New to making the maple

[valleyman]

Hi,

I'm a real smalltime backyard hobby making syrup guy. 8 taps so far. I've made 1.5 quarts so far and I'm enjoying it.

I want to make a small time evaporator set up. So far I have a 12 x 18 x 6 pan. Probably to late for this season, but I'm thinkin I should get a larger pan and design the cooker around it.

Any suggestions on the evaporator? I've seen the 55gal setups and that seems like a good way to go for a smalltimer like myself. Just wonderring if there are other ideas out there.

Thanks,
Valleyman

[Dill]

This isn't mine,and I don't know anything about it.
Just noticed it yesterday on Clist. Seems like a nice setup on a 55 gallon drum
http://westernmass.craigslist.org/grd/1054835822.html

[valleyman]

Dill, Thanks for the info!

[Dill]

No problem, I'm a serious craigslist addict.

[Groves]

We stepped up from a turkey cooker last year to some pans this year. cinder blocks can be found cheaply on craigslist (that's where I got mine) and you can disassemble at the end of the season. Here's our pix. We'll do our third (and last) batch this weekend.

http://matthewgroves.com/Hobbies/Sugaring09.html

[Stickey]

I am building one now. My dad is making me a pan out of a sheet of stainless I had lying around. When the pan is done I am going to build a cinder block arch lined with fire brick, all dry fit-in case I decide to get more/bigger pans next year. I'm trying to keep it low budget and use stuff I had, however I did spend 40 bucks on fire brick and will probably end up buying a few more blocks $1.25 each (priced them out while I was getting brick). The pan is the heart breaker they are expensive no matter how you dice it, IMO. Working on getting some pictures up, one of the members here has photo album that I really liked. He's from Maine I believe, I forget his name but I'll look it up and repost for you.

[Jeff E]

Valleyman, how many maples could you tap?
There is a tendancy for us maple nuts to expand to point that we 'run out of trees'.

With that in mind, build your evaporator with the number of potential taps.
IF you could do 50 taps, make a 2x4 pan, for example.

I just know the expansion of the universe is dynamically evident in the hearts of maple syrup producers...

It goes something like this:
1. Tap some trees, work all day and make a little syrup.
2. While standing around in the steam, think of effiency improvements.
3. Do them, save time. Now fill time with more taps
4. Return to step 2.

This took me from 15 taps to 1600 (so far)

[Stickey]

Check out the Album of TapME. I like his setup, Thank you By the way TapME. I think Jeff E just left some sound advice, I haven't even boiled yet and have started adding taps. I started out thinking 6 taps and a turkey fryer. I'm getting a little obsessed, but having fun.

[Smitty]

Valley Man,
The 12 x 18 pan would make a great syrup pan(just needs two dividers in it). Now you need to find a 18 x 36 pan, install one divider in it to make your sap pan, one nice 18 x 48 evaperator. Build a fuel oil drum arch and wa-la. Sounds like a fun project.