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Thread: August Journal

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Location
    Merrill, Wi
    Posts
    341

    Default August Journal

    Didn't see an August Journal so here we go!

    Got the evaporator polished up and looking brand new again and spent last week building finished inventory for expected sales. Heading out of state for the next week to find new markets. Fingers crossed we'll have more contracts in hand...
    Maple Man 85
    Anthony & Rebecca Renken
    2017=200 taps
    2018=4000 taps (goal) 3000 taps (actual)
    2019=7000 taps (goal)
    30x45 Sugar House
    4x16 Leader Vortex
    www.northwoodsmaplefarm.com

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Vermont
    Posts
    2,223

    Default

    I just started gutting my shop/sugar house last week. I'm framing in a pump room that will hold two vacuum pumps and a new electric releaser. Another section will be used for selling apples. This section is 20x20 and my sugar house is 20x40. I plan to take down my sugar house and replace it with a new 30x60 building that will be used for maple and apples. If I ever sell my farm I want the sugar house to be large enough for someone to boil sap and have enough room for other equipment. I plan to have a one bedroom apartment upstairs for all my Alaska friends that visit. Maybe one of my kids will need a place to stay also.

    Spud

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Middlebury Center, PA
    Posts
    1,391

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    We went to the open house weekend this past April and special ordered this Piggy Back from Lapierre (along with a few other things I’m waiting for). It was delivered Thursday. Now we just have to get installed. Can’t wait to try it out! We’ve made quite a few improvements so far maple wise with quite a few more to come before next season. Needless to say we are pretty excited for the 2019 season!
    C72B6A01-5FA4-4411-BF47-41EDD417A08B.jpg
    Last edited by unc23win; 08-13-2018 at 09:55 PM.
    Jared

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Buxton Foreside Maine
    Posts
    248

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    Fixed a couple lateral lines the other day that were down due to firewood logging and a big tree that came down. 6yards of stone around the home woods tank so I don’t have to stand in water while pumping the tank and giving tours. More insulation up in the sugar house so the pine boards can go up. Walking all the lines tomorrow to check for damage and make a list. Have to run wire for the new wet line and reroute a wet/dry and main around a large pine that is going to come down at some point. And refinish the hard wood in the house next week.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    2014 125 taps 16 gallons
    2015 210 taps 49 gallons
    2016 164 taps 75 gallons new 2X6 leader max flue and homemade AOF/AUF arch
    2017 1500 taps 196 gallons RO added additions to building new tap lease
    2018 1588 taps 276 gallons
    upgrades for 2019 season 3 phase vacuum pump, stainless tank in woods, tubing replacement

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Peru, Maine
    Posts
    1,042

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    My buddy has been revamping the sugar shack at his house. Old evaporator is out, wiring rerouted, lights added and the ceiling is up. Almost ready to put the new evaporator in. Not much else maple this summer. We've had a couple big orders for weddings/special occasions but sales have been a little slower than years past overall for us.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    Split and stacked more wood last week. The wood was felled 10-36 months ago and the logs were stacked. Still needs more drying. Most of what I split was sugar maple, where I had to remove an old failing tree that was about 36" DBH before it could fall onto my shop. The rest was free wood 2 friends gave me from a logging job they had done, ends and pieces from 3 years ago. I still need to clean up a real bad cherry tree I had to drop back when I took that maple down. Some will be strictly firewood, but I might get a couple of logs up at least 16+ feet that I can saw into lumber and sell. On that one it was about 32" DBH and it had a big hollow area in the lower 12'. It was an adventure to drop it. It had a slight lean and with the condition of the trunk I was not going to try to fall it any other direction. The trunk was like a big letter C with the open side about 20" wide facing at right angles to the direction of fall. With only about 6-7" thickness to work with I only cut the notch about 1-1.5" deep. Then I used my small excavator to put pressure on the tree about 11-12' up. I then did a plunge cut to define the hinge and then cut back towards to back of the cut. As I got near the back side I put slightly more pressure on with the excavator, then I finished the cut. Talk about a barber chair! The tree split up about 8-9' and the back side flipped up so it stood resting on the top of the barber chair. On the excavator it's a good thing I had the blade down and on the end away from the tree because the trunk lifted the excavator about 3' off the ground on the tracks facing the tree and it was resting on the tree trunk 8-9' up buy the bucket and on the blade on the other end with the tracks fully off the ground (the low end was maybe 10" up). Without getting on the machine in case I had to run, I slowly raised the bucket to lower that end of the excavator. As I did, the trunk started to move towards the excavator. Then I very slowly moved the excavator back and lifted the bucket more. After about moving 4' I was able to get the bucket off the trunk. I then got on the excavator, drove around to the side and pushed the trunk off the barber chair. It landed, no people or equipment were hurt. That is where that tree still sets. Part of the top was cut to open a woods roadway that leads to a bunch of the tapped trees to the north.
    I won't split it all, but I still have 2 stacks of logs that are about 12-14' high and range from 10-18' long, plus the Cherry and the rest of the sugar maple. All I hauled out of the sugar maple so far is the butt log where most of the rot was, the next log was bucked off at 11' or so and it's still a little punky there, but looked solid where that log was cut off. The rest is not likely to make any lumber, way too many limbs. But based on what I processed so far, it makes very good looking firewood.
    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.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    OH, and I had my best July ever for retail sales, in fact it was my best month by far ever except last December, that was not in my best ever Maple Weekend. Bourbon barrel aged syrup continues to dominate my sales, while regular syrup sales have climbed too.
    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.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    NE PA (Pocono's)
    Posts
    1,426

    Default

    Finally have sugar wood all but done and under cover. Now starting a sugarhouse remodel of sorts. Want all my bulk tanks inside, I am done shoveling them out after every snowstorm. Permeate tank will have to remain outside for now but that's less of an issue since it doesn't get cleaned as much during the season as sap tanks do. Havent been in the woods in a few weeks, holding off a little while til this crazy rain in Pa stops and temperatures drop a little. Have about 800 drops to change this year and clean up storm damage.
    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/

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Salisbury, N.H.
    Posts
    2,069

    Default

    I have been working alot on my maple food trailer. I have been to 5 events, most recently the Wildwoods music festival. My goal is to show folks the flexibelity of maple in many foods and hopefuly introduce some new folks to the taste of maple. At wildwoods i was able to give a bunch of folks from all over the country and 3 from sweeden their first taste..
    Been spending too much time working on a soft serve ice cream machine which i think i finally have working correctly...
    I currently have maple donuts,,maple bacon grilled cheese, maple icecream, maple coffe, maple candy, sugar, cream on board,,,,,the comdinations availabel are endless...
    Heading into state fair season here in n.h.,,,,should be busy
    Lots to do
    Salisbury Sugarworks,,Parker Rowe, and friends
    Salisbury, N.H.
    1988 taps in 09
    over 2500 on vac in 2010
    no buckets in 2010
    2815 taps in 2011
    shooting for 3000 in 2012
    4000 taps? In 2014
    5x16 wood fired "Mighty Marvin"
    50 cords in the shed
    Old, old R.O.
    Charter member Andover/Salisbury Mapleholics
    http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/4...s009bx4.th.jpg

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