Make a Cajón Drum

In Spanish, cajón means box, drawer or crate, reflecting the humble origins of  this instrument. Spanish colonies in the Americas, as well as some states in the United States, banned slaves from Africa from drumming because of fears that they might use the sounds as code to plan insurrections. As Article 36 of the Slave Code of South Carolina put it in 1740, “It is absolutely necessary to the safety of this Province, that all due care be taken to restrain Negroes from using or keeping of drums, which may call together or give sign or notice to one another of their wicked designs and purposes.” But the laws didn’t kill the beat; the slaves just made do by turning over boxes or taking drawers out of dressers and tapping the bottoms. Today, cajón drums enliven everything from impromptu street band performances to glittering stage shows.

In this class you will build your six-sided drum from high-quality Baltic birch plywood, using thinner material on the front. You will use the table saw to cut the pieces and shape dado joints, the drill press to cut a sound hole, the router table and a trim router to detail the edges, and sanders to smooth the surface. You will learn about different options for finishing your drum and can choose to stain the wood or leave it with its natural color. If there’s time, we’ll even make some music on the last day.

Class open to youth ages 14-18.