I Added Lighting to my Sugar Shack

[hholt]

OK OK so I still don't have a sugar shack, but now I can at least see what I'm doing

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b163/hholt/sugaring08still.jpg

[Fred Henderson]

You may just revolutionize the whole maple syrup industry.

[hholt]

I told my wife that for my next trick I'm going to invent a horse to haul sap :^)

[royalmaple]

Are those two pieces of wood going to get you through the season?

[mapleman3]

Are those two pieces of wood going to get you through the season?

Now That there is funny !! ;)

[hholt]

No that piece of wood is for leveling. My evaporator keeps sinking in the mud so I lay a prybar across that log and prop it back up.

[Sugarmaker]

HHolt,
Matt's just jealous. Awesome outfit. I love the glow of steam in a nightlight:)
I thought the one log was a setting log for the sugarmaker:) Nice boil going!


Which reminds me I have some pictures to post also. I will try to get them up tonight if I find the camera.

Chris

[fred]

ohhh i thought you meant matts avatar outfit

[Sugarmaker]

Now thats funny! :)

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

leave MATTS avatar outfit alone i like it

RICH

[hholt]

It's pretty dang cold out there with just a Leader 1/2 pint and a 60 watt light bulb, so she can stop by any time..........and I really don't care if she calls herself "matt" she looks warm and fuzzy to me. Must be short for Mattilda or something.

[royalmaple]

I'll have to try on the shirt one of these days if the wife will ever take it off.

Might try to get a couple of flat cement pavers from like lowes, they are around a buck each and will keep that rig from sinking so much for sure.

Then you can add that log to the wood pile. The other piece is lonely.

Hholt, you can call me mattilda if you like, sweetie.

[hholt]

If there's one thing I've learned in the past couple of years it's that I can cut and split faster than 1/2 pint can burn it, and I have enough dead wood on my farm to last a lifetime thanks to a tornado touch down on the back of my farm a couple of years ago. When I run out of wood I head back with the tractor and go get some more.

Matt how is that sugar mansion you built last year working out? I remember seeing your pictures last year and thinking that it looked good enough to live in. Some day I'll build a shelter but it won't be quite that fancy. I'd like to get a longer bar and a ripping chain for my saw and try making a timber frame myself.

[Brent]

If you scan the pictures on our site you'll see that we had all the amenities you had, minus the mud. Sure makes the hot rum toddy go down well.

This year we're taking over the shed with the swim pool pump and filter. No wind is supposed to do wonders for the Half Pint boil rate.

[royalmaple]

Mansion, wow. If you want to see one of the nicest sugarhouse's I've been in, take a look at theron's. His is unreal. Mine looks like a back end of a south bound cow with a stomach flu compared to his.

Not sure if that is enough of a picture painting, or if you needed more description. Gotta work, now. Big sap is on the way. Gotta get ready. Gonna make 100 gallons this weekend.

[TapME]

Matt, you get the sap this weekend and I'll come and fire your evaporator, and send for the captain.
.

[TapME]

Wish I had one of those new fandangle gadget to lite up my evap. I'm jealous.

[hholt]

TapME I see that you have a 15 year old sap hauler, so you have nothing to be jealous about. In the world of "low tech" you have it made.

I lost my 1/2 pint boil on Sunday night and it took forever to get it back even though I stoked it with split wood no bigger than my axe handle. The wind was gusting to about 30 mph.

No sap here this weekend, everything is froze solid......

[Sugarmaker]

HHolt,
Now thats though boiling in a 30 MPH wind. More power to you and your light:) Might need to split it down to pencil size to get that boil back in those conditions. I might have crawled inside.:) I get a chill when we open the door and the breeze drops the temp to about 90 in front of the evaporator. Some of the stuff I burn is one step heaver than newspaper. Its hot, just not for long!

Chris