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Thread: What wood to use for a sugarhouse

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    West Branch mi
    Posts
    73

    Default What wood to use for a sugarhouse

    Want to get back into syrup making and want to build a small sugarhouse to work in. Any suggestions on what kind of wood to use or what wood to avoid. I am blessed and have a sawmill so can saw whatever i need if the trees are on my property

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    DeKalb, NY
    Posts
    1,707

    Default

    Hemlock weathers better than pine

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Rock Creek, NC
    Posts
    5,807

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    Hemlock is pretty much worthless if you want to sell it but it makes some nice framing timbers and boards if you don't mind a lot of knots. I used pine because it was what I had to clear out of the area where I built my sugar house. If I had hemlock or spruce there I would have used that.
    Russ

    "Red Roof Maples" Where the term "boiling soda" was first introduced to the maple world!

    1930 Ford Model AA Doodlebug tractor
    A couple of Honda 4 wheelers
    Four chainsaws and no chickens!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Rumney NH
    Posts
    125

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    built mine out of hemlock. called a local saw mill. an 8x10x1 ruff cut 4.10 a piece, can't beat that. built a 12x16 shack for 1500.00 with metal roof.
    2017 140 taps 30x8 12x16 shack 28.5 gal
    2018 158 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 44 gal
    2019 223 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 36 gal
    2020 226 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 250 waterloo ro 63 gal
    2021 230 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 250 waterloo ro 37 gal
    2022 230 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 250 waterloo ro 55 gal
    2023 235 taps 30x8 12x16 waterloo ro

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Wakefield,New Hampshire
    Posts
    504

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    Used all pine for my sugar house as well. Except for the six oak beams 6x6 that I salvaged from an old barn. Be sure to put wood on the ceiling under the metal roofing, not just 16" oc strapping to screw to. Otherwise you'll be getting rained on when boiling.. unless you have a steam hood.
    6th season solo sugar maker in a young sugar bush of mostly red maples
    320 taps
    2x6 self built arch, Flat pans w/ dividers
    New 12x16 sugar house
    CDL hobby 250 RO

  6. #6
    Haynes Forest Products Guest

    Default

    If you get inspected for retail sales all exposed wood in the kitchen must be sealed. You can paint it or use a clear sealer.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Warren, MA
    Posts
    230

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    I framed all of mine with hardwood timbers from our property. Oak, ash, hickory, whatever I had. I am siding it with shiplap pine that I had to buy since I have very little pine on the property.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,544

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    Mine was built pole barn style. Except for the PT posts, everything is hemlock off my property. I started the project taking the logs to a neighbor 2 miles away, he took so long to get them cut that I bought my mill and finished cutting my own. I even made a truss jig and made all of the trusses myself. Be sure to put a solid deck on the roof, under the steel, it rained in mine the first year, then I added a hood.
    Try to find hemlock without shake, I apparently had one log with shake and had to beef up 2 truss bottom cords.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Catskill Mts, Ulster County NY
    Posts
    602

    Default

    As a timber framer, I usually work with white pine. My shack is mostly white pine, even the siding (which is not local though). I have some hemlock rafters because I ran out of pine and did not have time to cut more. The local arborist had a pile of hemlock timbers already cut.

    We are hit here with the pine bore, and most of my large white pines are dead. I have been trying to salvage what I can from the trunks, but you have to be quick otherwise the worms have their way with the wood. Last year I came into several large poplar trees which were down on a friends property. I now have a number of heavy poplar timbers ready to go for my planned expansion later this year of my shack for firewood/equipment storage.

    The first year I ran my 2x6 without a hood, there was only one place I could sit in the shack without getting rained on. That was even with a insulated wood ceiling and metal roof. It's better now, but water still drips off the hanging light. My hood is only about 80% efficient when it comes to steam removal.

    My only other strong recommendation would be to install a real floor, either framed or poured concrete. It's so much easier to keep clean. I am considering pouring one this summer, but it would have been so much easier to have done it first.
    Last edited by Ghs57; 04-25-2018 at 10:29 AM.
    Gary / Zena Crossroads / 42˚ 00' 24" N / Hobby in Early '70s, Addiction since 2014

    175+ taps on 3/16 (60 of which are on two Lunchbox Vac/Releasers)
    12x34 timber framed sap house w/attached 10x34 shed roof for storage
    2 x 6 Smoky Lake hybrid pan on Corsair arch with AUF/steam hood/preheater/concentric exhaust
    7.0 KW Sun Power PV System, Smokey Lake Filter Press/Steam Bottler, Modified NGMP RO - 2 4x40 posts 200 gph

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    NE PA (Pocono's)
    Posts
    1,426

    Default

    I used hemlock on exterior and tulip poplar for dimensional lumber framing
    CDL 2x8
    Around 4000 taps
    Polaris ATVs, Ski Doo snowmobiles to get around
    Atlas Copco pumps
    Lapierre two post RO




    http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/j...Sugar%20shack/

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