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Treehopper Drill and bolts

MIbowhunter49 said:
A 3/8 auger bit from home depot, with a few wraps of electrical tape to act as a depth gauge has been totally okay for me. You can't hold the bit perfectly still as you drill the tree, you always end up "hogging out" the hole when drilling. I've never had an issue getting my 3/8 bolts to slide right in. Don't over complicate things.
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Thanks, ill give it a go.
 
MIbowhunter49 said:
A 3/8 auger bit from home depot, with a few wraps of electrical tape to act as a depth gauge has been totally okay for me. You can't hold the bit perfectly still as you drill the tree, you always end up "hogging out" the hole when drilling. I've never had an issue getting my 3/8 bolts to slide right in. Don't over complicate things.
Click to expand...
I would not use electrical tape. It won't really act as a stop without it getting boogered up.
Get a collar from the hardware store. It has a set screw and will be durable.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
I would not use electrical tape. It won't really act as a stop without it getting boogered up.
Get a collar from the hardware store. It has a set screw and will be durable.
Click to expand...
thanks for the heads up. I have a depth collar that will fit 3/8. i was just worried about sourcing a 10 mm auger. I'm in Canada and everything from the states comes at such a premium that the treehopper bit would be about $43 USD
 
one more question. does anyone change the depth to allow for thicker bark or softwood vs hardwood?
 
Kent said:
thanks for the heads up. I have a depth collar that will fit 3/8. i was just worried about sourcing a 10 mm auger. I'm in Canada and everything from the states comes at such a premium that the treehopper bit would be about $43 USD
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I never tried a 3/8 bit so I can't comment on that size, but I assume the specie of tree may be a factor in how well a bolt can be inserted. Really hard trees like osage may require the 10mm bit. Try a 3/8 and see how it works.
 
Kent said:
one more question. does anyone change the depth to allow for thicker bark or softwood vs hardwood?
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I haven't, but there are trees like on old cottonwood have really thick bark that could need deeper holes and longer bolts. Some trees just aren't meant to be climbed.
 
Allegheny Tom said:
I would not use electrical tape. It won't really act as a stop without it getting boogered up.
Get a collar from the hardware store. It has a set screw and will be durable.
Click to expand...

It's more of a visual que than an actual stop. If you pay attention to what you're doing, theres no reason for a physical stop. Even if you drill an inch too deep, it isn't hurting anything with a 7" bolt.
 
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