My Cajon drum is approx. 13 x 11 x 17.  It is made of 1/2" Birch hardwood and two sides of 1/4" plywood for hitting surfaces.  I look through a lot of pieces of  birch trying to find ones that have a unique pattern and design to them. I also look for as close to flawlessness in structure as is possible with precut wood. That is probably one of the longest steps to building this drum. After I choose the pieces I like to get all the hardware I will need and then bring everything back to my shed in the back. I get the lumber cut and then proceed to put it all together. The longest part of all of this is the front piece. It has the sound hole and the hand carved design I engrave into the wood. After the drum is all put together then the hard work really begins. But before that, I would like to state that I have made some decisions concerning how I put my drum together that are different from other versions out there. 

    *I have chosen not to use screws. Some put them in to allow adjustments made for a different slap sound. I tend to believe that the wood would eventually get rounded out and then the adjustments would no longer be possible. That is the nature of wood. 

    *The other thing I have decided against is a string or strings added inside the drum. I like the versatility of sounds this drum makes on it's own and the added strings may need repair or adjustment and that would require taking the drum apart. That is not very practical. But don't take my word for it.  

Just  listen  for yourself and see what you think. 

     The next stage in the creation of the drum is about as involved if not more so than the first. My wife is the one who really makes these drums shine.  I do all the cutting , designing and assembling.  My wife gets to sand the instrument 3 times and then stain, using a Minwax stain.  Then sand some more and put on a clear coat of high gloss polyurethane, then sand and coat again and again and again and again.  Personally I hate to paint so more power to her.  Great Job HONEY!  All of this just makes the instrument more beautiful. The pictures on the site really do not do these drums justice. They are really nice-looking instruments. And if nothing else, you could always use them as an attractive little end table.

      But a final point I would like to make is that these drums are sturdy. They are durable. But like any instrument they should be treated with respect and not abused in any way. Still, you can beat and beat and beat all you want and this drum should last for many, many years to come.