I am turning my own reel seats out of wood and for the inlaying checkerboards out of cocobolo and ebony. I have done many seats but have never done the inlays. I glued up using 5 min. epoxy and let dry for 24 hours. I always predrill before turning and while drilling the heat build up caused the epoxy to melt and the entire checkerboard fell apart. Needless to say very frustrating as there was a considerable amount of time invested in these seets. What did i do wrong? Perhaps titebond III would be a better glue? As far as the drilling goes every time i have glued there is a lot of heat it seems thats just a fact sure i back it off often to let it cool but theres gonna be a lot of heat no matter how slow i go. Any suggestions?

Billy - Did you have the seat epoxied to the inlay when you were drilling? If you did you may want to try drilling the checker and the two halves of the seat separately and then glue or epoxy them together after you drill them. It would give you less chance of heat building up if you did it on three separate pieces instead of trying to drill all the way through at one time. If you’re building up that much heat I'd doubt that titebond would make much difference. You may also want to try a forstner bit at a slower speed and see if that would make any difference as well. If you have any questions don’t be hesitate to contact me. Mark

Bill;
It’s been a few years since I've done any wood working, But what happened might be a blessing in disguise. If I remember correctly one of those woods has a high oil base to it and requires a specific type of glue to keep from coming apart in the future. I also know a build that uses different kinds of wood for reel seats. He had several come loose from the blank all of the same type of wood not sure which one but I think it is one of the types you're using

A freind of mine sells cocobolo humidors and collectors boxes made down south (Tomway Brand) they have to swipe the glue joints with acetone to draw the oils off the surface so glue will adhere and then you need to use a good 24 hour boat building epoxy like (System 3 or West System) not the 5 minute stuff..... also make sure you have a good sanded surface and a tight fit on the joint.

Also backing off on your drill so it does not heat the wood up as much will be a big help as well. The kind of heat it takes to soften even a cheap epoxy is not particularly good on any species of wood. A good pipe briar will stand up to it but with most woods you risk cracking, checking and warpage.

Ray

Your heat is being generated by the friction between the bit and the inside of the bore. You can greatly reduce this by boring just a little at a time, backing the bit out and clearing the chips and allowing things to cool down. Takes a bit longer, but you'll have better results doing it this way.

Now here's one more tip - if you plan to finish the entire seat insert, go ahead and give that cocobolo a nice alcohol bath for about an hour. Pour it off, and give it another and then allow to completely dry. This will remove most of the resin within the wood which will make it much easier to glue and drill. The color will lighten as the resin comes out, but your finish will put the color right back.

........

Urethanes like Gorilla Glue are great for use on exotic woods. I think they'll take more heat than most epoxies will without coming undone.

Two things:
1. Have the drill bit properly sharpened and razor sharp.
2. Be sure to undercut the tip of the bit to allow room for wood chip removal.
3. Be sure to use a drill bit that has a very coarse spiral to remove the chips. Do not use a typical metal drill bit, since the spirals are too fine.
4. Drill a bit, back out the bit - clear the chips, and be sure to let the bit cool.

Roger

You're getting good advice! Feed the bit very slowly and back out a lot! I use Titebond and have no problems with it separating. Speed generates heat - heat softens glue.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!