I've been using FaceBook all to much to log daily doings around the shop and for La BackBeat. Workin' on bloggin' again.

'nother good day t'day... went out to my friend Jason's Lullaby Sound Design launch party in the morn then back to the shop to turn, trim, tip and butt. Good day yesterday as well with my old friend Martin. He's picked up everything well, even the challenging finesse  of the tipping jig.

And, by the way, I got a lot of wood.

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There is a fresh supply of drumstick inventory at LA Backbeat.
Current availability:
595 Acorn (5B)
J595 Acorn (lighter 5B)
FW595 (3A)
565 1/2 Barrell (16.5" 5A)
565 Barrel (5A)
565 Acorn (5A)
J565 Acorn (lighter 5A)
535X Acorn (16" 7A)
535X Barrel (16" 7A)
Blems in all sizes - these are playable sticks...they may have a little wobble, blemish, bad grain or mineral streak. These are definitely long lasting economy sticks.

Lots of hard work, passion and good days keep sticks moving around and out of the shop.

Giving drummers a fine quality, long lasting pair of drumsticks from LA Backbeat requires a good eye for grain structure, a scale to match weight and a good ear. These are just a few of the steps involved. New developments in the works and release planned for January 2016.

Finer sanding and tumbling are some of the developments that are already being placed in production. Proprietary in house sanding modifications are being made to make the drumstick smoother, as well as keep time and man hours down while not sacrificing a quality drumstick. These mods also temper the drumstick to make it more durable and long lasting. The tumbling process helps to deburr any loose wood fibers that possibly remain after sanding and continue smoothing.

New developments to be released in January 2016 include lacquer, many have been patiently waiting for this, a finish sander to make the sticks even nicer and smoother for delicate hands and a new website with integrated, secure, eCommerce and shipping.

The past several weeks have had some major breakthroughs and some minor break downs. With all the development happening, there has also been some setback. An old saw that was being used for trimming tips and butts seized a bearing and damaged the motor armature spindle. It is too expensive to fix so alternatives are being pursued. In the process of turning a large batch of 595 Acorn drumsticks, the Goodspeed FH-30 started making noise and getting hot in the tail spindle bearing. The tail spindle had to be removed, bearing housing cleaned and lubricated with spindle grease and reassembled. It is working smoother and cooler than before. While performing maintenance, the carriage was looked into and many years of old funky sawdust was removed between the carriage and way allowing a much smoother cut and return of the carriage. Carriage bushing replacement is around the corner in the new year, along with a few other fixes that were discovered recently.

The wood being supplied by the lumber mill is proving positive and there is definitely a good relationship happening. LA Backbeat is happy to have found them and they are excited to be supplying quality hickory for LA Backbeat drumsticks.

Lately, I've been working in heat in the shop. The temps in the shop have been hovering just under 100 degrees everyday for the past few weeks with august just beginning. There are lots of fans moving hot air around and lots of fluids being consumed. Thoughts of cooler times fill my head.

It's also a time to stay busy and allow for gentle reflection. This week marks my fathers birthday and also my mothers passing. Based on events that have transpired this week, I wonder if my father is challenging me to use logical thinking in troubleshooting. The past month has been filled with emotional challenges from serious events hitting close to home. I've had to immerse myself in projects in and around the shop to keep my mind busy and prevent dwelling on the past and what has happened.

Ordered and received another batch of hickory from the mill in Mississippi. Looks good and looking forward to ripping squares. Made a couple small batch special order drumsticks. A good friend helped me out with a jointer on barter and I spent a few days cleaning it up to get online. Also, started on development of a stick sander. It's coming along and should come online soon. There is more that has been accomplished, I'm just a bit foggy on the remembering everything that has been going on.

Stop by or give a shout.
'til later....

The business made it through the first year!!

In between all the family, friends and events, I spent some time over the holidays to reflect on the past year. There have been many milestones throughout the year and I am reminded of them on occasion by outside eyes. I am very grateful for everything that is in my life now... everything! Last year I learned more about a lathe I knew nothing about before I got it, saw the development of drumsticks, refurbished some tools in the shop, learned a lot about wood characteristics and how wood behaves if not treated properly, played some music, taught some lessons and worked on some property. Life is better than it has ever been. I am truly grateful for my family, friends, my beautiful, caring, and supportive partner AND ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE CONTINUED TO HELP THIS GROW! THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!

As with any upstart, business is like a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, feasts and famines. With it all comes the happiness and gratitude that I can continue to do what I'm passionate about, applying years of skills and craftsmanship in drumming and the trades. One of the most challenging aspects of stick making, as I've stated before, is sourcing the raw material needed to make a quality stick that drummers will like and continue to use. So far, all the sticks produced have shown extreme durability. I believe I'm selecting good stock. Now, the business needs more raw material to move out of the small batch runs supplying the local market, into bigger production runs, to supply a larger market. The shop is capable of the numbers, provided the raw stock is there.

Over the past few weeks, I've taken the time to do some machine and tool rearranging to help the shop function more efficiently and gain some much needed work space. The lathe moved across the room, the trim saw relocated, the tip/butt shaping station, along with tip sanding are now all within a couple steps of one another. There are still some tweaks happening, but this will definitely cut down on expending energy needlessly. Also during this time, the big band saw has finally been rebuilt and reassembled. The plan is to resaw boards to thickness and rip books into squares, minimizing waste and material loss to kerf. I have some pics to show the progress...some you may remember from earlier posts.

I have to put my accounting hat on for a little while now.... 
Thanks y'all
'til Later