Birch Tapping Drill - sources for equipment?

[g4ghb]

though these little darlings are a bit of a cheat. I bought some short auger bits, forged the tangs flat and then re-heat treated them (they now hold an edge and aren't file-sharpenable). I played with various ways of making the bits from scratch and they were all either inefficient in use or were such a pain to make that it wasn't economical

Ooooh you tease! - the more I looked at them the more I began to wonder if they were pre-made and adapted to give the square taper for the handle - so perhaps i'm not as green as I thought I was

 

[Miyagi]

I prefer to get my sap on tap

Now that is brilliant!!

 

[Dave Budd]

I'm guessing that might be a sycamore (not a tree I'm very familiar with), coz otherwise I would swear that you are trying to tap an ash tree!

I'd thought of doing that myself but didn't know if it would work. Mind you, I had beer barrel taps in mind

 

[littlebiglane]

I'm guessing that might be a sycamore (not a tree I'm very familiar with), coz otherwise I would swear that you are trying to tap an ash tree!

I'd thought of doing that myself but didn't know if it would work. Mind you, I had beer barrel taps in mind

Norway Maple....which, lets face it....is so similar to Sycamore.

 

[HeltorChasca]

Just out of interest: Why is everyone keener on the auger bits? I get almost identical shaped holes from bog standard flat wood bits.

Cheers......hc

 

[g4ghb]

auger bits 'pull' themselves into the wood.... all you need to provide is gentle pressure and rotation

flat bits are fine in power tools but you have to provide pressure as well as rotation to cut the hole.