Make your own lugs?

Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone has made their own lugs?
I'm making my own snare right now, (first time) and am looking at lugs online and not seeing anything that I'm fully digging. Then it hit me… maybe I could make my own lugs.

So I'm wondering if anyone else has done this? What material did you use? What things did you learn that you could pass on? How hard was it? Etc.

I'm not talking about strainer etc. Just lugs. I'm thinking of single lugs, not tube but lets hear it all!

Thanks.

*Edit*

If this is the wrong section, sorry, please move.
 
I'm wundering :) what you don't like about existing lugs?

It's an important part of the build, and I would think it's going to be hard to beat what the manufacturers can do.
 
Ha ha. Nice. Wunder no more...

The style really. I'm looking for something simple, elegant and small, minimalistic. Basically I'm wanting as much of the shell to show as possible.

A Lot of the lugs I see have large anchors, or designs etc.

My thought was a simple cylinder, not much bigger than the rod, on a post (or two, for rigidity). Maybe a couple lines lathed into it.

There are a couple I don't mind but thought it was worth an ask.
 
Yowza, this is a loaded question. Honestly, unless you have access to a tool & die shop who will mill tube, bar, or billet aluminum for you (which will cost a fortune) you are going to have to build lugs out of wood or design your own free floating contraption which ultimately costs way more than whats currently out there, or is of far inferior design than what is currently out there.

I have seen a few people make lugs out of wood with metal fasteners inside them, but thats a hell of a lot of work for something that's not entirely stable (the wood will expand and contract with temperature and humidity and under tension be more prone to deformation over time).
 
How about a nice, minimal tube lug?

http://www.drumfactorydirect.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_9_10&products_id=1907

tu150.jpg
 
Tommy D:

I have a metal lathe/die set up so that shouldn't be an issue (in theory). I would just need to get some stock.

Frank:
The one you posted have a single variant that I'm looking at too and are on my radar. They look like the ones Tommy D posted but with your style. I also saw some on EgoDrum supply that didn't look bad.

Sounds like first thought it more trouble than it's worth?

Thanks for the replies though guys!
 
Tommy D:

The last link you posted was also something I saw that was not bad.

I've spent countless hours hunting! Ha ha ha
Don't get me wrong, there is some good things out there, just not matching the one in my head...
 
Ha ha. Nice. Wunder no more...

The style really. I'm looking for something simple, elegant and small, minimalistic. Basically I'm wanting as much of the shell to show as possible.

A Lot of the lugs I see have large anchors, or designs etc.

My thought was a simple cylinder, not much bigger than the rod, on a post (or two, for rigidity). Maybe a couple lines lathed into it.

There are a couple I don't mind but thought it was worth an ask.

Check out Champagne drums, they're out of Canada but ship to the US. They make an affordable, simple tube lug. If you were handy enough you could make your own out of aluminum stock.

My friend bought aluminum spacers offline and fabricated how own. Took hours and hours of tapping them out though.

Edit: saw your reply, yea you could make your own. Take a look at Champagne's design for ideas.
 
Check out Ego, Allstar, Champagne (also have a suspension mount that goes with the lugs)... I'm sure there are others. That's just off the top of my head. They all make solid machined lugs. Mostly aluminum. Pretty sure All-star does brass, and possibly other metals as well.
 
Thanks everyone.
I'll probably end up getting some rather than make them. Free time is a rarity right now and I'm using it just building the drum.

One day I might take a stab at it though.
 
Okay, so let me ask this…

What is the difference (forgive my ignorance) in tom Lugs VS snare lugs?
I see designs that are basically the same but one listed as snare and the other tom. Or a lug listed as a tom lug, but no snare equivalent.

I don't think I've seen any difference in lugs, except for maybe the size of the actual lug, in my time of drumming.

Thoughts?
 
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