Drum Tennis Ball Riser Build Guide

4' x 5' Tennis Ball Drum Riser

The Why

I’ve been drumming for over a decade and recently added a Roland TD‑17 e‑kit to the setup.

About six months after moving into a new apartment, the downstairs neighbor sent a noise complaint about a “hammering” sound.

I quickly realized the kick and pedal thumps travel through the floor, so I needed a platform that soaked up those low-frequency vibrations.

I built the riser with 25 tennis balls. Going higher on the ball count paid off in rigidity, which was important because I wanted the throne on the platform.

Materials:

1. Two 3/4" MDF sheets cut into 4'x5' (they do cuts at Home Depot)

2. 25 Tennis Balls (Any will do, I bought some high performance ones to use specifically under my throne and drum pedal)

3. Corded Drill (Un-corded ones were too underpowered and lost a lot of their charge soon, and I need a lot of torque and runtime to cut those holes)

4. 2" Hole Saw

5. 3/8" Drill-Bit

6. Zip Ties (Amazon)

7. 1" EVA Gym Foam Mats (from Amazon)

8. 3' x 4' Rubber Mat (from Home Depot)

Layout

The build started with drawing a 5 x 5 grid directly on one of the MDF sheets. I marked out 4" of margin from all 4 corners and created an inner rectangle. I then drew straight lines of equal spacing and created 5 rows and 5 columns in total.

Center coordinates (in inches) — columns left→right, rows bottom→top

Row 1 (y = 4.0): (4,4) (14,4) (24,4) (34,4) (44,4)

Row 2 (y = 17.0): (4,17) (14,17) (24,17) (34,17) (44,17)

Row 3 (y = 30.0): (4,30) (14,30) (24,30) (34,30) (44,30)

Row 4 (y = 43.0): (4,43) (14,43) (24,43) (34,43) (44,43)

Row 5 (y = 56.0): (4,56) (14,56) (24,56) (34,56) (44,56)

I circled each grid intersection to mark every drill point.

Hole Placement Guide

For the perimeter hoels, I draw a circle for a perimeter hole 1" from each edge and 10 inches apart on both sides (approx).

Drilling

I clamped both the MDF boards with 2 wood clamps and with the corded drill and 2" hole saw, I cut the holes at steady speed, vacuuming dust often. Since I didn't have a proper stand, I placed the wood on top of my patio chairs.

Returned this cordless drill for a corded one

I was vacuuming after almost every pass; each hole took 4–5 cleanups because MDF throws off a ton of dust and heat.

The cutting process took several hours, I had the chimney vent on and air circulating throughout the room. After the holes, it took about 30 minutes to drill the perimeter holes.

25 Holes

Assembly

I laid down some EVA Interlocking Foam Pads on the ground, and then placed one of the MDF sheets on top. I set the tennis balls into each opening. The fit was exact, no bulge above or below, and the hole size kept them locked in place.

I placed the high-performance tennis balls in areas where the throne and pedal would go (approximate guess). The rest were practice tennis balls.

Next, I placed the other MDF sheet on top of the first and checked for allignment, no issues there as I had cut through two sheets using the clamps on one go.

To finish the build, I ran the Zip ties through the perimeter holes, tightened them just enough to hold the boards, and cut the excess off.

MDF + Tennis Ball Sandwich

Finished Drum Riser Build

At the very last, I added a drum carpet on top of the MDF.

I plan on adding a thick rubber stall mat to reduce vibration kickback from the MDF in the future.

Hope this Helps!