Home Made ATA flight case for Drum Hardware

big_wes

Member
Hey everyone.........

well i've been searching online for the past few weeks trying to find cheap flight cases for my drum hardware. I found that alot of these companies are charging out the a$$ for this stuff so i decided to head down to home depot and see what could be done about it......

This is the end result... after 2 failed attempts i learned a lot of lessons on what to do and what not to do but im pretty happy with this one. it's solid as a rock, easy to transport, not huge and saved me A LOT of money so i hope you like them

Interior Dimensions 46" long x 14 1/2" wide x 15 1/2" high

all recessed hardware, large aluminum ball corners, spring loaded handles, lock latches, 4" swivel casters, carpet lined.

Enjoy
 

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Dude...Dude...Are you kidding me? That is too professional. Great job. Had no idea they sold all of those parts. Is it lockable??
 
Well i should say i lied a little bit lol not all the parts were available at home depot lol

i didn't put a lock on it but it can be added easily, but if you look at the picture of the latch, you could easily slide a pad lock through both holes so they couldn't be un done. im glad you like them..... im thinking of putting them on craigs and seeing if there is an interest in them....

thanks again man
 
forgot the second part of the question...... as for money that's my little secret lol but total build time was about 4 -5 hours.... not to hard to be honest. putting it together is easy it's the cutting of aluminum and wood that takes up most of the time
 
When I first read the title of the post, I assumed it was going to be some ghetto plywood mashup. WOW! This is impressive. Did you have plans? Did you study an OEM case? Where did you get the metal hardware?

Really, really nice work. I invite you to post it in the hardware DIY thread stickied in the Other Gear section.
 
Great job Wes. Very professional and impressive job.

A bass player friend of mine attempted to make (or perhaps, didn't make, as it turned out) his own road case years ago. The fact that it was subject to so much scorn and ridicule is a good indication that it didn't turn out quite like yours.
 
okay this is how easy it is lol

Step one: figure out your dimensions (interior dimensions) and wood thickness (ata standard is 3/8" thickness)

Step two: build a fully enclosed box (dont leave a hole for the opening... just a sealed box with the dimensions you want)

Step three: create the lid....i measured 4 inches from the top of the box down and drew a straight line all the way around the box. this piece you cut off is the lid.

Step four: cut holes for the sizes of your latches and handles (these holes vary in size depending on the size of the latches/handles.

Step five: (optional) at this point i laminated the outside of the box with a textured laminate (feels like snake skin), then on the inside i used a thin carpet material just for looks. (Used staples to install carpet) these steps are optional just to make the box look sick lol.

Step six: now i took my aluminum trim and riveted it every 3 - 4 inches along the exterior edges, and special grooved trim for the lid (creates a seal) and added hinges on the back of the lid.

Step seven: now i install 8 large aluminum ball corners with rivets on each corner, insert the latches and handles into the pre cut holes you made earlier.

Final Optional Steps..... these steps just add functionality. i added casters to the bottom of the case for easy transport in and out of bars lol... i also added straps on the inside of the case so when i open the lid the straps stop it from falling all the way back

This probably doesn't seem worth it to most people and i understand that.... If you have any questions please email me and i will answer anything.... if this doesn't seem worth it to you at all you can pm me and we can discuss me making a case for you... (i dont want to be in violation of any forum rules, i'm not trying to sell my cases on here or anything lol)

i hope this helped, the most important things to remember are

1. MEASUREMENTS ARE IMPORTANT ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
2. DONT CHEAP OUT ON CRAP WOOD AND CHEAP HARDWARE, YOU ! WILL ! REGRET IT WHEN YOUR CASE FALLS APART ON THE WAY TO A GIG.

seems like people are quite interested in this so i think next week i might build a case that's about 24" high x 46" long and 22" wide....this case will be for drums..... i will build the box as normal, but this time i will purchase special foam from a supplier and make a foam block that fits snug inside the case....then i will cut out dimensions and this will hold a 4 piece drum kit.

Thanks again everyone..... Wes
 
Nice job Wes!

I whole-heartily agree with not using cheap materials.
 
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Champion job, just like your socks. If you do go ahead and create another one, can you post pictures of different stages?

Like a few people, I own lots of tools but I have no idea what they do or what to do with them. :S
 
Thanks guys..... yes a bigger flight case that will hold my entire 4 piece kit in one will be coming soon
 
Wow--amazing job!

I wish I could even attempt something like that, but I have a difficult time getting, say, a license plate on or off of a car with a screwdriver, so it's a no-go for me. I'd end up sawing half of my fingers off and wouldn't be able to play any longer.
 
how long you spend building this case ?
i just started a flightcase project as well , but my one did not look that good :D
I got some foam parts from these FlightCase guys here (Im from Europe)
I ordered some foam party to custumise them for my sticks and so on ..
 
Hey man glad you liked it. actually putting the case together only took about 4 or 5 hours that doesnt include the couple hours it took to cut things to the right length
 
Digging up an oldie for my first post here.


Wes,

Did you ever build the larger case for the drums? I have been researching and drawing up plans for 3 different flight cases to hold everything including my IEM/click rig. I was just wondering.

Thanks!
 
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