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Wooden Spile: a Bored and Tapered Tap Spout
A spile is a wooden or metal peg or spout. Driven into a hole in a maple or birch, it carries the sap out into a pail; in a cask it lets gas out. Bore a hardwood dowel through its length, taper one end to fit the hole, and cut a lip to hang the pail on.
The picture: a birch tap made by Henry David Thoreau from a hollow sumac stick bound with string.
Beginner
An hour
Instructions
1
1
Cut and bore
Cut and bore
Saw 10 cm of hardwood dowel. Hold it upright in the vise and drill a 5 mm hole down its centre, from both ends if the bit is short, until they meet.
Materials for this step:
Hardwood Dowels1 pieceTools needed:
Tenon Saw
Bench Vise
Hand Drill
Ruler2
2
Taper the end
Taper the end
Whittle one end to a taper over about 3 cm, ending a little smaller than your tap hole, so it drives in tight.
Tools needed:
Sloyd Carving Knife
Wood Rasp3
3
Spout and hook
Spout and hook
Cut the outer end at a slant so the sap drips clear, and saw a shallow notch on top to hang a pail by its bail.
Tools needed:
Tenon SawSloyd Carving Knife4
4
Taper
Taper
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Materials
1- 1 piecePlaceholder
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