wooden tambors

One of the easier methods to create a tamour is to glue your pre-profiled wooden strips to a canvas or similar backing. I believe contact cement is generally used. Rest assured there are also more complicated ways. I have no links at the moment.

Greg G.

Gluing bullnosed strips to canvas - regular wood glue ok - is one method. Holds for at least twenty years that I have evidence of.

All kinds of options discussed and sold at

IIRC Rockler has a tambor kit.

I've seen two variations on the all-wood approach. One is to join the tambour slats with a cable (or cord) to hold them together. The other is one that I've seen on a couple of antique roll-top desks, where each tambour slat is somewhat "S" shaped and therefore hooks into the slats on either side. I was very impressed with the precision and detail required for doing that and have never seen it on anything recent. I have, however, always wanted to try it.

-- "We need to make a sacrifice to the gods, find me a young virgin... oh, and bring something to kill"

Tim Douglass

The tambour that I saw had bottle shaped slats. The base was routed to accept the flared neck of the next piece. This is similar to the S shaped slats you saw. If I recall, the pieces were cut by table saw with the blade on angle and the piece reversed to make the invagination. The necks were table saw cut too. I know slats glued on canvas would work but making the tambour and hinges out of wood intrigues me.

Marc

I have no idea if they work well or not, but Rockler has a tambor router bit set to do that.

djb

RMC and DAve, Thanks for the Rockler suggestion. Marc

requires cable -