To start we are going to cut the top the bottom and the 2 sides of the cajon.

These are cut out from 9mm or 12mm Birch laminate plywood. Two pieces 30 x 30 cm for the top and bottom and two pieces 48 x 30 cm for the sides.

It is important to make good square cuts and clean up the edges so they are smooth and true.

Any mistakes here will lead to a cajon which is twisted and unsteady on its feet.

Once this is all good the timber we need to cut a groove in the top and bottom sections of the cajon so we can make a good joint to the sides.

This is best done with a router.

Make this cut on the two opposite edges of the top and bottom on the underside.

Make sure that the router cut is smooth and sand if necessary to ensure a good surface to fix the sides to.

Once this is done we can start constructing the main body of the cajon . To do this we will use a good quality wood glue and some clamps.

I use band clamps to do this but picture frame clamps or a makeshift tourniquet it is also important to keep the sides, top and bottom of the cajon true.

Next we need to glue in some wooden blocks for reinforcement.

Cut 4 wooden blocks each measuring about 25cm long.

The blocks are glued and then I rub the blocks into the corners of the cajon until the suction makes it difficult to move them.

Once all of the gluing is all done we have to leave the cajon until the glue is properly dried .


When the glue is fully set and the clamps are removed and your cajon body is ready for the next stage.

In part two we will look at putting on the front playing surface and positioning the snare.

Before that you could give the body of the cajon a light sanding and take off any excess glue .

Also check that both the front and back rim of the cajon are smooth and even, this will ensure a good bond for the front playing surface and the back of your cajon.

FN Cajon

I came across the cajon a few years ago . I was interested in finding a percussion instrument that I could use use in my band (The Freddy Nelson Quartet) which was simple to transport and sounded good.

I saw some cajons on youtube and thought they looked good so I desided to build one .

I recall the first ones I built were good but were quite heave and the thick front plate I used needed a good beating to get a decent sound .

I started making the Mk2 . I scalled down the timbers and made the second cajon much thinner especialy the tappa. That cajon sounded much better and was a lot easier to play . The thin front meant that I did not have to hit the thing so hard to get a good volume and the thiner sides gave more resonance and made the instrument lighter.

It was looking and sounding good but I felt I could still improve on the early modles .

The next cajon I built had an internal snare . I decided to use a drum snare. I constructed an internal frame to fix the snare to so that it rested on the top corner of the playing surface .

I now had a cajon which was easy to play and produced both bass and snare tones.

This third cajon had a great sound and was very easy to play. I included the cajon in some of my recordings and found the best results came from positioning a mic just above the sound hole at the back of the cajon. Too close to the hole and the mic reacted badly to the wind presure coming from the sound hole and too far away lost the presence. A little experimenting and I found the right position for the mic.

The cajon sounded really good along with an acoustic bass and guitars .

Next I tested the cajon out in the street . We went busking in Newcastle and the volume of the cajon was ample even in a busy street.

After that we took the cajon out to gigs. This time we placed a bass drum mic inside the cajon to give it a boost in a live setting. A little eq and the cajon sounded great.

I made a couple more adjustments to the construction of the cajon and eventualy came up with the FN Snare cajon which produces a good deep bass tone, a crisp tight snare sound, is simple to play and holds it\'s own in any type of playing environment.

I then offered some of my cajons for sale on ebay and they started to sell . At that point I went into larger scale production set up the website www.thecajondrumshop.com and continued to expand the range of cajons.

I am now making and selling about 10 cajons per week and I have expanded ther range as you can see on my site

The cajon is a very versatile instrument that is very simple to play

Having said that...... it will help if you have a feel for rhythm.

When playing the cajon you sit on it and strike the playing surface or tappa in in different places and at different strengths to produce different tones.

Striking the front of the drum towards the center will give a low bass note, hitting the front of the drum higher will hive a higher note .

If the cajon has an internal snare fixed to the top part or the drum and will produce a crisp snare sound when hit at the top .

A high pitched crack sound can be achieved with some cajons when the playing surface is loosened from the body of the drum.

With all of these differing tones and sounds together with a basic beat or rhythm gives the cajon player a wide variety of sound from a very simple instrument.

Ordinarily there are three basic hits or ways to strike the cajon . The center for bass tones, the top third for a higher bongo type of sound and the very top for the crisp snare or crack sound.

Here is a short video demonstration of those basic patterns .

The Flamenco Cajon

The main difference between a standard and a flamemco cajon is the snare .

Standard cajons are fumdimentaly a wooden box with a thin wood playing surface. Whereas a flamenco cajon has the addition of snare wires running up the back of the tappa to a top end sound.

The flamenco cajon was introduced when Paco de Lucía (flamenco guitar player) went to Peru. He was introduced to the cajon and and he took some back to Spain with him. He then ran guitar strings up the back of the front playing surface of the cajon and the flamenco cajon was born.

Since then the flamenco cajon has seen a snare from a drum replacing the strings , and many different ways of adjusting the snare or strings to give a tighter snare sound.

Most cajons being made today are in fact flamenco cajons as they feature an internal snare mechanism.

The snare gives the cajon a much wider variety of sounds and has made the instrument able to fit perfectly into many styles of music.

Today cajons are sometimes known as "A drum kit in a box" because the top end of the cajon can be used to replicate the snare drum while the main body gives a bass tone and with different hand techniques many mid tones can also be achieved all from the same instrument .

A Cajon is a simple box drum which is played by sitting on it and striking the front panel.

Originally an instrument created by slaves, the cajon has become a very popular instrument in many forms of music.

Cajons are very easy to play all you need is a basic sense of rhythm and your off.