Wood?

[wdchuck]

We all know why people boil w/oil- convenience! I'm more ecurious about you guys who use wood, as we still do. What type of wood? Where and/or how do you get it? Any other thoughts on why us wood burning troglodytes are still feeding the evaporator the hard way? I'll start.............We are probably using wood because we always have and we're cheap and dont want to pay out for oil.That being said, We burn all our limbwood from culling and harvesting firewood from the sugawoods. Very seldom do I get the time purposefully go into the woods to cut only sugarwood, but the stuff still seems to accumulate pretty well. Also my father has a portable mill so if we dont burn the slabs, we're buried in 'em. Essentially that side of our wood supply is a waste product and easy to process. We've also got a good line on where other portable mills have set up, so we can pirate their slabs too, eplaining the 10 cords of hard wood we picked up last spring.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I guess I burn wood a lot of different reasons. I love the wood fire and watching it burn and I love to cut and split wood. Yeah, I know I am weird, but oh well. :lol: :lol: :lol: Wood is free to me and I would hate to pay what oil costs now. I have access to all the free wood I could ever burn standing in woods around where I boil. I mainly cut locust and burn it as it is the highest btu wood, but I do cut other specimans too. I only cut stuff that is dead and seasoned, so it is already cured good. The good thing about locust is that a tree will stand dead for many years without rotting any. There are a lot of locust trees here and many dead ones, so a good supply of wood. :D :D

[SUGARSMITH]

I inhereted a wood burning rig. What I burn is mostly pople and slab mixture. I have found that by loading the split logs on the bottom, and put the hotter burning slabs up close to the bottom of the pan, I achieve a better boil.
I have a local sawmill I buy bundles of slabwood for $10.00, use a Farmall A tractor and cordwood saw and cut them into 30 " lengths. I continually try to convince mysely its for the exercise.

I have plenty of pople trees and bass, which I split and burn as well.

[brookledge]

I burn almost all soft slab wood. I get it free and some times people bring it to me just to get rid of it. Mostly hemlock pine and a small amount of hard wood. I bought a new evaporator two years ago and considered swiching to oil but decided against it . The way I look at it is, If I burned oil I would use about 900 gallons of oil. At $ 1.40 (pre-pay that I did for my house) that would be $1,260.00. With wood I would burn 12 cord to make the same amount of syrup. It takes me about 4 hours to go get,cut,split,and stack a cord of wood. I could hire someone for $15/hr. and it would cost me about $60.00/cord X 12= $720.00 That is still $ 540.00 cheaper than oil. When I'm boiling my philosophy is that I need to be there any ways so to feed the fire doesn't hinder me. I still have time to sit and do other things. Another thing that helps me out is that my sugarhouse can hold 15 cord inside so that during sugar season I don't have to bring it in. Just like Brandon said I enjoy cutting wood. If it wasn't for the fact that this is my hobby then cutting wood would be like a chore and be no fun.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I am glad to know that basswood and poplar are good for burning?? Is anyone else using them and are they happy with the results they provide??

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[JohnM]

I use wood because I get what I need from a pallet recycler for free, mostly oak, some pine and poplar.

Another reason I like wood is it is one of the few renewable resources on "spaceship earth". Lots of dino residue going up as vinyl siding on the acres of cheesy subdivisions near here. Not to mention what gets burned in cars by people out chasing the almighty $$.

Live long and prosper syrupheads! :D

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

John,

I feel the same way you do about wood. It is free for me and there is thousands of tons of it rotting back into the soil which is good, but it is enviro friendly to burn and ahhhhhhhhh! The smell of firewood burning! :D :D :D

[forester1]

Another good point for wood is you can use the thinnings from a properly managed sugarbush. Even if you use oil, you should thin the trees out when it is time. A lot of my sugarbush contains young sugar maple mixed with other species. I love looking at the forest after it is thinned of the poorer quality trees. I started thinning some of this land 25 years ago. In the first spot I released sugar maple that was only 4 inches in diameter. Now those trees over 10 inches and tappable size with good crowns. If I hadn't done it, they probably wouldn't be big enough yet, plus some of the other species would still be there taking up space, and the crowns would be more spindly and crowded together. I wish I would have done more of it 25 years ago.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[themapleking]

I have about 75 acres woods that I'm thinng out so I have more than I can burn. With wood you don't need a seperate heat soruce for the shack. You don't get much heat from oil evaporators because of the insulation. And its cool watching those big ambers fly out of the chimmy at night. 8)
P.s. why would you want to give those A-rabs any more american money.
Real wood - Real syrup - Real men- :wink:

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[themapleking]

Kevin I do It all buy hand, just like Paul Bunon and his helper Babe :lol:

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[SUGARSMITH]

I use both ways actually, the cordwood saw an the chainsaw method to cut up the slabwood, whatever mood I am in. Sometimes I just enjoy the nostalgia of a late 1930's tractor still doing today what it was meant to do almost 70 years ago.

The local mills get 35.00 to 70.00 a bundle for the hardwood slabs so at 10 bundles its a good savings.

As far as feeding the unit, you are correct, I do it more often, but I do this for the pleasure and am not out to support myself on this endeavor so when I am out there on the weekends, I dont mind at all

[mapleman3]

Ok ok your all making me feel bad :oops: unfortunately I don't have a stand of woods to thin out for burnin, nor can I go into my bush and thin due to it being wetland part of the year.. so unless I come across a bunch of free wood or want to cut up pallets all summer.. oil is the way to go for me :wink: , I too really hate to give the $$ to "them" but it sure will make life easier for me being a 1 man operation 8)

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jim,

We all agree with you that oil is best for you and with your work schedule. This topic has made for really good conversation and seeing what others think of the topic. I really see advantages to both sides and there are days I would like to be oil, but to each his own. I love wood and with the new forced unit and airtight arch, I think I can have it boiling in around 10 minutes and hopefully shut it down really fast too! :D

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[mapleman3]

Well I'll tell ya :wink: I have been looking at trucks much to my wifes dismay!! and if I get one with a plow I will tap an area that I talked with the forester last year on.it requires the road to be plowed by me, since they don't open it up in the winter to the public. but that maybein a few years.. I would still would love to add a whole bunch of taps and get to 500-700 maybe eventually .. so I guess your right kevin I will have to pick up the pace a bit :wink: 8)

when does it stop
My name is Jim and yes I'm a Saphead Too!!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

It is a shame you didn't have the $$$$ to get the 30 x 10 on ebay that went for a song. Doug said it was really nice and had only been used 1 year. Bet that thing was a fortune new. :?

Of course, you could get an RO and make all the syrup you ever want to on the 2x6. Could you imagine drawing off 4 gph on the 2x6?? :idea:

[themapleking]

Jim
If you're going to tap 500-700 in a few. Than you give me no choice but to tap my friends woods, and get up to 1400-2000. Then where do we go from their. Quite our jobs and enjoy life :wink:

[mapleman3]

Joe, I can come and get your rig so you can go bigger!! yes? :wink:

[syrupmaker]

Joe.....just buy up the whole backside of KB, we can both quit our jobs and be the Maple Guys of New York! Heck 4" mainlines across the Colden Grand Canyons. So we have to buy some 3/8" aircraft cable to support them no big deal. How many vac pumps do we need though for this operation?

Rick

[Al]

O.K. thats it. :D Now I'm going to 130 taps and not looking back!! 8O :D Looking at having a rear float installed on my pan this year. Haven't gotten the price yet but hope it's not to expensive.
Take care and I'm not going to add anymore taps!!!!!!
I promise! :D

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Al,

You know what they said about the last guy that said that. This website is really bad for you. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Soon you will overtake Glen Goodrich. :D :D :D

I think it is good for you to add more taps as you have more time to boil than most of the rest of us and I mean that in a really good way. I think its great you could retire so young and enjoy the rest of life! :D :D :D :D

[themapleking]

Rick
Funny you mention KB If it wasn't a ski resort I could tap it. Been their talked to them about that. But way not buy the hole hill. That would easily put us over 20,000 taps. Need a bigger sugar house you think 8)