My homemade arch project

[raptorfan85]

Just thought Id share my progress on my arch build so far. Got the whole frame done with 2x2 1/8 angle iron. Im using 16ga to skin the sides. I have 2 pieces of 1/4 angle to hold up the bar stock im using for grates. Its 1 inch solid bar stock I got for free from work. They are spaced 1/2 inch apart. Im planning to use a small squirrel cage blower i have for AUF. So far all Ive bought was the sheet of 16ga for $70. Oh and the amazing smoky lake 2x4 hybrid pan! Cant wait to fire it up. Should be a huge improvment over the barrel stove from last year!
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[raptorfan85]

The sides are just tacked in place right now. Im going to stitch weld them. My thinking was once the ceramic blanket and brick is in there it should be pretty close to air tight so i shouldnt have to weld all the way around. Is that going to be a problem?

[raptorfan85]

Couple more pictures...
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Im going to have to cut out the back of the top rail so the pan can sit all the way back. The flues go right to the back of the pan. I was thinking about welding a piece of angle with the lip facing up so the pan can sit up against it at the very back.
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[Super Sapper]

Looks good and the enthusiasm you show is a reminder of why most of if not all of us started doing this. Keep the pictures and posts coming.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Do not fully weld the sides you will turn the side into a warped mess. Having some air infiltration from the small gaps on the side will not have any effect. Small stitch welds id better than fully welding.

[raptorfan85]

Thanks guys. Once the skin is welded on I'm going to start working on the exhaust outlet. How much space do I need between the back of the pan and the base stack? Also does anyone know the dimensions of the bottom (large) opening of a stainless 8 inch base stack? Are they all the same? I need to make a trip to bascoms but haven't had the time as of late.

[raptorfan85]

Made a little more progress after work today. Got the back panel of the fire box welded in along with stitch welding the sides in for good. Also got the grates done. I think im going to tack the solid rods to the support so they dont move while im tending to the fire box. In retrospect i should have put the supports in farther so the shafts could sit in farther. As they are now the supports are right at the end of the shafts. I left 3 1/4 inches on each side to allow for 1 inch of ceramic blanket and 2 1/4 for a full fire brick, so i welded the support angle iron in 3 1/4 inches. Should have been more like 4. I decided to wait to do the exhaust part until i get a base stack so i can mock it up. The little craftsman 110 welder and angle grinder are getting quite the workout! So far they are performing admirably ☺
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Im glad i just stitch welded the sides and didnt continuously weld them... would have taken hours and im sure they would be a wavy mess as Haynes stated before.

[raptorfan85]

Got the door pretty much finished today. The door is 5/16 plate. I used some 1/4 angle iron for the hinges. It actually works a lot smoother than i was anticipating, despite the fact that it weighs probably close to 30 pounds! I know its over built but its what I had. The handle is just some rebar with a spacer welded to the end so it can pivot at the door end. Theres a flange bolt welded to the door and it will have a pinch lock nut to hold it snug but alow it to pivot up and down. The finished opening is 14high and 20 wide. I figured bigger would be better for loading wood.

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The opening is angle iron and the door sits inside of it. With the ceramic blanket on it seals tight as a drum. Im really happy with how it came out.

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Those bolts on the inside are 1/2 stainless to hold the ceramic blanket on. Its going to have 2 more layers on the inside that fit tightly with the brick, once thats in. Next thing on the list is a latch for the handle and the ash door. 2 rolls of welding wire down, onto the third!

[raptorfan85]

This is the fan I was going to use for AUF. Its the power draft off an old coal stove I had. The only markings on it are for the motor itself... as far as i can tell its somewhere around 100cfm?

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Is this going to be big enough? I guess my thinking was any air is better than none! I can always run it naturally aspirated with the ash door open, but I still think it will work better with the blower. Any thoughts?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Draft induction fans are not as powerful as the type used for air injection. Yes it will make a difference in the combustion but not to the extent that you need. Blowing air thru restrictive nozzles takes a higher pressure blower.

[raptorfan85]

Thanks haynes. I wasn't going to use any kind of nozzle, I was going to bolt the blower to the back of the ash compartment. Then the air would come up through the grates was my thinking. If it needs to be bigger I will just get a bigger one.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Well now were getting closer to your needs. Have you ever just played around with a leaf blower blasting into your draft door? That will give you a good indication of what you will get BUT in reverse. I know guys that did just that and made a mess of the place without as much gain as they had hoped. You might consider a better grate system to get a more even distribution of the air coming up. Just making a whirlwind inside the combustion chamber will create more heat but will it make your pans more efficient?

[raptorfan85]

What kind of grates do you suggest? Upside down angle? Ive seen that on here before. I cant say that I have ever used a leaf blower in the draft door because I have never had anything with a draft door, although it sounds like something I would try! I used a turkey fryer my first year and last year was a cheapo barrel stove. Im honestly flying by the seat of my pants on this build. Im just trying to use ideas Ive seen on here to make a half way decent arch. Any improvments or help is greatly appreciated.

[maple flats]

Just try that blower as you had planned and see how it works. If you need more air try one about 2-3X the air, but in case it is too much, just make a "gate" to restrict the air inlet to the blower. Then you can just regulate it by partially closing the inlet air to the blower. The blower motor does better that way than using a rheostat. Some motors don't like running on a rheostat, rather than trying to figure out if your motor will run well using a rheostat, just make an adjustable inlet cover, all motors do well on them and they cost nothing to make. It can be a simple as a teardrop shape cover attached to the inlet side out beyond the area where the spinning squirrel cage is turning, just use a sheet metal screw or better yet a pop rivet. Test to be sure the fastener does not interfere with the spinning. The small one you have may not need one, but try it and see.

[Haynes Forest Products]

When I was a wood burner the first thing we did in the morning was clean out the ash pit. Now when I visit my wood burner friends they don't do that because most everything is blown out the stack in the form of sparks. Their blowers have nozzles that churn the flames and gasses around achieving the maximum amount of combustion and it blows the ash out the stack.

If you only want to blow some air around I would suggest grates that help restrict the air into a more orderly/spread out pattern. I have seen a simple rack system covered with fire brick with holes or slits in them to spread out the air. Because the air is blown in and you don't have a need for an ash pit you wont lose much room. You still need a higher output blower that you can restrict down.

differant woods will take differat amounts of air just like starting the fire requires let air to start. Give yourself options but don't undersize anything.

[Super Sapper]

On a 2x6 I think they recommend about 260 cfm of air so you will need a little more than what you have. A piece of duct tape partially covering the intake works well also.

[raptorfan85]

So the concensus is bigger blower, then restrict down the intake if needed, got it. I like the idea of the adjustable gate maple flats. That way I can play with it and see what works best. Once I am able to do a test boil I might have to play around with the grate options to get optimal combustion.

[phil-t]

Nice looking project.It should make some excelect syrup. I think your fan is going to need that restriction plate installed, like mentioned. I have a similar fan on my halfpint and usually have to restrict the intake by 1/2 or more. Like was said, the cutoff plate works well and I think is better than a rheostat.

[Haynes Forest Products]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Self-Cleaning-Cast-Aluminum-Blast-Gate-Cut-Off-Valve-for-Dust-Collector-ABG3/132100669779?hash=item1ec1d04153:g:4ysAAOSws8ZXHlV L:sc:USPSFirstClass!80111!US!-1

I have built a few blacksmiths forges and we put the blast gate on the discharge side of the blower. We then had a simple pull and push handle to open and close the air off completely so when you needed to adjust the heat you simply pulled the lever to your desired needs.

In the case of your evaporator when you need to open the door to load wood you slap the gate closed and the natural draft takes over sucking air into the arch doors allowing for a clean and safe loading. Efficiency of your evaporator is based on keeping the heat at maximum levels and that includes getting the door open and wood stuffed in ASAP the door closed and the air back up to 100%.

If you want to see an guy jump up and let out a warning scream just start to open his fire door before closing off the fan. on a intensofire arch. Now if you want to block off the intake and set the flow rate with a restricter plate and use the blast to turn on and off the air during firing. I see guys adjusting the arch air as the day and conditions change so quick adjustment is a nice feature.

[Super Sapper]

I have mine adjusted so I can just open the door without shutting off the AUF and I never lose the boil. I have increased the airflow to needing to shut down the blower when opening the door but while burning hotter it did not increase my boil rate. It just sent more heat and sparks out the chimney. You will have to play to see what works best for you.

[raptorfan85]

Yeah I figured there would be a "getting used to it" phase at the beggining to get things running optimaly. I do like the blast gate idea though. That way once I get everything adjusted the way I like I can just shut the gate, fuel up and open the gate again. No fussing with settings or shutting the blower down if need be. It might have to get worked into the build.

[raptorfan85]

Nice looking project.It should make some excelect syrup. I think your fan is going to need that restriction plate installed, like mentioned. I have a similar fan on my halfpint and usually have to restrict the intake by 1/2 or more. Like was said, the cutoff plate works well and I think is better than a rheostat.

Thanks phil. I hope it makes some good syrup, and a lot faster then the old barrel stove.

[raptorfan85]

So thinking about the plumbing for the blast gate... the blower is going to be mounted under the arch. Mounting the gate between the blower and the arch is going to put it in a hard to reach area. Could I put a piece of pipe coming off the intake side of the blower out to where it is more accessable and use the gate to shut off the intake air instead of the output?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Don't complicate it. Just mount the blast gate at the arch opening with the blower where ever you want. Like I was saying just put a lever, rod, stick anything to open and close it. Just a simple lever that is mounted on the side of the arch. I see that some manufactures use the same cables they use for power take offs or hydraulic pto's. They lock in place and allow you to work in a standing position. Were starting to complicate the simple.

[Haynes Forest Products]

https://www.zoro.com/buyers-products-pto-cable-control-type-240-l-steel-r38d6x20/i/G0211309/

Just hard mount the blast gate and blower and then use this cable mounted up near the door so you can shut gate open door and toss in the wood all in about 90 seconds unless you want make it into a major project.

[maple flats]

When I was a wood burner the first thing we did in the morning was clean out the ash pit. Now when I visit my wood burner friends they don't do that because most everything is blown out the stack in the form of sparks. Their blowers have nozzles that churn the flames and gasses around achieving the maximum amount of combustion and it blows the ash out the stack.
Haynes, I get no sparks with high pressure AOF, but did before I added that. I have high pressure Air over fire (AOF) and high pressure air under fire (AUF). My blower is turned on after about 1 minute of lighting the fire and does not get shut off until after the coals at the end of the boil are nearly gone. With AOF the sparks are consumed under the pans, well before they exit the stack, Ash does blow out the stack but with no visible sparks, even on the darkest nights.
I have a forge, but I use no blast gate to adjust, however mine is a #400 hand crank blower, not an electric.

[Haynes Forest Products]

The CDL 3x10 a friend has pumps sparks 20 ft into the air and the screen at the top is packed with sparks. Its impressive.

I watched a 2 man competitive farrier team that made just the horse shoe. They had their forge set up with a blast gate and a big lever that they used to regulate the flow with. They were using Coke as the fuel and they would walk up to the forge and slap the steel into the coals and hit the lever things came alive. So I stole their idea.

[raptorfan85]

I really like the idea of the blast gate but I'm starting to think that the gate itself is maybe making things more complicated then they need to be. I already have to wire up a blower so I think a simple on off switch by the door would be much easier. Kinda like the one in this video by Smoky lake.
http://https://youtu.be/HQPYXBiGheM
If it works for a big producer then it must work pretty well. Yeah it won't be instant on/off as the fan speeds up and slows down but I can wait a couple seconds. Simpler is better right?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Sure.






If you want to save on electricity you can have your wife crank it by hand and then you don't need the switch then you can just slap her up side the head to stop cranking right before you open the door. Glad we could help.

[Haynes Forest Products]

That last post was strictly meant. tongue in cheek.

[tcross]

i wouldn't recommend the wife approach. when i give mine the slightest, fun loving nudge, i have to immediately duck and cover; cuz there's a hay-maker coming back my way! she's awfully tiny, but man can she swing!

i have a switch right by my fire box to shut the fan off and on. it works very well!

[Haynes Forest Products]

Well when it comes to the level of complication I have been in houses that had childproof toilet seats and I ended up using the sink because they complicated a dang toilet seat. OK so you have the switch I get that you need the switch all electrical devises need switches. Now you need a way to REGULATE the air flow so you can do it with a simple flapper under the arch on the motor and you can bend over and reach under the hot arch and REGULATE it every so often throughout the day for the best burn possible. That sounds uncomplicated and a hoot.

Now when I look at the big boy arches I see thru the door site glasses and on the side of the arch a lever giving you the ability to adjust the air flow for the BEST heat possible. If you choose the one size fits all approach and your happy with that then by all means do that. Just please don't use the words "best efficiency" and "I want it simple and without the ability to regulate it" in the same discussion. If you like twisting a cheap dimmer switch every few minutes trying to get a consistent burn and replacing your motor down the road, have at it.

If you don't mind having the wind blow down your flue stack blowing ashes back thru your blower duct work because you choose option C-D and E That's fine. YUP seen it happen. Didn't harm anything other than blows out when you start it up. Now most new style air injected combustion chambers have smaller openings so blow back doesn't happen but a simple 3 or 4" opening into the back of the chamber has its pros and Cons and we get to use the word UN complicated.

[raptorfan85]

Just trying to keep things somewhat simple Haynes. I'm just grateful that the wife brings me beer while I'm boiling. She's more rugged then most guys I know so I don't want to test my luck... She's a hot blooded Mexican.

[raptorfan85]

I probably should have said this in the beginning but this is my first big welding project. I've done a few little things here and there but nothing even close to this size. I had never seen an arch before I went to bascoms last year. I've never seen a real arch up and running, or even one with sap in the friggin pans! I had$2000 to spend on Maple equipment this year and decided that rather then buy an arch with a flat pan I would get something with flues Incase I want to add more taps like everyone says. That left me with the option to build my own arch, so that's were I'm at on this project. It seems like you're getting upset Haynes and that's not my intention. When I say I would like to keep things uncomplicated it's because I either don't know what I'm exactly doing or I don't feel I have the skills necessary to do it the right way. I'd like to build my arch as "optimal" as possible and stay within my skill set is all.

[buckeye gold]

Hey raptor don't sweat it Haynes is a good sport.......when you want him to stop just slap him up side the head:lol:

[raptorfan85]

Wait I thought I was supposed to be slapping the wife upside the head not haynes? :lol: no problems. I love the blast gate idea, but with my skills it would most likely look like crap and probably function like crap.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I'm not upset at all. I did judge you by your work and that is what made me believe you have way more talent than a guy with a refrigerator skin a pop rivet gun. Trust me this simple blast gate is a simple solution. I know Jim puts switches on the sides of his arches and that's fine. You need a switch for the motor up high out of reach of kits. The blast gate linkage is as simple as a threaded gate stiffener from Home Depot. The gate is $12.00 and if you send me your address Ill be more than happy to send you one. Ill put my money where my Know It All Attitude is and that's it Ill send you one and you will never regret it. Had to throw that in :)

[raptorfan85]

Screw it ill give it a shot. Dont know until you try right? I do love the idea of just using a lever to adjust the air inlet. And if it doesnt work out ill just make haynes pay for it.

I was thinking a couple 4 inch exhaust pieces on each side of the gate? One to the arch and the other to the blower motor. Then I can weld a plate to the 4 inch pipe to bolt the motor to. Sound reasonable? Not sure how else to connect a round pipe to a rectangular flange on the blower...

[Hunt4sap]

Ok tried to look back on this thread and decifer what a blast gate is or what exactly it's going to do?
Anyone have a picture of one, or just draw one on stove and say when it's used and for what purpose in conjunction with AUF?

[Haynes Forest Products]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Self-Cleaning-Cast-Aluminum-Blast-Gate-Cut-Off-Valve-for-Dust-Collector-ABG3/132100669779?hash=item1ec1d04153:g:4ysAAOSws8ZXHlV L:sc:USPSFirstClass!80111!US!-1

[Hunt4sap]

So that would be mounted on the intake side of AUF fan?

[Haynes Forest Products]

This is where pride and workmanship come in. Both of these things don't cost a thing but they give one of the best feelings imaginable. I have seen guys use a crappity crap flex dryer hose on a blower just laying on the floor with a plug in the wall as his off switch.


I would mount the blast gate right up close to the back of the arch so it is securely mounted. That way your lever will be mounted securely in a convenient location easy to reach. The rest of the duct work can be ABS or PVC. The blower can be 10 ft away as long as you have one that has the power.

[raptorfan85]

Yeah that was my thinking also, use a short section of steel pipe right off the arch maybe 4 inches long or so. Mount the gate to that so it's rigidly mounted and then another short piece of pipe off the gate to the blower. I'd use heavy band clamps at the connections. That way the whole assembly is quite rigid and doesn't move when I open or close the gate.

[raptorfan85]

So that would be mounted on the intake side of AUF fan?

It goes between the blower and the arch to regulate the amount of air to the fire.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Nothing goes on the intake side of the blower it stays wide open for max air flow. Your blast gate does both, it turns on the air flow and if you chose to it can be used to regulate the air flow to your combustion chamber allowing you to customize it.

For you NASCAR fans..............................We ain't running no stinking restrictor plates its wide open racing baby!!

[raptorfan85]

Got a few small things done today. Got the ash door done. I put 2 layers of ceramic blanket on the inside. One layer sits inside the opening and the second sits over the opening to try and make it as air tight as possible. Theres 2 stainless blots welded through to the inside with a piece of angle iron to hold the blanket on.
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The door is framed with angle and 16ga steel as the skin. I still need to figure out some kind of latch system to keep it closed tightly. Not sure how im going to do that yet. As it is now it seals up pretty good.
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I also got a small latch done for the main firebox handle to keep it closed. I need to figure out some kind of handle. Id like to do one of those coiled wire handles like on wood stoves. I will have to look and see if they sell just the handle.
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I have a lot of welds to clean up. Not having gas to weld with and using flux core makes a friggin mess. Gonna be lots of prep work before paint... its also nice to see my welds getting better as the project goes on. The more welds I do the better they look. Learning a lot along the way.

[raptorfan85]

I ordered a new blower. The old one wasnt going to be big enough. I found the manual for the stove it came off and it was only rated at 75cfm. This is the one I ordered:
https://www.grainger.com/product/1TDR3?cm_mmc=EMT-_-OrderConf2018NavBar-_-OnlineGuest-KPIRPE-_-Item&RIID=146361266&GID=&mid=OrderConfirmation&rfe=10b94f67419e390d8de56b835a3586a2536eb6bf5ccfa3 73454a52c426327141&gcrfe=10b94f67419e390d8de56b835a3586a2536eb6bf5ccf a373454a52c426327141
I also got the blast gate ordered
https://www.grainger.com/product/54GZ03?cm_mmc=EMT-_-OrderConf2018NavBar-_-OnlineGuest-KPIRPE-_-Item&RIID=146361266&GID=&mid=OrderConfirmation&rfe=10b94f67419e390d8de56b835a3586a2536eb6bf5ccfa3 73454a52c426327141&gcrfe=10b94f67419e390d8de56b835a3586a2536eb6bf5ccf a373454a52c426327141
You owe me 11.40 haynes, I'll cover shipping:lol:

[Hunt4sap]

I'm asking this for my own help to understand auf blast gate/ fan b/c I'm going to use one on my build...
I've read other threads on this subject along, and with Haynes comment about a blast gate doing both the start of the fan and regulating airflow to auf?
In my own mind the fan would be powered on as soon as the wood starts to heat sap in pan, and stay powered till done evaporating, and the gate would most likely be opened/ given max airflow to fire after each time it's re- loded with wood and closed/ airflow minimized to fire when boil gets too aggressive or right before you open door to stoke fire?sound like others standard operation or am I way off in my thoughts/ plans for my upgrade this year?

[Haynes Forest Products]

please send me your address in a PM I would be honored to pay for the gate plus shipping. Man if you can get good weld with flux core your a better welder than me. You are going to be so proud when you light that baby up for the first time and stand around and slap that gate back and forth marveling at what you did. I expect a PM with the address ASAP.

[Haynes Forest Products]

There are levels of involvement in the sport of syrup making. I burn oil and do everything on the day to day operation. Once the trees are tapped and all systems are in place Its me and me only. I don't have time to sit around and admire my work like you guys that are in it for strictly the fun. I strap myself in and flip the switch and hang on for the ride. I love what I do but at times it overwhelms me. I like simplicity thats why I burn oil. Now I know guys that burn wood and will throw in 1/2 a tuff shed with shingles on it but they still adjust the controls to get max combustion. Over time you will add to your rig to make it your own.

[raptorfan85]

I'm asking this for my own help to understand auf blast gate/ fan b/c I'm going to use one on my build...
I've read other threads on this subject along, and with Haynes comment about a blast gate doing both the start of the fan and regulating airflow to auf?
In my own mind the fan would be powered on as soon as the wood starts to heat sap in pan, and stay powered till done evaporating, and the gate would most likely be opened/ given max airflow to fire after each time it's re- loded with wood and closed/ airflow minimized to fire when boil gets too aggressive or right before you open door to stoke fire?sound like others standard operation or am I way off in my thoughts/ plans for my upgrade this year?

Sounds like you pretty much got the idea. Start your fire, once its up and going start the fan. Then you can adjust the blast gate to get the AUF adjusted to how you want it. Then when you go to fire shut the gate. That way ash and smoke and fire dont come out the door when you open it. Then when you close the door open the gate back up. Im going to put some kind of scale for reference so you can get it back in the same possition when you open it. Kinda like the throttle on a lawn mower.

[raptorfan85]

There are levels of involvement in the sport of syrup making. I burn oil and do everything on the day to day operation. Once the trees are tapped and all systems are in place Its me and me only. I don't have time to sit around and admire my work like you guys that are in it for strictly the fun. I strap myself in and flip the switch and hang on for the ride. I love what I do but at times it overwhelms me. I like simplicity thats why I burn oil. Now I know guys that burn wood and will throw in 1/2 a tuff shed with shingles on it but they still adjust the controls to get max combustion. Over time you will add to your rig to make it your own.

I make syrup because I love to do it. I did it with my grandpa growing up. I can see how when you ge to your level it could take a lot of the fun out of it. The fact that I can make something myslef and enjoy it means a lot. Im sure if I was doing production like you max efficiency would be everything so making my own equipment probably wouldnt cut it. But the fact that I made it makes me enjoy it that much more I guess.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I agree with you I still do it because I love it I love the process as much as the product. Trust me I travel from Denver/Parker Colorado to Sturgeon Bay Wisc. I take a month and a half away from my family and spend it losing money. I drive from 70 degree sunny days to overcast fudged weather to do this sport. I dent up my truck and usually break a few things and spend way more than I make. I love making my own equipment and spend a lot of time with other producers playing around with their shacks.

Carry on boys your doing what we all did when we got started and trust me when I say you are starting the right way.................Making mistakes all along the way just like most of us did. I would love the share a few beers and really tell you stupid stuff I did.

[Hunt4sap]

Okay, thanks guys
Does it take a specific type of a motor to handle being run against a closed gate type scenario?
Another word so the motor doesn't get overloaded constantly...

[Haynes Forest Products]

Does not appear to have any effect on them. No more than when its blowing 1/2 restricted. I think because no air is leaving the fan air can't enter the fan so they kind of free wheel.

[raptorfan85]

More updates coming your way. So operations have been forced outdoors... apparently the welding fumes are to "noxious" to be done in the basement anymore, psht. I finally got the back stack section done. Its all made from 1/4" plate. Its all "repurposed" for all you green people. The only thing bad about that is there were several holes i had to fill in with weld. That being said it wasn't to much of a problem. It was an adventure in welding. The little 110 craftsman got her moneys worth. It shut down several times. I had it cranked up to max amps and wire feed only on 4 to burn those suckers right in on the 1/4 plate. I used a couple pieces of 1/4 angle to mount the stack. All in all I think it came out pretty well.

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95 percent of the fab work is done. Still waiting on a couple pieces to get the blower and blast gate put on. Im going to use a lever instead of a cable for the blast gate. Once I can get the gate mounted I can mock up the lever and get it put into place permenantly. Next up after that is cleanup and paint. Feels like Im finaly in the home stretch! Its been a lot of work so far.

Heres what she looks like without the pan. If you can see the white birch trellis in the background, thats where my wife and I were married one year ago yesterday! Best day of my life, so far. Lol.

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[raptorfan85]

Heres one with the pan on. Shes looking sexy! Need to come up with a name for the old pig. Thinking saposaurous because it weights a ton!

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I did christen it with some beer on the hot welds... felt it was necessary considering the hours its taken up.

[raptorfan85]

While trying to wrestle the beast back into the basement this morning I decided it needs wheels until it has a permenant home... I will be boiling outside this year until I can build a sugar shack.

[raptorfan85]

Got the blast gate finished. Its connected to some 4 inch exhaust pipe to the arch. Then it took some more 4 inch pipe and welded a square flange to mate it to the blower. Theres a piece of angle iron running across the bottom that it all bolts to that makes it quite rigid. I used some 3/8 threaded rod and 2 clevises for the connection rod to the control lever. Im really happy with how it turned out and how easy it works.

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I also got some wheels put on. I couldnt think of any practical way to make casters that would do what I need. It has to roll over grass and dirt and bumps, although not very far, so I needed some bigger wheels. It still light enough so I can lift the back end quite easily to steer it.

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[raptorfan85]

Heres the control lever for the blast gate. Its right up front and easy to grab and adjust. I put a scale so I can tell where the gate is set to, and because I felt like it needed it. You can see that I got A real handle put on the door too.

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I also put a shutoff switch on the other side. I didnt think of it at the time but I think its right below my draw off port... if thats the case I will just put a nipple to extend the draw off out a little farther.

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I ran 1/2 inch conduit down the side to the blower. I used stand off brackets to keep it from getting to hot if it was right against the arch.

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Heres the front with all its controls. Air control lever on left, shutoff switch on right.

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I was 1 can of paint short, cound not finish the ash door. I will have to pick some more rustoleum bbq black up. The only things left are seal kt up with some high temp calking and insulate and brick it. Then a test boil.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Raptorfan Great looking build and you had us thinking you didn't know how think out side the arch. When I saw the side profile of the arch all I could think of was someone is going to motorize one of these and start racing them. You could use the blast gate handle as you throttle. Once again nice work your going to be having a blast......................YUP it was intended.

[phil-t]

That test boil is going to be awesome. Great looking build.

[raptorfan85]

Thanks guys. I cant wait to try it out. Only 6 months until I can make some syrup on it :mad:

Competative downhill arch racing... sounds like something I would try Haynes! Your puns are always welcome, however cheesy they are.

[billschi]

I have a guy near me who scraps metal. He has all kinds of broken riding lawn mowers, I get the front tires from those or from the snow blowers. They work well for moving my 3-400 pound arch around.

[mol1jb]

I really like the blast gate control lever.

[raptorfan85]

Lawn mower tires never crossed my mind, and I have access to several. Should have thought of that sooner. Thanks for the tip billschi.

Thanks mol1jb. It took me a while to lay it out and get it to work how I wanted but Im glad I took the time to do it. Cant wait to try it out.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I'm thinking that maybe you need to just use the entire self propelled mower as your drive unit and then its time to move it you can fire that Toro up and motor your way back home.

[raptorfan85]

Been a while since I was able to work on the evaporator. I sealed it up as best I could with some rutland refactory caulking. It was a pain to get in the seams. I found the best way to do it was put on some nitrile gloves and get in there with my hands and smear it in where I needed it. Seemed to work the best. I also Got the insulation in. Its 1 inch 8# ceramic blanket. The whole inside is covered. The door will have 3 layers when all is said and done.

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[raptorfan85]

After it was all isulated it was time to lay some brick... let me start by saying that it was way more work then I thought it would be. I found out soon after I started that I clearly had bought the wrong trowel. Theres not a straight edge on the thing! Im clearly not a mason either, and Ive never done any masonry work. That being said I think it came out ok.

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Thats as much as my arthritic hands could do for one night. Ill continue with it later this week until its done.

[maple flats]

You're doing fine, keep up the good work. I know all about arthritic hands, or at least thumbs and 1 pointer finger.

[raptorfan85]

Thanks maple flats. It's not the prettiest bricking job ever but I know it will last. I went heavy on the refractory and made sure I pressed them together to get a good seal. A lot of the refractory smooshed out so it ended up being a little messy. I think lll skim coat the inside after to clean it up some.

The hands don't perform like they used to. The joys of getting older.

[raptorfan85]

So the firebox is fully bricked. All full bricks, and the flat part under the flues is also full bricks. I know its not needed but it was how I had planned it out before I knew that I could just use blanket so they were needed to take up the space under the flues. Theres still a bigger gap then I would like, I will probably end up sliding another piece of blanket under the flues. I had a small fire to cure the refractory last night. Everything went really well. I think I might need one more section of smoke pipe. I have 7 feet right now. It was surprisingly air tight as well. There was one small area where the blower connects to the back with some ash coming out that I will have to seal up.

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Im incredibly happy with how well the door seals and keeps heat in. After almost an hour of fire the outside of the door was still cool to the touch. In the picture you can see the inside of the door. The outer layer of ceramic blanket sits inside of the door opening frame and against the front of the arch sealing it up. The inner 2 layers sit snug inside the opening and are flush with the brick inside the firebox. Very happy with it. I would bet it seals air tight.

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[raptorfan85]

So here it is! The final product! Its been a lot of work and time. I couldnt be happier with how it came out. I put my twists on it and its my own. My best project to date and Im proud to say I built it.

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[n8hutch]

Looks great, you are going to have a lot of fun boiling with that.

[raptorfan85]

Here's a video of the test boil. It was about 19 gph at full throttle during the boil. Sorry for all the posts... I'm just happy to be done with it and proud to have built it myself.

https://youtu.be/9s0HcTrDyq0

[phil-t]

That's awesome! You are going to have a LONG winter, waiting for that first sap run. :cool:

[Z/MAN]

Great looking rig. I also built my own and it is great when you see how much great syrup you will make. Well done.

[maple flats]

Good job. I think it will boil even harder when you get more wood in the firebox. It should be about 3/4 full side to side and front to back in the firebox when filled, then when refilled it should still have 1/4-1/3 full remaining. After you get a couple more feet of stack, try just once opening the door with the air on full. See if you get anything out the front. If yes, close the gate every time, if not, leave the gate open. I think it will all depend on how well the stack draws.
When you add wood, have it ready to go in before you open the door and add it as fast as you can without risking hitting the flues and denting them, or denting the bottom of the pan itself.
Also, split it a little smaller, it will do best if no dimension is over wrist size, a couple of the highest pieces seen when you opened the door in the video are larger, or else you are a real big dude.

[raptorfan85]

I will be sure to fill the firebox more next time. I was a little hesitant because it was the first time I've used it. I did try to open the door with the blower on and fire came shooting out the door. I'll try again with some more stack. The wood was literally 2x4s. I'll split them in half next time and see if that helps. Thanks for all the advice.

Phil-t, only 135 days, but who's counting?

[Super Sapper]

Looks great, it should boil even better after you get a good routine down. Make sure your grate is completely covered or else your auf will short circuit around the wood and coals. It takes about 2 hours for it to heat up and max out, that is when to experiment with your wood and air. If you have a great boil in the back but not the front and your stack is glowing you may need to cut back a little on the air. Have fun tweaking and they you will need to find more taps.