Advice requested following ToM bridge 'error'

Kalimna

Greetings folks,
Id like some advice folliwing a complete cockup of some hole drilling, please.

For my double-neck build, Im using a Tune-o-Matic bridge for the first time. For one neck, all is good, but for the 12-string side, i drilled the 12mm post hole about 0.5mm off - and the bridge wouldnt fit on the posts.
So, I hastily made a dowel from some spare top wood, glued and trimmed ready for re-drilling. Yes, it will be end grain, but should be underneath the bridge assembly.
When re-drilling, the 12mm bit wandered and im now left with an asymmetrical hole (about 13mm diameter due to first attempt at fixing) with a chewed edge.

I think my options to fix are limited, and the quickest way to solve the issue is to adapt the wedge-some-toothpicks-in-the-hole, glue and re-drill. The aesthetics can wait.

So, my questions.
What would be the best glue to use to bond some thinly cut strips of veneer together in the hole to make a glue/veneer matrix? I have cyano, Titebond, Gorilla, 30min epoxy and cascamite. I am thinking epoxy might be the best choice, followed by cascamite, titebond and then cyano.
Will this method provide the mechanical strength to hold a bridge post?
If not, any other options i might consider?

A 10 minute job has exploded into a few hours of 'how on earth can i resurrect this?' and a rather despondent Me.

Any help/advice/assistance received with open arms.

Cheers,
Adam

Andyjr1515

Personally, if I was using veneer to pack the hole, I would just use titebond.

For a tom bridge - and this is emphatically not the case for a wraparound - there's not actually a lot of strength needed - you just need to make sure the bush isn't going to rock or move when you do string bends etc..  Most of the forces involved are vertical from the string tension. 
It is the stop tail bushes that need to have the strength because here the tension forces are horizontal, trying to pull them out.

Kalimna

Thanks for the advice - I suspect I may  be overthinking things a little. Titebond it is. And to be honest, I hadn't really considered the direction of force on the bridge itself. I still have the stop tail holes to drill though,,,,,,

May I ask a supplementary question?

When drilling a large hole, say 12mm, is it better to work through the sizes, or just go straight in with the 12mm bit? I am wondering if going from  2mm - 6mm - 12mm might have been part of the problem, By the way, Im using a pillar drill (a radial-arm type affair from Axminster that is OK, but not phenomenal).

Cheers,
Adam

davros

For something that needs to be in the right position, I'd recommend using a bradawl to make an initial hole then just going straight to the final size with a brad point bit. It sounds like you're not using brad points, as you wouldn't be able to work up through the sizes if you were (as the point would have nowhere to bite into). Using a normal drill bit is probably not helping.

ICBM

I would use Titebond or Cascamite. I wouldn’t use quick-set epoxy for any job requiring strength - it’s awful stuff. Completely different from the slow setting type which is extremely strong and can be heated to make it soak into wood and bond even better.

If you’re having problems with the drill wandering, are you clamping the body down? Even a pillar drill doesn’t guarantee accuracy if the work can move.

Kalimna

Thanks chaps,
You are correct, i was not using brad point (but i did use a bradawl to start. Time to invest in a decent 12mm bit.

The epoxy I have is this stuff, the ZPoxy 30min, which i thought was OK, strength-wise.
https://www.yandles.co.uk/zap-z-poxy-30-min-epoxy-resin-pt39-8oz/p4113

However, titebond it is - a quick glue up before work today. Seemed to go in nicely, with a satisfying 'thunk' as the bundle of slivers bottomed out in the hole. I should be able to rout a small ledge and glue in a patch to cover the mishap.

Adam