I haven't watched the video nor explored the website but one thing that immediately stands out to me is it says "built different".... Then in the description says "the method of bending wood into drum shells is an ancient and untouched woodworking practice that has been untouched for over a century". Essentially saying, "we are doing something totally new.... That has been done before."
The two statements are not exclusive. Kerf bending is a very old technique used for many kinds of wood bending applications, but mainly in decorative applications. You’ll even find the same technique used to dry wall arches / curves, etc.
What’s new here (at least to the extent of my knowledge) is this technique applied to drum shells, & I find it very interesting, both from a technical perspective, but also in terms of it’s sonic delivery.
In constructional terms, I have one area of concern, & that’s the incomplete nature of the glue bond. The Kerf cuts are made using a slitting saw. The blade creates a parallel sided cut. When you bend the resultant board, you are left with a series of cuts where only the inner diameter area of the cuts are contacting, & conversely, a void towards the outer diameter of the shell. If we consider traditional wood glues, they rely on contact between surfaces for strength. In the screen shot below taken from the video, you can clearly see the potential contact area available and the resulting voids.
Of course, you could consider a resin rather than a glue. Resins have a fill capability that glues do not have, but resins can bring about their own issues, especially when wood moves (& move it will). I can only assume the builder is fully satisfied with the level & stability of bond created & tested as such. Relying only on my related experience, & assuming a very high quality glue is used, I think it’s likely multiple point contacts cumulatively over a large area can produce a stable & viable construction.
Construction observations aside, what really interests me is the sonic result. Yes, I can hear that classic solid shell character, & in this example, that is further enabled by the dry nature of mahogany. There’s definitely something else going on here too. There’s a sprinkling of steam bent single ply to the delivery, very similar to segmented construction. I think both are feeding into the projection of tone that Ben refers to. It’s possible the above mentioned voids assist in facilitating that, encouraging a greater than usual low dynamic excitement of the shell. Again, reminiscent of the tensioned vibe you get from thin shell single ply.
Overall, I find this very interesting, & of course, presented transparently by Ben with his usual & much appreciated level of professionalism + insight.
www.kerfdrumco.com
