How to Tap

This video by the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association gives an excellent overview.

Note: the guidance given to avoid tapping below -15⁰C is out of date, but still may be appropriate for smaller producers who can afford to do so. See “When to tap” for more details.

  1. Carefully inspect the tree for a good spot to tap. See “Where to Tap” for more information.
  2. Establish a firm footing and stable stance to drill. Hold the drill firmly. Avoid tapping above your head. Movement while drilling will cause oval tapholes to form, which should be avoided at all costs as they will create vacuum leaks.
    • To ensure the drill does not move while tapping, many producers use maple-specific drill attachments to stabilize the drill. This attachment also regulated tapping depth.
  3. Drill 1.5 inches and no more than 2 inches deep into sapwood when tapping trees. Use some sort of marking on the drill bit to ensure consistent tap-hole depth. Drill in one, continuous movement straight in and out. Those hanging buckets often drill tapholes 2-2.5 inches deep.
    • Consider investing in a maple-specific drill bit. Maple-specific drill bits are sharper and are designed to cut through wood tissue and extract wood shavings. Maple-specific bits will last for about 2,000 – 2,500 tapholes before becoming dull. 
    • Consider tapping at a slight upward angle (5-10⁰). An upward angle will create a slope to naturally drain sap and rainwater from the tap hole after the harvest seasons is finished. Dry tap holes are less likely to develop wood decay. This is more important for those using buckets or gravity tubing. Producers with vacuum tubing or check valve spouts often drill straight holes.
Tapping tips. Two images. The caption on the leftmost image shows a drill with a piece of blue lateral tubing covering half of it. The exposed part is labeled "1.5 inches tap hole depth". The caption says "A short piece of lateral tubing on the tapping big makes a snug inexpensive tap hole depth gauge. Maintain a sharp clean tapping bit. Keep several extra tapping bits on hand to replace as needed". The rightmost image shows someone drilling into a tree. The angle of the drill is at a 5-10 degree slope. The caption ssays "Drill each tap hole at a slight upward angle. With a downward slope, late sap or rain water will not pool inside the tap holes during spring and summer. Pooled water can cause wood decay to establish".
A hand holding two small piles of wood shavings. the left pile is brown, the right a creamy white.
Wood shavings on the drill bit should be creamy or white in colour (right) which is healthy and conducts sap freely.  Darker or brown shavings (left) indicate that decayed wood or non-conducting stained wood has been hit, therefore a second tap hole may need to be drilled. A taphole drilled into stained wood will reduce little to no sap. Unfortunately, hitting stained wood causes additional injury to the tree due to multiple tap holes being drilled. If 50% or less of the shavings from a particular taphole are dark, it is common to use that tap as it is and not drill another hole, despite yields being reduced.

4. Install spiles gently. Avoid using excessive force with the tapping hammer, just enough to provide a snug firm seal in tap holes. Stop when the sound of tapping changes. Spouts can always be set a bit firmer during follow up inspections.

The written and graphic content in these pages was originally created by Todd Leuty (previous Agroforestry Specialist), and edited by Jenny Liu (previous Maple, Tree Nut, and Agroforestry Specialist) and Dr. John Steele (current Maple, Tree Nut and Agroforestry Specialist).