I am building a 3 wt and this is the first time I'm using a real seat with a wood insert. My question is about fitting the seat. Generally I use foam arbors and ream them to the size and shape of the blank. Do you do the same with wood ones? I have seen a video or two where the bore on the seat requires tape arbors and fitted from the butt of the rod. I hope this question makes sense.

Thanks

Hi David,
You should have ordered (or can order) the bore of the wood insert to be the closest to the OD of the blank.
If you order the bore of the insert's ID to be larger than the OD of the blank - you will have to bush the insert a little.
If you order the bore of the insert a little smaller than the blank OD - you will have to ream the insert a little.

Don't forget that the wood, especially if stabilized, is much harder than cork to ream.
No foam arbor is needed.
Regards,
Herb
CTS



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 09/18/2023 07:05PM by Herb Ladenheim.

What is the bore size of the wood insert, and the OD of the blank?

If it is not much of a difference you can use Size D thread to make arbors or the mesh drywall tape, cut into thin strips. Super glue will give you a good “tack” point for the drywall tape.

Personally, I’d shy away from using masking tape, lots of folks use it, but I’ve done my fair share of repairs on reel seats where it was used and not enough epoxy was used to encapsulate the arbor and they broke down over time.

If your wood insert bore diameter is smaller than the blank, easy enough to ream out a bit depending on species of wood. Tread lightly here, easy enough to spit an insert also.

Thanks guys, much appreciate it. I miss measured by just a little, so don't have to remove too much material.