Dryer arch build... variation on the barrel arch !

[smokeyamber]

Ok, so this season I decided to upgrade my barrel arch5744 to a "real" arch. But being cheap i hit upon a cheap and easy build option. Starting with an old dryer I gutted the internals .. 5743 and using two twin bed frames build a framework for the rest of the arch, the dryer top got used for the bottom of the back of the arch. Amazingly the dimensions on this dryer made for a nice sized arch. 29" wide overall and in my case I went with a overall 6ft length. 5745 Pans are plain steel and I used 2 sheets of 18gauge to make a 29x24 front pan and a 29x36 rear pan57465747. This was MIG welded and fittings were soldered in for connections and draw-off. All this was done as the sap was flowing and thanks to the snowpiles and sap cubes I was barely able to finish the build in time :o to boil. It turned out to work way better than my old setup, but of course many modifications will be done for next season !

So if you have an old dryer and a couple of bed frames .. this is a very cheap option ! :cool:

[smokeyamber]

Oh, here it is at boil !!!

5748

[70 Buick]

Very cool, love the innovation

do you have a pic of it all finished?
would love to see it

[Bucket Head]

That is very unsafe! I would not operate that again until you reinstall the lint filter.

Lol, nice job. This maple syrup making thing is fun, is'nt it?

[smokeyamber]

No great pics of it done... 5749 , this is when we were moving it to the shack...

Yeah, no lint screen on this sucker anymore... I tried to use internal ducting though for the draft :)

You won't find many hobbies that let you do this kind of stuff , I mean figuring out how to BOIL WATER fast ? I love it ! :D

[smokeyamber]

That is very unsafe! I would not operate that again until you reinstall the lint filter.

Lol, nice job. This maple syrup making thing is fun, is'nt it?

Looked at your setup BucketHead, very cool ! you still boiling outside ? Your pics are awesome !

[sirsapsalot]

WOW this has me thinking. I could use a washer turn it on its side, blow air through the holes in the drum and have AOF and also AOF just like the big guys.

[Bucket Head]

SmokeyAmber,

Thanks! A lot of work went into our operation over the years to get it to where we are now. Sometimes you get headaches from trying to figure out how to boil water! Lol. Yeah, I'm still outside. That might change this summer, we'll see. I'd love to have a roof over everything- I've wanted one for years. But when you start figuring the cost of materials, insurance for a shack, what the future tax assesment might be, all that starts to scare you off a bit. I've wrestled with the idea so much that sometimes I get a headache from that too, lol!!

[smokeyamber]

WOW this has me thinking. I could use a washer turn it on its side, blow air through the holes in the drum and have AOF and also AOF just like the big guys.

Go for it !!! Tear one apart first, and see how it would work. I thought I could use the drum, but it didnt work out. The ducting though could be used for AOF and AUF , I just ran out of time to do it.:-|

Still have the drum and plan to use it for somthing ...

[Rugburn]

SmokeyAmber,

Thanks! A lot of work went into our operation over the years to get it to where we are now. Sometimes you get headaches from trying to figure out how to boil water! Lol. Yeah, I'm still outside. That might change this summer, we'll see. I'd love to have a roof over everything- I've wanted one for years. But when you start figuring the cost of materials, insurance for a shack, what the future tax assesment might be, all that starts to scare you off a bit. I've wrestled with the idea so much that sometimes I get a headache from that too, lol!!

Yeah I agree, NYS property and school taxes have dicouraged people from building in our state! To sidestep this I housed my evaporator in one of those tarp covered buildings (portable/no taxes), It's chuck wagon shaped. I was worried about melting the tarp, but there is so much steam moisture it didn't melt. I have one open end with the tail end of the evaporator and stack sticking out on the down wind side. Love the dryer arch idea! Best of luck to you.

[smokeyamber]

SmokeyAmber,

Thanks! A lot of work went into our operation over the years to get it to where we are now. Sometimes you get headaches from trying to figure out how to boil water! Lol. Yeah, I'm still outside. That might change this summer, we'll see. I'd love to have a roof over everything- I've wanted one for years. But when you start figuring the cost of materials, insurance for a shack, what the future tax assesment might be, all that starts to scare you off a bit. I've wrestled with the idea so much that sometimes I get a headache from that too, lol!!

The only solution is to move to Vermont... I did... I do have to keep the number of structures and their size down or incur tax assessment issues, but other than that issue I can build anything... Seems a shame we have to worry about such things, but it does keep us scheming of ways around them :cool: The mobile shack idea is one others have done, easy enough to build on a dual axle trailer frame and it is instantly portable which is nice if you decide to move it around. I considered it myself for the moving option, but then built my sheds on skids so they can get dragged around as decorum dictates.

Your rig sure would look nice in a shack and you would really enjoy it as well. I boiled in the driveway for the first 4 years and while working under the stars is awesome, the rain is not so...hope you get only nice days if you continue to boil outside !