My Homemade 2x4 arch

[Greg Freeze]

This is our second year and I told the wife if we were going to make syruo this year we were going to have to increase our boiling rate. So, I got some steel and got out the plasma cutter and welder. Here's some pics. Critique, comment or ridicule lol.536453655366536753685369

[Greg Freeze]

Well it won't let me upload the pics of the finished evaporator with a 2" wide rail around the top and legs with adjustable feet, so you'll just have to imagine until I get a pic up

[Tom59]

Thats awesome! Nice work with the plasma cutter, love the leaf.

[Murphy's Law]

Very nice! Please keep trying to post more pics. I love these builds and yours is special. Is that 3/8 plate? Is that a 6" flue conn? Are you going to put air injection ports under the grate? I know, I know . . . too many questions.:confused:

[CTsugarMan]

Awesome, can i get the plans, thats great!

[Z/MAN]

That looks great but my back hurts thinking how much it must weigh.

[3fires]

Looking real good!

[Murphy's Law]

That looks great but my back hurts thinking how much it must weigh.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. You better get that arch to it's final resting place to finish it.

[Greg Freeze]

Yeah it's heavy duty lol but, it's going to give off some good heat and the 3/16" was the right price lol. And I have plenty of access to equipment to move it. It's a 6" flue and I'd like to add air injection but that may be next year. As far as the plans...the arch is 5' long, the fire box is 32" high x 24" deep x 24" wide, the angle starts at 12" up from the bottom of the firebox and angles back to 3' from the front of the arch, the grates are 8" up from the bottom of the firebox, the door is set 2" up from the top of the grates, the back of the arch going to the flue is 6" high. I'll answer whatever questions you may have. I'll try to add some more pics tonight. It got moved to the lean-to where I'm going to cook yesterday. Thanks!...Enjoy

[backyard sugaring]

Your grandchildren someday will be making syrup on your new evaporator. Nice work. Good Luck this season. Lee

[fishman]

Just a tip, turn over your grate so the "V" is up. It catches some ash and keeps the grate from burning out so fast. Nice rig. It will probably survive a nuclear blast or even the Republicans.

[Greg Freeze]

OK, here's a few more pics. It's in the unfinished lean-to, as you can see the siding needs put up on the side lol.53865387

[Pete S]

From personal experience, I would reinforce the 3/16" plare on the pan side of the flue collar. I have a larger plate of 3/16" than you and thought it was fine. After a good days boil, it warped. Not real badly BUT for as nice as your rig is, I'd get'er dun!

Nice!

[Greg Freeze]

OK. Thanks Pete. I wouldn't have thought of that.

[chad]

I would recomend making the flu taper up from the the outside edge to the center. The reason for that is it allows the flame to go under the whole pan rather than funnel to the center. other than that she looks good.

[Greg Freeze]

Funny you say that Chad. I was going to exactly that and then I got to building it and totally forgot. I figure I'm going to get bored with 2x4 and cut the back half off and make it a 2x6 in a few years lol...then I'll raise that flue. I test boiled with water yesterday and got her up to a rip roar and then backed it down. The whole pan boiled nicely. Here's a few more pics

[Greg Freeze]

5445544654475448Boiled 60 gallons on Saturday. The cooker evaporated at 10 gph. I still I have quite a few improvements I'm looking into to up the evap rate, but I'm very satisfied for the first boil. Here's a few pics

[70 Buick]

I cant see anything

[jake1]

just wondering how you insulated? blanket and brick?

[CTsugarMan]

looks great greg!

next year im going to up grade, what made you make your own arch and not buy one, was the savings that great? and also if you dont mind me asking what is the thickness of the steel for the arch and how did you insulate it so you dont get alot heat lose?

do you have the dimensions of the arch? Im not the best welder but can melt steel so im not sure if i want build my own arch.. and where did you get that pan?

[Greg Freeze]

Jake, I haven't insulated it yet. It's built thick enough to not warp....1/4"...more like a wood burner. BUT, I'm going to insulate with archboard and then fire brick the fire box.

Sugarman, I love fabing. I built it at a fraction of the cost of a new one. I boiled yesterday and put a fan in front of the ash door...stand back lol. Next year I'm hoping for some type of air induction. I think the dimensions are somewhere in this thread. If not, I'll post them. The pan came from Stainless Steel Creations...you can Google them. Truth be told, I only have 200 in the arch plus 250 for the pan.

Greg

[3fires]

Very nice Greg.

[CTsugarMan]

WOW, thats a great savings... thats a good enough reason for me to make one. I hope to follow in your foot steps, and might be asking you questions if that's not a bother. best of luck with it, although you seem to know what your doing, im the one that need the luck lol

[Greg Freeze]

Yeah, no prob Sugarman. Just let me know. I'm no expert, but I'll share any info on my experience and design of my cooker. If I made one for somebody else, I would build an angle iron frame. Then I would sheet it in stainless steel or painted sheet metal. Then, I would insulate it and fire brick it on site. I built mine the way I did for heat while I was cooking and I have no issues with being cold lol. I'm going to have to insulate it because it's almost too hot to work around, but I'm not outside freezing like last year. I'll keep updating this thread as I tweak and insulate. Right now, at peak boiling, I'm cooking at roughly 12 gph. But, there's extra time involved to slow the fire down and get the syrup too nearly finish before I take it off. I haven't had enough sap to cook to try to finish it on the cooker.

Greg

[CTsugarMan]

thats a great idea, the angle iron... how would you connect the sheetmetal to the frame? weld it? Im no welder, but can stumble through it. im looking for the easiest way to get w real arch. Is it better to have the pan already and build around it? and how thick would you recommend the sheet metal be to fill in the frame with?

[Greg Freeze]

Myself, I would stitch weld it to the frame, but you could use screws to fasten it. You would definitely want to weld the frame together though. I would think 18 ga. would be fine. I would build it to fit a specific pan.

[Burnt sap]

Another way to get the fire under the whole pan is using a russian flue stagger the bricks under the pan about 6in apart. Works great!

[jake1]

self tapping screws work great, through the angle iron and itno your sheet metal, then it gives you a tackstrip inside to hold your blanket, but if your not using a blanket it might not work so well, also rivets work great, and look good too!