3
6
12.4
Begin Drilling
Commence drilling three holes into the stem using the 1.3 mm diameter drill bit.
Use a cordless drill that has a high rotational speed (Revolutions Per Minute –
RPM) so that you get a good clean cutting action.
Note:
A Dremel cordless drill is recommended as it has a long life Lithium Ion
battery
for
long
fie
ld
use
and
does
NOT
have
a
large
heavy
battery
located
in
the
handle
.
Heavy drills may
act as a counter weight and cause you to unconsciously
drag
the drill down resulting in
the holes to diverge from
being p
arallel
and may
also increase
the risk of the drill bit breaking off in the tree.
Only drill short increments on each pass. Within only 2 mm depth of drilling the
flute
of
the
drill
will
fil
l
with
fibre
a
nd
require
cleaning.
Choosing
to
continue
to
drill
with
the
flute
full
of
fibre
causes
friction,
this
generates
heat.
As the drill bits
are
of
very thin diameter
, h
eating of the drill bit will result in a loss of mechanical
strength and allow the drill bit to wander through the sapwood findin
g
the
path
of
least
resistance.
At
this
point
you
are
no
longer
drilling
a
hole
with any control or
direction. Please refer to the
installation video
for correct technique.
12.5 Check the
H
oles are Parallel
After drilling all three holes, remove the drill guide and check the installation
to see if the three holes are aligned axially and parallel. This can be done by
inserting three drill bits into the holes and visually
inspecting them
.
A piece of 5 mm lined note paper can be a very handy guide.
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