1.  Assemble borer, remove extractor.    2.  Push hard, the threaded end into a bark crevice, at dbh (4.5 feet from ground).   3.  Turn clockwise.  Continue to push hard until threads are into the wood.   4.  Use both hands to screw borer to the center of the tree.   5.  Insert extractor slowly (avoid breaking and skewering your hand) and upside down.   6.  Turn borer 1.5  times.   7.  Gently pull out the extractor.   8.  Count rings (estimate rings if tree pith is missed).   9.  Add number if years for tree to reach 4.5 feet.   [5 years for aspen & softwoods, 10 years for hardwoods] 10.  Remove borer and blow it clean. 11.  Re-assemble borer.

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Thread turning is another option for making internal threads when tapping conditions are not optimal, such as parts with large diameters or in difficult-to-cut materials. Thread turning is most often performed on a lathe with a cylindrical workpiece and uses an indexable carbide insert with a boring bar. When boring bars are too large for the size of hole, a solid carbide threading bar can be used. In thread turning, the workpiece rotates as the cutting tool moves axially to create a continuous thread path. Like thread-milling, it normally takes multiple passes to generate a full thread profile. Unlike a thread-milling cutter, all the material removal is accomplished with only one cutting edge engaged. Removing only a fraction of the thread depth in each pass keeps the cutting edge from being overloaded.

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Increment borers are expensive tools, in the range of $140 for a ten-inch, three-thread borer.  Borers can be purchased through Forestry Suppliers.  Type "increment borer" into the product search window.

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The increment core to the left shows 169 annual rings.  The center of the tree was missed, not showing approximately 4-5 rings.  The core was taken at 4.5 feet from the ground, so an additional 5 years should be added.  Total age is about 179 years.

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