Sugaring on Youtube from New Farmer Films

[Revi]

Here's a fourteen minute movie done by a friend. We had fun doing it and I think you'll like it. Let me know what you think. It's about our sugarhouse in Skowhegan, Maine. He shot over 6 hours of film to make this. It has music and Robert Frost poetry in it as well. Nelson is the film maker, I'm just the not very photogenic subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISbkO-NKA9o

[royalmaple]

Revi-


Looks great. How many taps do you guys have up there?

I can't believe you guys are already getting snow and saps running......

:-)

[TapME]

Nice job on the film. Looks like a great place that you have in the woods. Looking forward to seeing more from you in the future. I will have to travel that way some day and check it out in person.

[Sugarmaker]

Revi,
Very nice film on your sugaring operation! How much syrup did you make?

Regards,
Chris

[Russell Lampron]

Excellent video: A very good explanation of how sap is collected, gathered and made into syrup. You have a nice set up there. It is also nice to see the youngsters taking part in the experience.

Russ

[Revi]

We have around 225 taps, but we are going to have around 400 when all is tapped. We make around 25 gallons. We should be making more, but the seasons have been so wierd that we put in more taps and get less sap. We have a good time doing it, anyway.

[royalmaple]

You got power at your sugarhouse, so a very good fit would be a nice dairy pump just hammering away on those sap lines. Then you'd see some full tanks for sure.

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

I personally loved it, i liked how they showed the filtering and bottling part. That seemed so close to how we do it and it was just great how they showed that...

Cant wait to get at it this year, the video was very inspiring to me..

Thanks

Charlie

[blackstrapking]

Great video, got me even more pumped up for the season, seein all that steam rollin is a great reminder of the good times ahead.

Jason

[Revi]

Thanks. It was fun making it. We haven't decided on vacuum yet, but when we do we have electricity at the sugarhouse, so it's possible.

[Dennis H.]

Great video, Seeing that this will be my first year sugarin it helps me see all the steps put together on how to make maple syrup.
I have read several books and have read post and more post here on mapletrader to learn as much as I can before the start of the season, and I have to say that this video is right there at the top in helping me get going.

Thanks agin for posting the great video. By the way do you have anymore??

Dennis

[davey]

I would like to use this in the spring in my class during the Mqaple Sugaring unit I teach. To do this I would like to burn a copy to c.d.. Would this be ok with you? I actually need the permission as otherwise I get into copyright issues and at a school that is a no-no.
thanks
Dave Bruinix

[Revi]

You can buy copies from Nelson Cole at 413 North Avenue, Skowhegan, Maine 04976. Send him $20 and he'll send you a copy. You can use it for educational purposes, but please don't copy it for resale. Make sure to include a return address.

Check out our other videos at Youtube, Type in New Farmer Films.

We have one on a solar car we built at our school, another about a solar tractor and peak oil and our sugaring film.

Thanks for the kudos! We had fun making them.

[davey]

do you have a phone and or e-mail address for him

[Revi]

He is named Nelson Cole and his telephone number is (207) 692-2352. His e-mail address is:sugarhousejournal@gmail.com

The dvd is a lot better than the posting on Youtube. The picture quality is a lot better.

I gave the incorrect youtube search. It's newfarmerfilms (all one word). That will take you to all three of our postings on youtube.

I think you can contact him right off of youtube also. It gives a contact. Anyway, thanks again for the kudos. It really is fun. I showed it to my high school students today, and it held their attention. Pretty good. Some days I can't even do that in person!

[Revi]

Here are all three films on Youtube. They were really fun to make. The one on the sugaring is on the bottom. John Howe's solar vehicles are cool. He wants to show that there is a way to keep going even when gas gets to $20 a gallon. I rode in his sports car, and it was going over 55 mph on the side of Mt. Washington using no gas at all!

[Revi]

Here's the link to newfarmerfilms:

http://youtube.com/newfarmerfilms

[TapME]

Revi; how about a solar powered vac pump for your sugar bush as the next project. Definitely have some great talent in the school as well as the surrounding area. Keep up the great work. Lou

[Revi]

Thanks, TapMe. I wonder how much we would need to get a vacuum pump to run? A bunch of solar panels will be needed to run it. I have thought of it. One of our "maple mentors", thinks we should have a small vacuum. It may be the next thing..

[TapME]

Maybe this is a question that the engineers could answer. Seems to me that a car would be the larger item to make run on pv cells. I bet that the extension office would talk grant with you on this one.

[royalmaple]

You could run a delaval 73 on 3/4 hp motor. I saw in the video he was talking about some conversion to 1hp motor. Really neat video, I like the solar car. Very interesting guy for sure. I like his ideas. I'd have a hard time clearing a house lot with the electric chain saw but I like the principle, and thought behind it.

I don't think you'll see many harvesters set up with solar hydro axes etc. The tractor was really cool. Great idea but I guess with that tech, your paying some serious money in set up. Like 5K golf cart, great idea but kinda on the expensive side to set up for most folks. But I know he wasn't after that.

[Revi]

I know that some of John Howe's rigs are a bit impractical now, but if oil keeps going up, they may make economic sense someday soon. We just have solar things on our house that make sense economically. We have solar hot water and a small PV backup light system. They seem to be low-maintenance and work fine.

The maple sugar operation is solar powered as well.

We'll check out that DeLaval pump. 3/4 horse could do it. How many amps would it need at 24 volts? At 110?

[royalmaple]

I am guessing but I think some of the 1hp pumps I have are like 10 or so amps at start up and maybe like 6-7 when running. I don't have a 3/4 hp motor handy to look but seems like if knew you could get 10 amps at 110v you'd be all set for the 3/4 motor.

Maybe Russ Lampron can check to see what his 3/4 motor draws on his setup. He has a delaval 73 on a 3/4 hp motor.

[Russell Lampron]

I will have to go down to the pump and check the specs on my motor. I think that it draws about 4.5 amps at 220 volts which would put it around 10 amps at 110 volts.

Revi, I see you referencing 24 volts. Do you have a 24 volt DC 3/4 hp motor? How many volts at what amperage rate can you generate with a solar panel?

Russ

[royalmaple]

I think he'd have to run an inverter so he could use a standard motor.

THanks for the input russ, solving life's little problems one day at a time.

[TapME]

My 3/4 horse motor on the table saw is 15amps at start up and 7.5 when running. It is half that at 220. Just my 2 cents.

[Russell Lampron]

I just went down and looked at the plate on my motor. It says FL Amps 115 volts/11 and 215 volts 5.5, I am assuming FL means full load.

Russ

[Revi]

I was just thinking that it's a lot easier to run 24 volt DC from a solar panel, but you could use a inverter. This all adds cost on to the system, though. We have a very small one panel system at home, and with a fusebox and batteries, charge controller and the panel it cost around $1500.

Maybe it makes more sense just to run the vacuum with regular 110 volt power. We have it right at the sugarhouse, and it's at the low point of the system.