Lug hole spacing

[Ehartshorn]

I'm replacing the lugs on some drums. The lugs with hole spacing that come closest to the original are still about 3/16" off. I was hoping to avoid drilling, of course. 3/4" is almost worse than drilling new holes because it's just widening the hole in the shell and I don't want the lug to be loose. Has anyone else dealt with this?

 

[Deafmoon]

I'm replacing the lugs on some drums. The lugs with hole spacing that come closest to the original are still about 3/16" off. I was hoping to avoid drilling, of course. 3/4" is almost worse than drilling new holes because it's just widening the hole in the shell and I don't want the lug to be loose. Has anyone else dealt with this?

 

[green glass drum]

What brand are you replacing? Are you just trying to match the originals or a complete brand/style change out?
Is 3/16 the total difference? Meaning........ an adjustment of 3/32 both holes?

 

[Ehartshorn]

What brand are you replacing? Are you just trying to match the originals or a complete brand/style change out?
Is 3/16 the total difference? Meaning........ an adjustment of 3/32 both holes?

Complete changeout. The old lugs were Sonor. I’m hoping to replace with Rogers. It’s such a small difference, but I haven’t done this kind of thing and want to make sure I don’t screw it up!

 

[Georgia Phil]

I'm replacing the lugs on some drums. The lugs with hole spacing that come closest to the original are still about 3/16" off. I was hoping to avoid drilling, of course. 3/4" is almost worse than drilling new holes because it's just widening the hole in the shell and I don't want the lug to be loose. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Almost all lug holes are at least a little loose. There is always some play, if it's just an extra millimeter or two I would not sweat it. Otherwise maybe look for lugs that are a better fit, or you could fill in the holes with resin or bondo and redrill as appropriate. Don't use wood filler though, it tends to shrink and fall out sometimes.

 

[Sequimite]

I've had to do this sort of thing. Are these double sided lugs, in which case you center them, or are they single sided, which would make you think about space below the edge if you want it to look just like other Rogers drums.

Do the replacements have to be Rogers? If not, what is the hole spacing on the Sonor lugs? I'm waiting for a quote right now from Allstar Drums on custom tube lugs to match my unique spacing.

 

[Ehartshorn]

They’re single-sided. The original Sonor ones were 1 13/16. I didn’t find a match for that and like the look of Rogers a lot. The Rogers is so close at 1 3/4 but doesn’t fit without a little widening. The Rogers lugs aren’t cheap but I imagine custom lugs aren’t either.

 

[green glass drum]

OK Sir. You want to put on Rogers that have a smaller space between "the bosses"/holes than the Sonor.
So (Rogers) 1 3/4" CtoC= 1 and 12/16ths
Only one 16th smaller that your Sonor.
So one half of 1/16 is 1/32.
So if the boss on the sonor is the same as the rogers, you only need to file 1/32 nd on top and bottom holes to bring them closer together. It is doable for sure.......That is not much atol John Coffey
As long as the Rogers lugs installed,....
cover all the Sonor holes when you are done.
Grab a file and go easy at first to make sure your plys/finish don't split when pulling that file.
I like Rogers lugs.......they are stout....and shiny.

 

[levelpebble]

Alternatively, if the Rogers lugs are the ones with bosses, you could attempt to file 1/32th off of the offending side of the bosses, and see if the result will slip in to the unadulterated shell holes. I've done that successfully on brand new tube lugs before. Its a lot easier on your nerves to potentially screw up one $10 Rogers lug than to alter an entire pricey Sonor shell; and YES, somewhere someone down the road WILL complain about widened shell holes. May not be to you, but perhaps to the guy you sell it to. Pay The Drum Karma Forward, I say.

 

[green glass drum]

I like the boss file idea.
I also like the fact that you know what a boss is.
I had to work at a toy company to find out what those things were called.

 

[Sequimite]

Boy I thought I had it bad needing the unique 1 5/8" Milestone spacing. Since 1 9/16" is readily available I only have to elongate the holes by 1/32".

I use a drill and run it in and out while exerting pressure in the proper direction. With my fiberglass shells it takes an average of four slow in and out passes. The lugs are tight as the outside edges are tight and hole width is maintained.