November

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

not much waiting for roofing material

[GramaCindy]

Did a slow boil with the evaporator re-bricked and lined with arch board. Even though it was a small fire to cure the refractory cement, I think I felt a LOT of difference in the heat not escaping out the sides. Chimney wasn't fully installed either. I can't wait to really fire that bad boy up and let er' rip. Come on March!!!!!!!

[maple flats]

Heading into the woods today. Resume running laterals, add 1 length of 1" to finish one main. Lots more to do before I need snowshoes to get around. Still need to install a few couplings in the wet dry conductors and need to find a tank to place in the woods. If I don't find an SS tank by mid Dec. I'll use 3 or 4 totes interconnected 300 gal each, that will give me another year to get a tank.

[Revi]

I went up and pretended to hunt yesterday. It's a great activity, and I saw a lot of deer tracks. That means there are deer around at least. My wife called when I was at the top of our lot, sitting on a moss covered rock as the sun went down. "What are you doing?" Hunting. Get back here. All in all it's a really nice activity, even if I don't shoot a deer. I like the fact that it slows me down, and I get to observe nature.

[GramaCindy]

I went up and pretended to hunt yesterday. It's a great activity, and I saw a lot of deer tracks. That means there are deer around at least. My wife called when I was at the top of our lot, sitting on a moss covered rock as the sun went down. "What are you doing?" Hunting. Get back here. All in all it's a really nice activity, even if I don't shoot a deer. I like the fact that it slows me down, and I get to observe nature.
LIKE! and that's why I GEOCACHE!

[Brian Ryther]

47584759
Good work at the sugar house in the past few days. Raw sap tanks set and plumbed. Gaining on the ro room. From raw sap to concentrate to the evap every thing will be plumbed in SS. Every joint will be able to be removed and cleaned. No pvc, no plastic, no copper, no galv, no hoses.

[danno]

Nice Brian! Are you buying new SS pipe, or finding deals from old dairy farmers? That's an investment. SS mainlines next?;)

[Parker]

Been working up more sugarwood..think we are up to 28 cords

[Brian Ryther]

Dano, The pipie is all used, but I cut and weld new furrrells to the pipe. The pipe was cheap, but the furrells, gaskets, clamps, elbows, tees and valves are not. I feel it is an investment that will pay for it self with higher grade syrup.

[Maplewalnut]

47584759
From raw sap to concentrate to the evap every thing will be plumbed in SS. Every joint will be able to be removed and cleaned. No pvc, no plastic, no copper, no galv, no hoses.

Looks great Brian, but full disclosure for us that think why can't I do that...you are a professional by trade with SS! LOL
I may have to stop by to inspect, I'll be up your way in a few weeks.

[Brian Ryther]

Looks great Brian, but full disclosure for us that think why can't I do that...you are a professional by trade with SS! LOL
I may have to stop by to inspect, I'll be up your way in a few weeks.
Maybe it is my way of advertising. Taking orders for the 2013 season.

[christopherh]

Busy making all the trails alot wider. Nearly detroyed my gathering tank last year as its attached to my front end loader. Smacked a tree negotiating a turn, it was ugly! Floor is poured in the sugarhouse, windows next and trying to clean the creosote from the bottom of the flue pan auaughgghg!!!

[Parker]

Now have 30 cords in the shed. Been fixing the Hill woods...gonna try to add 300 up there and fix lots and lots of problems with the tubing, would like to get 1/3 more sap from that woods..think its doabel

[stoweski]

Tubing is in the shack ready to be installed. All of the fittings are sitting on the table in the shack too. Wire is waiting. Firewood is now stacked. Getting things together to start running mainline on Black Friday. It'll be nice and peaceful in the woods compared to those stores!!!

[Parker]

At the end of the day it doesnt matter how tight you get the 20 year old mainline with all the old stars and splices in it,,,,,its still 20 year old mainline....but its better than what it was,,will try to replace it next year...

[Farmboy]

My woods was hit pretty good by the snowstorm. My mainline came apart at a joint when a bunch of pine hit it. My laterals arent that bad. Sugar wood for this year is done. I will start the wood for next year in a few weeks cleaning up the woods and my grandpas woods.

[red maples]

I got lucky I only lost 1 branch on a maple next to the house because they are the only ones that still had leaves!!! only had 1 smaller oak branch come down on the mainline ...but there is a alot of downed oak limbs. I am gonna rent a chipper in the spring after maple season is over and clean out all the branches out of the woods. I have piles everywhere combined with the stuff that fell. its a lot!!!

Man been just perfect sap weather. hope its this good in the spring again. 45-50 during the day and mid 20's at night!!! A little excited to get in the woods and tweak the tubing!!!

[whalems]

got the cement delivered today for the floor in my shack:D I remember why I don't do concrete for a living, boy am I tired:( but it sure is going to be nice to have a real floor this year.

[PATheron]

Saps running down here at Pierce and Sons. Cut down a maple next to the shed and sap is pouring out of it. Things are coming along pretty good. Got the 1100 taps or so that were really messed up do to the high winds back better than ever finally. Thats been my biggest focus as of late. Been working real hard to get much of the tubing work done before bad weather. Been getting up early and really hitting it. The bush with all the damage is almost perfect. Put another 1000 tap bush up to snuff and split up a lot of laterals in it to try to maximize the sap I get from there. Now working behind the house on my house bush just getting limbs off etc and marking things to be fixed. Doesnt look like Ill get to the remote bushes I had on the dairy pumps. One is so messed up Im thinking of not ever fixing it. Got my latest previously enjoyed ro plumbed up and my ro room pretty well up to snuff. Bought an older tractor and am working nights after dark on moving tanks around. Moving two 1500 gallon stainless tanks out into the field to replace plastic ones that I had for sap. Setting up the plastic ones for perm tanks. Running 7000' of inch and a quarter in two runs of 3500 apiece to feed a releaser on a remote bush to place the releaser and dump tank closer to the road. Thats about it for now. Never ends, like a famous sugar maker once told me, gotta wannnnnnn it!!!! Looks like Im going to be down some taps but Im not worried. Im going to try to have my 4500 working so good that I make more than I did at 5000. Thats the plan anyway. Gotta have something for dad to boil. Going over every line I got and fixing everything visual and then if its still not froze up hard Im going to turn the pump on and go on hiss patrol before things get cold. Every leak I fix now I wont have to fix in Feb. Theron

[GramaCindy]

I finished up my sapwood yesterday. Preheater is near completion from Jim Schumacher, MAN does it look AWESOME!!! I can't wait to give it a try! Stack is near complete, just one more section to go. I do have more work to do in the new section of sugarbush, looks to be a good amount of added taps. I may just move some lesser producing taps from last year to there. I was really getting into researching raising chickens, but Hubby Tim said NO WAY! Dangit. One addiction at a time I suppose!;)

[jmayerl]

I'm sitting 20 feet up in a maple watching deer walk by. Man I wish I could tap this 200 acres we own but it is a 1/2 mile off a road. Put the deposit for the new flue pan in the mail this morning. If anyone is thinkin of an upgrade, get ahold of jim schumacher. Stopped at the shop a few weeks ago and man he is putting out better than ever stuff right now, and at a great price.

[Thad Blaisdell]

I'm sitting 20 feet up in a maple watching deer walk by. Man I wish I could tap this 200 acres we own but it is a 1/2 mile off a road.

2600 feet = 5 rolls of Black pipe and a roll of wire. seems cheap to me.

[802maple]

Actually 2600 feet of pvc 3" and 2600 feet of 2 inch PVC for those 10 to 14000 taps, still sounds cheap to me. I am actually doing a system of about the same size, for a customer right now that is nearly a mile from the sugarhouse to the first tap.

[Tithis]

Ordering a sap hydrometer and gravity filter.

Really want the sap hydrometer so I can get a better idea of how much syrup I might get by the end of the season. Gravity filter should be good too, the funnel and coffee filters I used last year were obnoxiously slow and didn't work all that well. Last year I mostly just let me syrup sit till the sugar sand turned into a sediment and I poured off the clear stuff.

[jmayerl]

2600 feet = 5 rolls of Black pipe and a roll of wire. seems cheap to me.unfortunatly it crosses 2 other propertys that I'm lucky they let me walk across, plus it would have to go over a 100 ft hill. Maybe someday we can buy a right of way in.

[Farmboy]

Squirrels just keep comming Ive shot 6 in the last 2 days and it seams that for every one I shoot another one comes in the woods. Talked to Jim about my new pan yesterday. He just needs to get me a shipping price then I am going to give him the go ahead on the new front pan. Need to get my evaporator back together and fix my mailine. I would like to setup and SS counter and sink befor the season. My wood Is done though. I have 5 cords done and I only used 3 last year and I lost a few taps.

[adk1]

I still need to install the pipe, however I also still need to have the evap delivered. I am getting all the pipe with it!

[danno]

Good day today, despite the weather. Picked up a 300 gal. milk tank in the neighborhood, now have to figure how to get it up in the rafters to feed the evap. Also cut a 125' trench from the house to the sugarhouse for an underground waterline. Glad the frost does not get stupid deep around here. No more frozen gardenhoses!!!

[shane hickey]

Terrible day I got a phone call today telling me that I had to pick up my tubing out of woods. I tryed to buy just the woods but they wouldn't separate it from the house. The couple are getting a devorce and they want the money from the logs so it will be cleared cut then selling the house at auction next month. What a waste
Shane

[GramaCindy]

Terrible day I got a phone call today telling me that I had to pick up my tubing out of woods. I tryed to buy just the woods but they wouldn't separate it from the house. The couple are getting a devorce and they want the money from the logs so it will be cleared cut then selling the house at auction next month. What a waste
Shane

Oh Shane…..that TOTALLY SUCKS! Why on Earth would they not sell the woods to make some money, but instead let the whole thing go to auction? Must be some serious financial issues as well as the divorce. Sorry. I hope that you still have some taps somewhere else?!:cry:

[maple flats]

Shane, that sucks.
Everyone leasing a bush should try to get the contract written to protect against this. Mine is written that if the owner dies or the land is sold the lease remains for the duration of the contract. My current lease expires in June, 2016. The intent for them not to resign or my intent not to resign must be in writing 6 mos. before it expires. I hope mine would survive. Unwriten leases are only worth the paper they are not writen on.

[maple flats]

Today I continued work in my lease. I finished installing couplings in the 1.5/1.25" conductor lines, I anchored them to the anchor trees and finished filling in about 60% of the remaining tie wires needed. When they were hung the dealer only had 1 coil of ties instead of the 2 coils needed so I put the tubing up with ties every 3'. I am now filling in to have one every 12-18". I will only have drops to install after tomorrow. That will be done after gun season, I have made up about 200 drops, still need to make about 500 more before mid Dec.

[Parker]

Walked the sanborn woods yesterday..the squirlls have developed a taste for lateral line and stubbies.. lots to fix...want to get it done befor too much snow..one day this time of year is worth 4 days with 3 feet of snow!

[GramaCindy]

The electrician came yesterday to get a good start or wiring the shack, we now have TWO lights! More to come, and outlets for the necessities of sugarmaking. I worked on the new are of the bush today, I may need to pick up more taps! It looks like we have a good 40-50 more decent taps out there. Another day in paradise…..54* here in NW WI! Can't beat that for Nov. 13th.

[adk1]

I finished installing the second and final 400' section of mainline wire yesterday. need to buy the mainline then run that. also finished twisting the first 400' section every 12-15". Will need to adjust first mainline up alittle, which means I need to unratchet, untwist end hook, raise end hook about 12" reinstall and then retighten.

[waysidemaple]

Cut wood this morning, 10 cords stacked and ready for this year. Picked up a 750 gallon bulk tank from PATheron and helped him set a bigger tank in its place. Hoping to have my new tank set in the woods tomorrow but its opening day for bear (rifle) so I might give in to that. Going to shoot for 1000 taps this year if I have to hang sap sacks. All my classes are tuesday/thursday for the spring so Im going for it!! Gotta Wann it!!!!

Scott

[GramaCindy]

I finished installing the second and final 400' section of mainline wire yesterday. need to buy the mainline then run that. also finished twisting the first 400' section every 12-15". Will need to adjust first mainline up alittle, which means I need to unratchet, untwist end hook, raise end hook about 12" reinstall and then retighten.
YIKES adk1 that sounds like a PIA. Hope it goes well. Get er done dude!

[tuckermtn]

two days of full-on maple- friday Kat and I went to Bascom's boiling seminar. 200+ people there- learned quite a bit about some things that I just took for granted and realized I was doing wrong. Ran in to Amber Gold, NHmapleman and 3% as we were heading out. Also traded some off flavored B for some medium and 10 gals of C for a new ss barrel. Thanks to Bascoms for hosting...

Today was spent in Lyndeboro at the Maple Guys doing our intermediate maple class. had 20+ folks there. Met a couple of traders there. Chris has a really nice set up- were able to show a few different evaporators, filtering rigs, vacuum pumps, etc...lucked out with the weather for sure.

plan on doing some holiday jugging tomorrow and if time allows running some more tubing in Salisbury at Hattens.

lots of maple on the brain these days....

[Dennis H.]

Got my self a nice 250 gal SS tank today out in Johnstown. The tank is about 4' dia and about 4' high it is open top. There is a 1 1/4" drain that will allow it empty completely.
It was used to mix milk sub, for calfs. It has a nice 3/4hp motor on top for the stirrer I think it will work real nice for one of the vac pumps that I have that do not have a motor!!
He also had a 100 tank but it was spoken for by the time I got there.

Kind of slow right at the moment, I am waiting for the new hood that Jim is making for me and I have to pick up a new hobby releaser from Dave Y. It is looking like the beginning of Dec things will pick back up for me with maple stuff!

[cpmaple]

Finished addition on sugarhouse now have a spot for bottling and for the kids to hang out with me.Going today to talk to a gentleman about putting up tubing. Hoping to get 400 taps of from his property then start putting it all up but, will still have over 200 buckets out which i didnt want for this season but, money controls that. Cant wait to start boiling and hope to sell some to put back into tubing.

[maple maniac65]

Worked in the orchard yesterday and found three main lines down and a dozen laterals chewed by by squirrells and countless drops chewed in the past 6 months. All drops were brand new last Febuary. The landowners son and buddies shot 7 grays and cooked them up for dinner.

[Dennis H.]

Cleaned up the new sap tank this morning. It took a little work to get the stir motor off the top though. There was a coupling on the end of the shaft and the hole on the tank mounting plate was only big enough for the motor shaft not the coupling. Tried a puller, no go. So I broke out the grinder and split the coupling in half. I was able to save the motor with no harm to the shaft!! That 3/4hp will work nice on my BB2 or one of my small delaval 73's.

For some reason it will not allow me to upload pics, it is saying that I do not have enough room form them???? I will have to investigate.

[Parker]

Finished Sannborns (800) repairs today,, pretty much all ready to tap..2200 to go :)

[smokeyamber]

Sugar wood stacked and covered, picked up a 210gallon poly tank for free yesterday so my sap storage just doubled ! Time to expand the sugarshack and get the 2x5 built. This warm weather is really helping me get ahead this year ! Hoping this year is like last year cause I don't plan on dumping my sap again if I can help it !

[Dill]

I did house wood saturday and sugar wood yesterday. Its amazing how slow pine can dry. I was cutting up pine that came down 2 years ago in that odd February wind storm. And some of those logs were still wet. A couple could have still been saw logs.

[Josh Nickles]

We picked up our new pans this weekend from Jim Schumacher. This is my second set from him. Last year I bought some flat pans, this year we bought a full drop flue set. His work looks good in pictures but you just have to see it in person. Simply amazing. I don't even want to pour sap into them......but I will:cool: best prices around for such high-end equipment.

[Parker]

Got rte11 almost finished yesterday..really want to add another 1000 taps there but landowner says ill be all done in 2 years there,,,,SO,,,gonna concentrate on makeing the Hill bush all it can be..should be done with rte.11 today the off to hill to fix some horribel looking work and add at least 400...some of the taps up there are a LONG way from the tank..TOO WET TO LOG HERE!

[Amber Gold]

Parker, why are you out in 2 years? Does the property owner intend to tap it?

Took last week off and got a bunch of work done, although it doesn't look like much. Got some tanks moved around and other misc. work done. Cleaned up the woods and only lost a few maples and branches/tops off a few others, so I'm pretty happy with it considering what could've happened. There's a few taps I can add, which will offset the losses. Sales are going well and hopefully I can find a woods to expand into next year.

[Parker]

Rte.11 took all day to finish,,still have to fix a couple of mainline chews but ready to tap..off to Hill today,,,,,,Amber. dont know what the landowner is planning...Time will tell. I do hope I can work something out with him. I thinned that peice 9 years ago cant believe how well young maples respond to thinning...MAN I WANT TO TAP THAT OTHER 1000 there!

[deckers007]

Finished bridge to cross creek last weekend, turned out better than i thought.48804881

[jmayerl]

Well the wife seems to forget about our conversation on why I need a new flue pan, and the fact that I ordered it. She wasn't to happy to find out that it basicaly drained the business account to $200. So when we went to menards to order the trusses and sheet metal for the new sugar shack she say's, do you want a pan or a roof? Well guess I spending tomorrow getting the old shack weather proof for one last year:lol:

Snapped a branch off on my way in deer hunting yesterday afternoon and when I came out there was a big sapsicle hanging from it, fall tapping anyone?

[danno]

[QUOTE=jmayerl;167945]Well the wife seems to forget about our conversation on why I need a new flue pan, and the fact that I ordered it. She wasn't to happy to find out that it basicaly drained the business account to $200. So when we went to menards to order the trusses and sheet metal for the new sugar shack she say's, do you want a pan or a roof? Well guess I spending tomorrow getting the old shack weather proof for one last year:lol:

I bottled up a quick 15 gal of syrup this weekend into quarts and half gallons. When I was done, I calculated the retail value over $800 and left the figure on the calculator for my wife to see when she walked into the kitchen. It made it much easier for her to digest the new syrup and finishing pan I'm looking into. Point of the story, sharing the income realized by sales makes the purchasing of new equiptment much more palatable, for her as well as for me:)

[shane hickey]

Yeah no more cutting wood gas line line finally in. Fell sorry for all you guys burning wood jj everything this year is mostly automated. Other then moving the barrels around. So all you guys with wood think of me when I sit back and relax and count the money going out the stacks. Shane

[GramaCindy]

Electrical is all done for the shack and wood is good to go. Put in a countertop on Sunday. Only about 200 things left to do.

[cpmaple]

few hours left to the day and another month gone by. But that is fine with me closer to getting some sap into the pans and enjoying good times with friends and family. CANT WAIT SPRING NEEDS TO GET HERE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!