Welcome to the addiction!! Glad you had fun and are ready for more work because this hobby, I mean addiction, will take lots of work. It goes something like, "we'll, if I only tap 20 more trees than...
Type: Posts; User: kiteflyingeek
Welcome to the addiction!! Glad you had fun and are ready for more work because this hobby, I mean addiction, will take lots of work. It goes something like, "we'll, if I only tap 20 more trees than...
I'm calling it! This has been a weird season but I was able to make more syrup this year than last so that's a good thing. Going to tubing this year (both 3/16" & 5/16") helped with that as did...
Yeah, if you are already eyeing the rest of your trees, you are in trouble. Welcome to the club -- you are officially diagnosed with the maple disease. There really isn't a cure; you just have to...
I'm using one for the first time. I have about 10 taps in a remote location (possible to add another 10 or so). Here in SW Indiana, we FINALLY went above freezing and I got about 20 gallons out of...
I will second Buckeye Gold. I put 2 holes in on many buckets before the season started last year. Yikes! Almost all of them overflowed at least once. I don't like to waste sap!!!
Good luck...
The reading I've done has said to go 2" right (or left) from the old hole. I picked right since I'm right handed. Once you go completely around the tree, then you'll need to jump up or down 6" (I...
I just "steal" my wife's hammer from her tool set for the 2 weeks of tapping. It is a "picture hanging" hammer -- I'd guess a 6oz head? And I swing it all with fingers, no wrist or forearm. I'm no...
I'll second that. It sounds yummy to me so I'm all ears as to how it turns out.
7 feet of stack is good for a 2x3 pan. If you are running a 2x4 or 2x6, then you are kinda short. Rule of thumb for draft arches is 2x the length of the pans. So, that would be 8' or 12' depending...
I've put in about 35 taps so far (2/6-2/7). I have plans for around 100 so I need to get the drill busy.
Once I get near that 100 mark, I'll be nearly drowning in sap :cool:. I've collected...
Welcome to maple trader & welcome back to the addiction ;).
Good luck on your season.
--andrew
I forgot to comment about your ash grate plans. I never tried rebar because everyone on here said they won't work. The recommendation that I went with is to use angle iron with the 'V' down -- this...
Two things I'll note from my build of a 2x6:
1. I used angle iron for all of it, including the legs under the stack; I did not use a brace and (so far) have not had any problems. I rent barn...
My flue pan didn't come with drain valve. But the float box had one -- it is a ball valve.
--andrew
If you haven't found their website yet: www.sugarbushsupplies.com. And here's the hobby filter pack on page 2 of that PDF. Hope that helps.
--andrew
I'm in very SW Indiana and I would tap tomorrow or Friday but I'm in & out on 2 trips until the end of the month. As you are probably further south of me, I'd guess you will be just fine tapping now....
Well, as you can see in the following forecast image, I should tap tomorrow. But, I leave on Sunday for 4 days in Phoenix for the day job. Then at the end of January, I have an extended family ski...
I'd love to boil but I have a business trip & a family ski trip to WI. So it'll be Feb 1 before I even think of tapping this year :(
--andrew
WOW!! Very nice! I may have to figure out how to do that in a year or three. Now, I'm working on getting enough syrup made so I can consider selling in stores.
Good luck figuring out what to do...
Additionally, if you have the space, you can store it in the freezer. I did that last year & it worked out just fine. Kind of depends if outside stays cool enough in your area.
--andrew
Thought I'd spell that out in case others don't speak "geek" :cool:. POE == Power Over Ethernet. This runs the power for the device over the Ethernet wire itself. The reason to do this is so you...
I've read that the mainline should be stretched 3% of its length but I haven't seen anything like that for the lateral lines. I have Max Flow Grip Tubing from Leader that I plan to put up this year...
I don't think you'll be disappointed with having the flues in the firebox -- but be ready to have sap geysers. :D. If I ever cut into the steel of my arch, I'm going to lay the ramp down a bit more....
I have a set of 2x6 pans from Smoky Lake and they are GREAT! I have only had them for one year but they worked REALLY well. I got a 2x4 drop flue with a 2x2.5 reverse flow syrup pan. The reverse...
Greenthumb,
This is what I put together for last year which was my first year with a head tank & I developed this from input from this site.
10044
Some explanations:
- I use a 55 gallon...