Paduak Cajon

We've had a recent addition of a friend new to woodworking but willing to learn who has decided to spend some time around the shop. I've been teaching him the basic techniques required to dress lumber, glue up boards, use a router and sanding techniques. All of which were used on this project he decided to make as a Christmas gift for his brother.

What we have here is a Cajon, which is a drum that one sits on and plays with their hands. Although I'm a genius when it comes to wood working I can not keep a beat on a drum. So I'm hoping to shortly have a friend of mine over to give us a little demo on how to play a Cajon.

The dimensions are 13'' x 19'', we dressed the lumber to 7/8'' in thickness to allow for a very robust construction. A Cajon is an instrument that can be easily moved from one location to another, so it must be built like a rock. Not only does this increase the lifetime of the drum, it creates better sound by minimizing the distortion from the walls of the drum. The front panel is constructed with aircraft grade 6ply plywood yielding a playing surface that has great sound definition and minimal wear characteristics.

Have a look at this video of a few of my friends dropping by to play the cajons I have laying around the shop.