home made air tight front.

[John Burton]

well I have been boiling on my new homemade airtight front for a week now. wow what a difference in wood consumption and heat loss. i havent really had enough sap to get a good boil rate avarage. only 75 gallons a day on 300 taps. wife misses all the heat that used to come through doors. I told her to learn how to boil and shee'd be plent warm. I patterend it after the leader style. took arch front to local fab shop had a 3/16 front cut and door pan bent.that plus all other dimension stock was $225 latch was $25 with shipping pins and washers fom leader 70 plus shipping. insulation around 65 ( bought alot extra , never seems like you can have enough) from cdl plus time in my shop to fab it up . good freind has a 2.5 x 8 with one and almost tipped over when he saw it and heard price of mine his cost around 1300 when he got it..

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

John,

Post some pics if you get a chance. The airtight fronts are nice, but I agree, sure are a ton overpriced. The biggest problem to building one is to find someone that will take the time to work with you and be willing to do it right. :?

[WF MASON]

Atta Boy John , your taking the bread and butter right out of the big threes mouths.
And a great feeling of ,'I did it myself.'

[saphead]

That's the same thing I'm going to do. We have a nice plasma torch @ work and a well equiped fab shop.If Keith will let me ,after the season I'll measure up his rig and make up my own drawings and have at it...sometime.I'll buy the grates, latch, stack base and purchasa everything else I'll need locally.

[John Burton]

so far so good have almost surpassed last years output with half the wood. ill try to get some pictures up after the season . 600 gallons boiled in 48 hours... one man gang to collect lug wood and boil pretty tired but very happy non the less..

[SUGARSMITH]

I would like to see a few oicturs of that myself. I agree, they are way overpriced.

[220 maple]

I had a dealer for the big three suggest I find a junked outdoor wood stove, They have air tight doors, which could be used as a replacement door. He could have tried to sale a factory made door. he knows the money I save on a door I will spend on other things in the maple field.
And I will most likely spend it with him.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Wouldn't have been Henry would it?? :D

[220 maple]

Brandon,
You are correct. Every maple producer needs a dealer like him.
He gets alot of my business because of things just like that.

Mark 220 maple

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Can't beat Henry or most of the other Amish you deal with. :D