Spile
The spile or sap spout is a tubular device inserted into a maple taphole to transport sap into a bucket or pipeline. Spouts used with buckets are made of galvanized iron or aluminum. Those used in tubing systems are molded from plastic. The word spile may be a possible variation of the early settler term “spills”, or carved wooden sap pipes.
The Native Americans directed the flow of sap from the tree to a hollow bowl by using reeds (stiff, hollow-stemmed grasses) or concave pieces of bark. The pioneer spile was whittled out of soft woods. Today the spile is simply a tapered piece of molded metal or plastic used to form a watertight seal with the bark of the tree, yet allow free space between the sapwood and spout.
The spile has two purposes:
- To direct sap into the catching container.
- To provide support for the sap container be it bag, bucket, or tubing.
