Brian O'Connor inspects unfinished drumsticks and places them with similar sticks at the Vic Firth Company in Newport on Oct. 1.
It takes two pairs of hands to sew a cushion head to a bass beater at the Vic Firth Company in Newport on Oct. 1.
Marcel Lamoureux on Oct. 1 drills holes into mallet heads, one of the percussion products made at the Vic Firth Company in Newport.
Angel Paul hand sews mallet heads at the Vic Firth Company in Newport on Oct. 1.
Stacks of dyed drumsticks are dried at the Vic Firth Company in Newport on Oct. 1.
David Crocker, vice president of operations at the Vic Firth Company in Newport, holds drumsticks stamped with the company logo on Oct. 1.
Vic Firth Company employee Amanda Farmer sorts drumsticks during manufacturing at the Newport plant on Oct. 1.
David Crocker, vice president of operations at the Vic Firth Company in Newport, on Oct. 1 shows off the cavernous building the growing drumstick maker purchased to allow for expansion.
Chris Vaughn inspects the plastic tip added to hickory drumsticks at the Vic Firth Company in Newport on Oct. 1. The tips help keep drum surfaces unmarked.
Vic Firth Company employee Dereck Basford loads hickory into a grinder to turn them into drumsticks in Newport on Oct. 1.
Vic Firth Company employees at the Newport business on Oct. 1 work at different stations in the manufacturing process to transform hickory into drumsticks that are sold in 140 countries.
Hickory dowels are stacked before being further shaped into drumsticks at the Vic Firth Company in Newport on Oct. 1.
Stacks of rough cut hickory await the next step in manufacturing drumsticks as Vic Firth Company employees in Newport cut and sort the wood on Oct. 1.
A Vic Firth Company employee prepares to bring in a load of hickory that will be processed into drumsticks at the Newport plant on Oct. 1.
Stacks of rough cut hickory await the next step in manufacturing drumsticks as Vic Firth Company employees in Newport cut and sort the wood on Oct. 1.
David Walsh sorts drumsticks depending on their characteristics during manufacturing at the Vic Firth Company in Newport on Oct. 1.
David Crocker, vice president of operations at the Vic Firth Company in Newport, explained on Oct. 1 how much hickory shrinks after it is placed into the kiln at left at the company.
Vic Firth Company employee Nelson Frappier on Oct. 1 cuts hickory into shorter lengths that will be processed into drumsticks at the Newport company.
David Crocker, vice president of operations at the Vic Firth Company in Newport, said on Oct. 1 that the company supplies drumsticks to 140 countries.
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