Converting a rack tom to a floor....?

oldjoe38

Member
How hard is this? Is it something I could attempt myself? How much harder is it then evenly spacing a couple of holes for the hardware?
 
What size rack tom? You'll probably need extra long legs for it, and it might be a little tippy if its a smaller tom.
 
Just get a small stand for it and use the mount it already has.
 
I made a floor tom from a 13 inch rack tom. You need to find a set of legs and mounts for the legs. They are available at most drum shops. Most mounts will come with rubber gaskets. I taped these to the drum shell and used the holes in the gasket as a guide for drill the holes. I drilled fro the outside in and put a wood block on the inside to keep the last ply of the shell from splitting out.
 

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I have a 13 inch rack tom that rarely gets used but when I set it up it's as a floor tom.

Extra throne base with a tom arm in it instead of the seat
 
It's easy. I've done it to a 14x12 tom. Couple of things:

1. See if you can get some specs from a reputable source, preferably the manufacturer. In my case it was a Pearl tom and I found the specs on the Pearl forum from a Pearl representative.

2. Use masking tape to layout the holes for the mounts. Mark your holes on the tape. Then use a small drill bit to drill pilot holes. Then use the actual size (sharp) bit and drill halfway from the outside and halfway from the inside. This prevents any potential splintering of the wood.
 
Whatever mounting system it uses, you could probably get a part that would allow you to clamp it to a cymbal stand. Or use a snare stand. Both really low.
 
if you have a deep rack tom, this can be worth it, and no problem. here's a 13 x 12 'power' rack tom (Tama Superstar) converted to floor. all i needed was drill and care to tape where you drill to avoid splinters. remember measure twice cut once.

tama13floortom.jpg
 
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