Sent my son out to tap one section on his own, he drilled and tapped all of the holes almost perfectly horizontal instead of a slight downward angle. Will this have a poor effect on the amount of sap that the tree will give up?
holes drilled horizontally
Sent my son out to tap one section on his own, he drilled and tapped all of the holes almost perfectly horizontal instead of a slight downward angle. Will this have a poor effect on the amount of sap that the tree will give up?
about 30 taps 5 gallon pails on tubing
boiling on propane
high elevation
goal is 6 gallons of tasty syrup for family and friends
Should be fine, where are you ?? Im in Bristol, tapping this weekend, approx. 50 taps.
That's good.....he knows the correct way to tap. All tap holes should be drilled at a 90. There is NO need for a upward
Angle as that will only give a oblonged hole that can leak. When a tree is running it is under upwards of 10 psi at the tap hole, believe me the sap will come out
custom made 2x7 intensofire
With SL pans
250 deer run
300 3/16 (new 2016)
500 sacks around the neighborhood
we are in Steuben County, still no sap but it should be coming soon!
about 30 taps 5 gallon pails on tubing
boiling on propane
high elevation
goal is 6 gallons of tasty syrup for family and friends
It depends whether you are on vac or not. It's more important to drill holes 90 degrees to the surface on vac so they stay round and are less likely to leak. With gravity I still think you want that downward slope and an oval hole doesn't matter as much.
Sugarbush in Tunbridge VT.
1080 taps for 2014 (made 506 gallons)
2hp liquid ring vac
3x10 small bros w/preheater, blower and new airtight front = 140 gph
Sap Brother Eco-50 RO w/4 xle 4040s and 360gph pump
Drilled straight is best, but as long as you go in and back out without any wobble I fail to see how you get an oval hole. It may look oval looking from an angle different than the bit went in, but a bit only drills a round hole if the angle remains constant, and a hole drilled at 90 degrees to the surface only remains round the same way, do not wobble the bit.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
Am I missing something here? The hole itself is still round, even if you drill it at an angle. It's just the intersection of the hole with the surface of the tree that is oval. I'm brand new to this, so not trying to argue, just trying to understand. The only way I can see it mattering is if what's important for a leak-free fit is how the part of the tap that stays outside the tree "matches" the tree surface (i.e. if there is some sort of collar on the tap). I thought the important thing was how the body of the tap fit into the hole, which is not affected by whether the hole is drilled at a slight angle.
John Mc. You are not missing anything - Dave is correct; a drill bit will produce a round hole no matter the angle of penetration. Providing the body of the tap is the same dia (not tapered) where it's in contact with the outer surface - whether table top or tree - you will have a tight fit.
Woodworkers often install wood plugs in furniture that are drilled at an angle, it's called pocket hole joinery. Then end result is an often attractive oblong shaped plug in a contrasting - darker or lighter - wood. Sure hope the sap starts running soon...the natives are getting restless.
pocket joinery.jpg
John Allin
14x18 Hemlock Timber Frame Sugar House 2009
Leader 2x6 w/Patriot Raised Flue Pan 2009
Leader Steam Hood 2014 - Clear Filter Press 2015
Leader Revolution Pan and SS Pre-Heater 2016
CDL Hobby RO & Air Tech L25 Hi Vac Pump 2019
06' Gator HPX to collect wood & sap
14' Ski-Doo Tundra for winter work in the woods
Great Family 3 grown kids+spouses and 7 grand kids who like the woods
7th Gen Born in Canada - Raised in Chardon Ohio - Maple Capital of the World..<grin>.
There is a potential problem with a bucket spile drilled horizontally: the drips may not drop off at the end. They may run back to the wall of the bucket and drip out of the hole in the bucket. This is a function of the spile design. Some have a better "drip edge" than others. A down angle can prevent this.
Central Ohio
Leader WSE 2x6
Old metal corn crib converted to "The Shack"
Smoky Lake 6 gallon water jacket canner
Daryl 5" filter press with air pump
Deer Run 125 RO
2023: 140 taps, buckets, 32 gallons
2019: 100 taps, buckets, 45 gallons
2018: 100 taps, buckets, 31 gallons
2017: 100 taps, buckets, 15 gallons
2015: 100 taps, buckets, 34 gallons
2014: 100 taps, buckets, 30 gallons
2013: 100 taps, buckets, 52 gallons
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