- Use a strong cordless drill machine.
- Set the machine to the highest position.
- Bring the drill to the drill guide at the correct angle.
- Lean lightly into the drill guide with the tip of the core drill.
- Do not yet touch the wood with the teeth of the core drill.
- Start the drill in the highest position without touching the wood.
- Continue to lean into the guide and carefully advance the drill until it touches the wood.
- Do not drill more than 2-3 cm and pull the drill back a centimeter to unload the dust.
- Drill another 3-5 cm into the wood and retrieve the drill to unload.
- Never pull back so far for the front of the drill to reach the sapwood (oak).
- Remove the running drill from the wood in one smooth and straight motion.
Some extra thoughts:
- Keep leaning lightly into the guide throughout the process, including when removing.
- Allow the drill to run through the whole process uninterrupted.
- Never remove the drill completely from the wood during the proces.
- While it is technically possible to drill a core sample in a single continuous pass, doing so is highly discouraged because the frictional heat will cause the core drill bit to overheat and lose some of its hardness through a process called tempering or thermal softening.
