InstrumentLIBRARY
Hex Drum, a 3D-printed tongue drum
Photo: Tomek via Printables, CC BY-SA. Resized and converted to WebP.
Percussion · Tongue/hex drum

Hex Drum

A vase-mode, djembe-shaped hand drum with the Hex Ukulele's hexagon pattern

Designed by Tomek, published on Printables

CC BY-SA Commercial use OK Build info 4/5

Licence verified on Printables, 20 October 2026.

Get the files on Printables ↗ Watch the video
Print
Vase (spiral) mode body over printed hexagons
Membrane
The printed bottom layers
Colours
Two-step colour change, multi-colour printer or single colour
Sound
Loud and low, says the designer
Difficulty
Easy to print; the two-step print needs care
On Printables
408 likes · 1,289 downloads · 23 makes · 44 comments (as of 20 Oct 2026)

About the Hex drum

The designer noticed that the body of his Hex Ukulele (also in the library) sounded nice when tapped, so he made a drum with the same hexagon pattern. It's djembe-shaped and printed upside down. The drum's head is simply its bottom layers, so the number of bottom layers sets the membrane thickness.

For the two-colour look, slice the STL as two jobs. First the hexagons, then the body in vase (spiral) mode, with Z-lift at 0.4 mm to clear the hexagons and no supports. Print the hexagons first, then start the body straight away while the bed is still hot. If your printer runs mesh bed levelling at the start of every print, disable it for the second job, and watch the colour change for collisions. A non-spiral version gives thicker walls (0% infill, set perimeters, no top layers), and a multi-colour printer or a single colour also works.

The designer's videos cover the slicing and a sound test. He had some clogging and wasn't fully happy with his print, but says it sounds loud and low.

What you'll need

Printed parts

  • Drum body
  • Hexagon inlays (optional colour)

Bought parts

  • Nothing

Tools

  • Slicer with vase mode

Build overview

  1. Prepare the file. Open the STL, flip it 180° and split it into objects. Merge the hexagons into one.
  2. Slice the hexagons. Slice and export the hexagons on their own.
  3. Slice the body. Use vase mode, set the bottom layers (membrane) and perimeter width, Z-lift 0.4 mm and no supports, then export.
  4. Print. Print the hexagons, then run the body immediately with a second colour (no re-levelling).

Print settings

  • Mode: Vase/spiral (or 0% infill and no top layers for thicker walls)
  • Membrane: Number of bottom layers
  • Z-lift: 0.4 mm
  • Supports: None

Videos

Play video: How to slice the hex drum (loads YouTube)
How to slice the hex drum, Tomek (the designer). Plays from youtube-nocookie.com after you click.
Play video: Hex drum sound test (loads YouTube)
Hex drum sound test, Tomek (the designer). Plays from youtube-nocookie.com after you click.

Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. Video thumbnails are © their creators.

Photos

  • Hex Drum, photo 1 of 3
  • Hex Drum, photo 2 of 3
  • Hex Drum, photo 3 of 3

All photos: Tomek, from the design page on Printables, licensed CC BY-SA. We resized them and converted them to WebP. These adapted versions are shared under the same licence.

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