Djembes are African drums that are usually made from a single carved-out piece of wood. A friend, whose wife is a drummer, asked me to help him build one made in sections. The shape of the drum plus the thickness (1/2″ thick) made it impractical to bend the wood, so I cut the staves on the bandsaw. There are 18 oak staves, but actually 72 individual walnut pieces to create the shape. To my knowledge this construction technique is unique.