Bottling Table

[SevenCreeksSap]

868186808679

I made a table to hold my Smoky Lake finisher/bottler, which so far we've only used for bottling with the steam pan. Not such a huge deal to weld together some metal, but all the metal came from the frame of a recliner couch some D#^%& bag threw out along the road near our sugarbush. I saw it laying there and figured I could use the metal for something, so stripped it apart and put the foam parts in the garbage truck. Welded up the table frame to fit the pan.

The wood is ........ Drumroll please ......... Sugar Maple!! From a log that had uprooted and laid for about three years, and since I got a portable sawmill decided to cut it up into rough cut boards. was only about a 12 in tree so not wide boards, but since it has laid there has some interesting worm holes and spalting in the grain. pretty cool, I'm making a toybox for the new grandkids with the rest.

added a little shelf that flips back for 1/2 gallon bottles, which is the biggest we use so far, and flips forward to hold pints and half pints up closer to the spigot.
I might urethane the wood and see what it looks like, usually comes out nice and very tough finish.

Total cost of the table ( not counting buying the saw, of course) $ 0.00

[G&D MapleSurgaring]

Looks Good!!

[wishlist]

Won't be long and you'll be using the table. Nice job! :)

Oh, this Sparty did see one issue that irks me. That darn buckeye jug!

[maple flats]

Looks nice. Make sure when the burner is on under the canner, that it won't get too hot along the sides of the rig. On my canner at least, the front and back set tight, while there is about a 1/8" gap on each side (corners are just overlap welded). If yours is the same be sure to seal it with a gasket to keep from starting an unwanted fire. I like the little shelf to raise the bottle. Do you have one in each height need for all the container sizes you use?
While at the sugarhouse today I looked closer at my canner. The gap on mine is 5/8", not 1/8 as I had remembered. My guess is that Leader designs it to vent out each side. I know that space has melted my filter press discharge hose a couple times, but not completely thru. I did finally cut the hose at the damage recently as I was extending the hose and adding cam lock SS disconnects. Now I can either attach the original J hook, or I can connect to my barrel filler with overflow protection.

[SevenCreeksSap]

Gotta have the Ohio jugs!! The ones I got this year are bacon jugs and have a Cardinal, our state bird. Someday we'll make enough to get our own label.

I was looking at the wood and the fire ring also and there is a metal lip hanging down between the wood and the flame, but I do think it will need some work. I have a barrel I may cut roundish pieces from and mount along the inside of that lip, and some gasket is a good idea. Thanks

[Sweet Shady Lane]

looks very nice, one mans junk is another mans treasure