I would say go ahead and sand the inlays down, it would be much easier. You have this looking good! Add a little more [COLOR=sienna]stin[/COLOR] to make it a little darker. As for the staples, you will have to look at HD or Lowe's. I would just use mostly rubber cement an a drop of epoxy at the seam. Only a drop, that way you can remove it if needed. Looking good! Did you think to sand the leading edge of the hoops? Not the bearing edge, but the leading edge.

Looks real nice!! I'm focusing on doing all the woodworking before I put the inlay on. I like the camera angle. Might have to use that idea! Post a pic later so we can see how they look on the drum! Yes Sir

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Yes, I did exactly that ,sanded the leading edge; really just kind of ronded it to smooth down the factory cut. Will post finished pics in 2 days. Got over my camera problems so I'll post some nice pics of finished hoops soon. I agree it needs to go darker by a few shades. As usual, I was overly cautious with the stin.[/FONT]

You can make a lot darker and it will show lesser.