How much wood will I need

[calvertbrothers]

I’ve been digging around on here trying to figure out how much wood I need for this season. Do to day job and getting trees thinned in new sugar bush I only have 500 taps this year on vacuum. I have a 2x6 with max pan and blower with airtight arch. And plan on bringing my sap to 8% with ro. Last year I boiled but got my wood from a pile so I don’t know how much I used. I have 3 full cords of ash and hard maple mix, 1 full cord of poplar and a face cord of pine, would that be enough?

[Russell Lampron]

I have a 2x6 with an airtight arch and concentrate to 14% I have 725 taps on vacuum and use less than 3 cords of wood. My wood is usually a mixture of pine and hardwood, about 50/50. I figure 1 cord of wood for 100 gallons of syrup and most seasons it's pretty close to that.

[calvertbrothers]

I have a 2x6 with an airtight arch and concentrate to 14% I have 725 taps on vacuum and use less than 3 cords of wood. My wood is usually a mixture of pine and hardwood, about 50/50. I figure 1 cord of wood for 100 gallons of syrup and most seasons it's pretty close to that.
So at 8% I should be in the ball park of 75 gallons per cord?

[Russell Lampron]

So at 8% I should be in the ball park of 75 gallons per cord?

I think that was what I used to get when I concentrated to 8%. I had a blower but not an airtight arch back then.

[calvertbrothers]

I think that was what I used to get when I concentrated to 8%. I had a blower but not an airtight arch back then.
Alright perfect thanks for the information!

[Dennis H.]

I run a 2x5 and collect sap from about 220 taps. I push that thru an RO to get it about 8-9%.
I end up using about 1 1/2 cords of wood.
I do not use forced draft but I do have an air front door on the arch.

In the end I make about 50 gals.

[Wmmaple]

Assuming you guys are talking a bush cord when your estimating gallons per cord?

[Russell Lampron]

Assuming you guys are talking a bush cord when your estimating gallons per cord?

I'm talking a 128 cubic foot cord. What's a bush cord, 4'x4'x8'?

[phil-t]

I'm talking a 128 cubic foot cord. What's a bush cord, 4'x4'x8'?

:) Been A long time since I heard that term - Bush Cord. Yes, it's the measure of a full cord of wood - 4X4X8 = 128 cu. ft.

[Wmmaple]

I'm talking a 128 cubic foot cord. What's a bush cord, 4'x4'x8'?

Lol. Yes a bush cord is 4'x4'x8'. Sorry still a common term in my neck of the woods. Thanks for the clarity, I hope to do 20 to 30 gallons at 2% so I should have enough dry wood ready this year. It shows how much an R.O cuts down on the cutting and splitting for sure. Thanks again.

[buckeye gold]

Here in Hillbilly land it's a full cord/bush cord 4x4x8 or face cord or rick 4x2x8

[Russell Lampron]

Lol. Yes a bush cord is 4'x4'x8'. Sorry still a common term in my neck of the woods. Thanks for the clarity, I hope to do 20 to 30 gallons at 2% so I should have enough dry wood ready this year. It shows how much an R.O cuts down on the cutting and splitting for sure. Thanks again.

So now I know what a bush cord is. I have been around firewood my whole life and never heard that term before. When I boiled raw sap I didn't have a blower and it took about 1 "bush" cord of wood to make 10 gallons of syrup with my 2x6.

[phil-t]

So now I know what a bush cord is. I have been around firewood my whole life and never heard that term before. When I boiled raw sap I didn't have a blower and it took about 1 "bush" cord of wood to make 10 gallons of syrup with my 2x6.

:) And what was the sugar content of the raw sap?
I've run 3.7- 3.9 for the two years I've been at it. Using a Leader half-pint, I made 15 gal of syrup last season and used ~ 1 "bush cord" of decent hardwood with some pine and hemlock (lumber peices left over from my garage build) and a little exotic hardwood (peices of kiln dried) from a cabinet maker that is near by. My experience last year was that the hardwood far outperformed the other stuff.

[1arch]

[QUOTE=Russell When I boiled raw sap I didn't have a blower and it took about 1 "bush" cord of wood to make 10 gallons of syrup with my 2x6.[/QUOTE]
Without knowing how long ago you were cooking on a 2x6 with no RO or evaporator enhancements, however using average cost of $150 for a Bush cord, it cost ~ $15 in fuel alone to make a gallon of syrup. Fast forward to current equipment producing 100 gal of syrup per bush cord and fuel cost drops to ~$1.50/gal. An investment in new equipment equals saving on making less firewood, labor, trips to the woods, chain sharpening etc....
Congrats on your improvements! H3axed in the same direction!

[Russell Lampron]

:) And what was the sugar content of the raw sap?
I've run 3.7- 3.9 for the two years I've been at it. Using a Leader half-pint, I made 15 gal of syrup last season and used ~ 1 "bush cord" of decent hardwood with some pine and hemlock (lumber peices left over from my garage build) and a little exotic hardwood (peices of kiln dried) from a cabinet maker that is near by. My experience last year was that the hardwood far outperformed the other stuff.

My raw sap was around 2% depending on the time of the season.


Without knowing how long ago you were cooking on a 2x6 with no RO or evaporator enhancements, however using average cost of $150 for a Bush cord, it cost ~ $15 in fuel alone to make a gallon of syrup. Fast forward to current equipment producing 100 gal of syrup per bush cord and fuel cost drops to ~$1.50/gal. An investment in new equipment equals saving on making less firewood, labor, trips to the woods, chain sharpening etc....
Congrats on your improvements! H3axed in the same direction!

I did this from 2001 to 2004. In 2005 I got the RO and vacuum. I don't remember when I got the blower but it was probably around 2007 or 2008. I built a bubbler in 2013 and got my air tight AUF/AOF arch last season. I concentrate to 14% and draw off 8 gallons of syrup per hour.

I never sat down and figured how much the free wood that I cut on my own land cost but I do spend a lot on gas, diesel fuel and chainsaw maintenance. Then there's the man hours to do it all. That free "bush cord" actually is far from free but still less expensive than buying wood.