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The example in the images below is what I normally use for my ikigalas. The V design was inspired by my engineer brother. The rest came from trial-and-error.

Click on the images below for full-sized photos. Please excuse the washed-out images.

This stand has two wooden 60cm (24") 1x2 arms, four 7.5cm (3") 2x2 supports, and two 5cm (2") 2x2 legs. The hardware is five hinges (four used to keep the drum on the supports, one used as a hinge in front), eight L plates to attach the supports and legs, and two T brackets to strengthen the front supports and legs. The arm span is restricted by wire used to mount pictures on a wall, plus the two anchors for the wire.

The hinges attached to the supports were too sharp in their raw form, so I wrapped tag board around them, and secured it with duct tape. I may replace the tape and tag board with leftover rawhide someday.

With these measurements, the drum will lean slightly towards the player. All of the ikigalas we use in Goro-Goro have the same stand measurements, except the placement of the back supports, and the length of the wire. The arms are all the same size. The wire gives you "fine-tuning" once the stand is complete. Ideally, the three support points will be about equally-spaced around the circumference of the drum.

I came up with this cheap, fast alternative recently when I got to making ikigalas so fast that I couldn't keep up making the V stands.

Another reason I began using these was for stage performances. I wanted the drummers ot be able to remove a drum from their shoulders and easily place it on the stand in the middle of a performance. Even though this is quite easy with a well-measured V stand, with this cradle stand, it's almost foolproof.

In the photo at right with the stand inverted, you can see the basic structure. The wooden sections are connected into a square frame. The corners are reinforced with the floor flanges.

Two holes are cut, just large enough for the support rope, through each side. These are about an inch apart. The rope is anchored by passing it through the two holes. A knot is tied where the two ends of the rope come together.

In the photo at left, the stand still inverted, you can see the sprinkler head extensions in place. They come in many lengths, allowing you to set the height to individual players. The pair toward the from of the drum are 2" longer than the back pair so that the drum slants slightly toward the player. You can remove them easily by unscrewing.

At right is the stand in final form on its legs, ready for a drum. The ropes are very tight—the tighter the better. The rubber feet prevent the stand from sliding on slick surfaces.

In the next photo, I have placed the stand inverted on its drum. This replicates how it looks on the bottom when the drum is properly mounted. The ropes cut across near the edges to interfere with the lower drumhead as little as possible.

Now, here's the drum in place. It is very stable, much more so than with the PVC stand described next. The last step is to color the stand. I will use black paint, except on the dark gray PVC legs, and of course, the rope.

The main frame of this stand is made of douglas fir in the smallest size possible that. They are pipes and connectors for irrigation. I chose 2.5cm (1") diameter pipes. Here are the parts and sizes.

• Four lengths of douglas fir (called "1X2s" but actually 3/4" by 1 1/2"), two cut 15mm (1/2") longer than the diameter of the drum, two cut 1 1/2 inches longer than those.
• Eight #10 3/4" long wood screws and four #8 1/2" long wood screws (because #10 1/2" not available)
• Four 1/2" floor flanges.
• Four 1/2" sprinkler head extensions in two lengths. Mine are 6" (front) and 4" (back).
• Four rubber feet for table legs.
• Soft rope (cotton or hemp). maybe four or five times the diameter of the drum.

I found the floor flanges in two sizes. I chose the smaller ones to save weight. I found them in the plumbing section of Home Depot, a hardware store. Lowes and Dixieline had them too, but only in the larger size.

I use PVC sprinkler head extensions, but there are also metal if you prefer. They are stronger, but of course, heavier. My PVC legs are strong enough.

The rope cradle should be of a soft material, like the hemp I used or cotton. I first used the thin green climbing rope that can still be seen in the photos above anchoring the hemp rope to the frame. This thin, hard rope acted as a snare on the lower head, producing a buzz when I hit the drum.

In the photo at right, you can see the basic structure. The PVC pipes are connected into a square frame. The corners have threaded receptacles for sprinker heads. The sprinker head extensions come in many lengths, allowing you to set the height to individual players.

Attached to the middle of each straight pipe is a diamond-shaped rope. This acts as the cradle for the drum.

The main frame of this stand is made of a plastic material called PVC (poly vinyl chloride). They are pipes and connectors for irrigation. I chose 2.5cm (1") diameter pipes. Here are the parts and sizes.

• Four 90 degree corner pieces equiped with sprinkler head mountings.
• Four sprinkler head extensions in two lengths.
• Four pipes, cut 15mm (1/2") shorter than the diameter of the drum.

Attach the longest two sprinkler extensions to the front of the stand (away from the drummer) and the shorter in back. This tilts the drum towards the player.

The rope cradle should be of a soft material, like the hemp I used or cotton. I first used the thin green climbing rope that can still be seen in the photos above anchoring the hemp rope to the frame. This thin, hard rope acted as a snare on the lower head, producing a buzz when I hit the drum.

Since the photos were taken, I switched to picture-hanging wire, instead of the green climbing rope, to tie the diamond-shaped hemp rope to the stand. I drilled holes through the PVC pipe and ran the wire through the holes to keep it from sliding.

Many things work for sticks to hit your drum. One great source is tool shafts for shovels, brooms, etc. These are often made of hickory, and excellent wood that, unlike birch and red oak, doesn't splinter.

You can also find stock pine doweling at hardware stores. Pine also tends to splinter, so I have personally stopped using pine doweling.

My current choice is walnut, which is quite expensive. I get it at Rockler for US$8 for 3 feet (a little elss than 1 meter). Walnut is just about ideal. I have chosen it over hickory because it is a little lighter and softer (but still considered a hardwood). The diameter I prefer is 1" (25mm). I cut the 3 foot length in half to 18" (45cm) each. This is a little longer than standard Japanese taiko bachi.