can you use any bits to tap with

[snox244]

my buddy gave me some 5/16 bits but there not taping bits will they work.

[snox244]

i do have a old bit how would i sharpen it. i think its dull.

[peacemaker]

depends on what kind of bit u are talking about

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Any bit will work other than maybe a masonary bit. Main thing is to hot the drill steady and not wallow out the hole, keep it nice and round. I used to use regular old bits year ago and sometimes I would have to pull them in and out of the hole 2 to 4 times. They worked fine and the holes didn't leak, the bit and hole would just fill up with wood.

[pennslytucky]

for 6 or 8 bucks at the hardware store you can get a "brace" bit. they clean very well. the regular drill bits work, but they are awful hard to turn when they get plugged with pulp...

[DS Maple]

As others have said, for a small number of trees normal bits are fine. There is no question though the special tapping bits are much faster and they drill a nicer hole. The expensive tapping bits do a better job of cutting through the wood as apposed to tearing through it. This is nice, particulary on older trees where the bark will just about fall off if you look at it wrong.

[Sugardaddy]

Just sank another 25 taps using a bit from my regular drill set. We spent time and money htis year on buckets, taps, pans, and related items. I probably should have gotten a proper tap to, but that will go on next year's list.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I know this gets old, but the $ 21 Canadian tapping bit Bascoms sells is well worth the cost. Worth $ 50 to me in comparison to what other maple stuff costs. I can drill a perfectly round hole and a perfectly clean hole 1.5 to 2" deep in aprox 3 seconds or less. I can get aprox 220 holes out of one 18 volt drill battery. A brace bit works fine, but they eat drill batteries and take much longer and the little screw tip is very easy to break and/or dull. I am up to 1350 taps on my first $ 21 Canadian bit from Bascoms and it is still cutting just as good as the first hole three seasons ago.

I know it is probably way overpriced, but considering what other maple stuff costs, well worth it.

[Lwood]

I go with WVM 100 percent. The difference that you'll see with the Canadian bits is huge. I tap in about 1/4 of the time that it used to take me and I don't get any little rags on the edge of the hole.

[hard maple]

You can get the same drill's Bascoms sells through other vendors cheaper.
The main thing is that it's sharp and you can know when it's getting dull.
I sharpen mine every year, whether it needs it or not.

[Brent]

being a Canuk, and a machine tool dealer, I was really intrigued by the "Canadian" bit thing. Not that I didn't have enough bits, I ordered one from our hosts.

Now that I can see it, there are some considerable differences that you can't get at Home Depot.
The point angle is more acute than a general purpose bit, the sides have a lip to give clearance, the point of the land has a clearance relief as well.

But the biggest difference is the overall sharpness. These have a much sharper edge on the tip and on the sides and it's the sharpness of the sides that keeps the hole clean.

General purpose bits are, strange as it sounds, ground with less than the sharpest points possible. This is done because the use of the bit could be wood or metal. To try to explain, if you tried to cut steel with the edge of a razor blade, it would break off the tip and leave a blunt jagged edge. So points for metal cutting are intentionally not so sharp because they don't want the tips to break off. They will last much longer and stay "pretty sharp" this way.

If you want to totally screw up your Canadian tapping bit, drill a few holes in steel with it.

I'm going to treat mine with kid gloves, and keep it wrapped to protect those precious sharp edges.
I have not drilled one hole with it yet, but like others here, I am a believer now.