the back. I use a D-ring clip on each of the latches to keep them from coming loose.
 
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