How are you getting 2 GPT??

[m2salmon]

Trees finally all started producing yesterday.

This is our first year. Was prepared for 2 gpt sap storage but during the best run yesterday only averaging 1/3 GPT.

I tapped 49 trees with 5/16” taps for buckets. None are under 10” DBH. Most are woods trees but some are on the edge in the open. Some of my largest trees are most poorly producing.

Is this typical? What can I do to increase sap volume next year? Clear out some trees in the woods to get maples more light? I like hauling buckets, rather not go to tubing or vacuum.

Maybe just more tap more trees next year?

[littleTapper]

Vacuum. Mechanical or 3/16 gravity. It's not like that's expected every day though. 2gpt is a really good day. If your trees just started producing, it'll be a bit until the best runs.

[TapTapTap]

Marty -

As Little Tapper said - the secret is vacuum, although I would have expected more than the 1/3 gallon. It was a slow start for us yesterday without much flowing until mid afternoon and might have been similar over on your side of the mountain.

However with vacuum, my results were quite different - We boiled this morning with about 2,400 gallons of sap from 1,450 taps (1.65 gpt) on high vacuum.

Ken

[pete3046]

on a good day, I get about 5gal/day per yard tree and 2.5gal/gal per woods tree. Some smaller woods trees will be at 1gal/day. Also, 50 taps on vacuum yield me 100gal/day, which are a few yard trees and mostly wood trees. The is in NE CT.
Pete

[m2salmon]

Well, 27 gallons on 49 taps today so getting better! Just over 1/2 gal per tap. Had two trees that filled the 2 gallon bucket. The only tap not dripping I’m realizing is an oak...

[Sugarmaker]

A really good run for us on gravity would be about 1.5 gallons of sap per tap. MAny days its more like .5 GPT.
Regards,
Chris

Keep boiling!

[Wolfcreek Maple]

A really good run for us is 3gpt typical is about 2gpt our key to those numbers is my 18 year old son who can hear all the vacuum leaks so we can maintain 26-27hg.

[maple flats]

Which variety of maples are you tapping? Some give lots more than others. Also, you might not have gotten to the best part of your season yet, the season is just getting started. You are fairly far up in Vermont, 1/ gpt is likely good at this point in the season, it will get better after a brief colder spell.

[DrTimPerkins]

How deeply did you drill? How hard did you tap in the spouts (how deeply seated are they)? How'd you know when to stop tapping them in?

[DrTimPerkins]

The only tap not dripping I’m realizing is an oak...

That'll pull your average down a bit :lol:

[TapTapTap]

Hey m2salmon, may I ask about the meaning of your screen name? It sounds kind of fishy.

[m2salmon]

Ken, was looking for the smoke from your house boiling on Butternut yesterday. No deep meaning to the screen name, fishing is our #1 hobby. I tapped all holes with a bit for tapping, 5/16 dia, 1.5” deep. Tapped until heard the thunk. All trees are running (except the oak). One has filled a 2 gallon bucket two times but another large tree next to it always only has enough to cover the bottom of the bucket. Production of trees next to each other is highly variable. Maybe that’s just how it works? Got 27 gallons from yesterday on 49 taps, matching best single day rate.

[TapTapTap]

Ken, was looking for the smoke from your house boiling on Butternut yesterday. No deep meaning to the screen name, fishing is our #1 hobby. I tapped all holes with a bit for tapping, 5/16 dia, 1.5” deep. Tapped until heard the thunk. All trees are running (except the oak). One has filled a 2 gallon bucket two times but another large tree next to it always only has enough to cover the bottom of the bucket. Production of trees next to each other is highly variable. Maybe that’s just how it works? Got 27 gallons from yesterday on 49 taps, matching best single day rate.

We boiled on Friday and again today (Sunday) with 2,800 gallons of raw sap.

Fishing is pretty high on my list. By spending it used to be the most expensive hobby. Then I got into maple sugaring!

I do two main types of fishing: trout/salmon on the fly in the Vermont rivers and landlock salmon in LC using downriggers but still on the fly (and dodger). My boat is named the Black Ghost for the streamer fly. Using downriggers, I primarily use the black ghost except this time of year the salmon bite better on little stick bait lures. Other times I can generally do as good as anyone using lures.

Ken

[m2salmon]

Sap ran like crazy Saturday and Sunday. Sunday averaged 1 gpt on my buckets, my brother got probably 2-3x that on tubing in Williston. His place used to be an old farm and they planted maples in rows every 25'. Many are over 100" circumference, massive trees with huge crowns being in open fields for 100-150 years. We've made 7 gallons of syrup. The filtering is kicking our butts.

My brother and I both have younger kids so it's more worm dunking and spin fishing than fly fishing these days. We mostly kayak fishing at Iriquois, Colchester Pond, Bristol Pond, and some back bays on the lake. My oldest is 9 and he's been fly casting on his own for 3 years. Iriquois is closest to us and has some giant bass. We fly fish the Winooski, Lamoille and those tributaries for trout. Never got into the land-locked fishing. Headed to Pulaski for steelhead in a few weeks. I'll indicator fish nymphs and eggs some, but mostly swinging streamers with a 2 handed spey rod. I've built a bunch of fly rods, machined a tying vise, and have been working reel designs for a few years. We'll have to get out on the water this summer sometime and throw some flies!

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[bprifle01]

You made that vice? Beautiful! I've tied a few flies in my life, but never had a vice like that (low budget).

[TapTapTap]

Sap ran like crazy Saturday and Sunday. Sunday averaged 1 gpt on my buckets, my brother got probably 2-3x that on tubing in Williston. His place used to be an old farm and they planted maples in rows every 25'. Many are over 100" circumference, massive trees with huge crowns being in open fields for 100-150 years. We've made 7 gallons of syrup. The filtering is kicking our butts.

My brother and I both have younger kids so it's more worm dunking and spin fishing than fly fishing these days. We mostly kayak fishing at Iriquois, Colchester Pond, Bristol Pond, and some back bays on the lake. My oldest is 9 and he's been fly casting on his own for 3 years. Iriquois is closest to us and has some giant bass. We fly fish the Winooski, Lamoille and those tributaries for trout. Never got into the land-locked fishing. Headed to Pulaski for steelhead in a few weeks. I'll indicator fish nymphs and eggs some, but mostly swinging streamers with a 2 handed spey rod. I've built a bunch of fly rods, machined a tying vise, and have been working reel designs for a few years. We'll have to get out on the water this summer sometime and throw some flies!

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Awesome vices!

Swing by next time you're on this side of the mountain.

Ken

[Pdiamond]

Those are beautiful vises

[maple flats]

Taps for buckets should be deeper than 1.5", in fact taps for vacuum do best if 1.75-2" deep, for gravity (buckets or tubing) , 2.25-2.5" is suggested. There is an article in the Maple Digest by Dr Tim (or was it The Maple News) or both?

[DrTimPerkins]

It was in the most recent Maple Digest (March 2021), but you are correct. 1.75-2.0" for vacuum, 2.25-2.5" for gravity, including bark (unless the majority of your trees are really old with thick bark).

[m2salmon]

I’m not sure where I found the 1 1/2” depth recommendation. One of the many lessons learned and will do differently next year.

The vises took me about 100 hours to machine. Gave one to my brother for Christmas. All stainless and brass, hardened stainless jaws. I updated design for more flowing curves from linear tapers. Going to give it a shot with hydraulic tracer attachment for the lathe. One of the best things about machining is you can make things nicer than anything you can buy.