Hey m2salmon, may I ask about the meaning of your screen name? It sounds kind of fishy.
Hey m2salmon, may I ask about the meaning of your screen name? It sounds kind of fishy.
Ken & Sherry
Williston, VT
16x34 Sugarhouse
1,500 taps on high vacuum, Electric Releaser & CDL Sap Lifter
Wood-Fired Leader 30"x10' Vortex Arch & Max Raised Flue with Rev Syrup Pan & CDL1200 RO
https://www.facebook.com/pumpkinhillmaple/
Ken, was looking for the smoke from your house boiling on Butternut yesterday. No deep meaning to the screen name, fishing is our #1 hobby. I tapped all holes with a bit for tapping, 5/16 dia, 1.5” deep. Tapped until heard the thunk. All trees are running (except the oak). One has filled a 2 gallon bucket two times but another large tree next to it always only has enough to cover the bottom of the bucket. Production of trees next to each other is highly variable. Maybe that’s just how it works? Got 27 gallons from yesterday on 49 taps, matching best single day rate.
Marty, Sam, Henry, Jim, Brandi
Richmond, VT
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2021: 49 bucket taps, 50 tubing, 8 gallons. Closed valve, burned front pan ended season early
2022: 49 bucket taps, 50 tubing, 24 gallons. New front pan!
We boiled on Friday and again today (Sunday) with 2,800 gallons of raw sap.
Fishing is pretty high on my list. By spending it used to be the most expensive hobby. Then I got into maple sugaring!
I do two main types of fishing: trout/salmon on the fly in the Vermont rivers and landlock salmon in LC using downriggers but still on the fly (and dodger). My boat is named the Black Ghost for the streamer fly. Using downriggers, I primarily use the black ghost except this time of year the salmon bite better on little stick bait lures. Other times I can generally do as good as anyone using lures.
Ken
Ken & Sherry
Williston, VT
16x34 Sugarhouse
1,500 taps on high vacuum, Electric Releaser & CDL Sap Lifter
Wood-Fired Leader 30"x10' Vortex Arch & Max Raised Flue with Rev Syrup Pan & CDL1200 RO
https://www.facebook.com/pumpkinhillmaple/
Sap ran like crazy Saturday and Sunday. Sunday averaged 1 gpt on my buckets, my brother got probably 2-3x that on tubing in Williston. His place used to be an old farm and they planted maples in rows every 25'. Many are over 100" circumference, massive trees with huge crowns being in open fields for 100-150 years. We've made 7 gallons of syrup. The filtering is kicking our butts.
My brother and I both have younger kids so it's more worm dunking and spin fishing than fly fishing these days. We mostly kayak fishing at Iriquois, Colchester Pond, Bristol Pond, and some back bays on the lake. My oldest is 9 and he's been fly casting on his own for 3 years. Iriquois is closest to us and has some giant bass. We fly fish the Winooski, Lamoille and those tributaries for trout. Never got into the land-locked fishing. Headed to Pulaski for steelhead in a few weeks. I'll indicator fish nymphs and eggs some, but mostly swinging streamers with a 2 handed spey rod. I've built a bunch of fly rods, machined a tying vise, and have been working reel designs for a few years. We'll have to get out on the water this summer sometime and throw some flies!
Vise 003.jpg
Vise 014.jpg
Marty, Sam, Henry, Jim, Brandi
Richmond, VT
--
2021: 49 bucket taps, 50 tubing, 8 gallons. Closed valve, burned front pan ended season early
2022: 49 bucket taps, 50 tubing, 24 gallons. New front pan!
You made that vice? Beautiful! I've tied a few flies in my life, but never had a vice like that (low budget).
2016-First year
17 Taps
Block arch & steam pans
About 1 1/2 gallons
2017-20 taps
About 3 gallons
2018-13 taps
Same Block arch & steam pans (modified arch & pans)
2019-12 taps (keep losing trees)
2020-Brand new Smokey Lake StarCat evaporator, about 15 taps.
43.62N 87.78W
Ken & Sherry
Williston, VT
16x34 Sugarhouse
1,500 taps on high vacuum, Electric Releaser & CDL Sap Lifter
Wood-Fired Leader 30"x10' Vortex Arch & Max Raised Flue with Rev Syrup Pan & CDL1200 RO
https://www.facebook.com/pumpkinhillmaple/
Those are beautiful vises
2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
made 17 gal. syrup
2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
2021 - Didn't work out
2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start
Taps for buckets should be deeper than 1.5", in fact taps for vacuum do best if 1.75-2" deep, for gravity (buckets or tubing) , 2.25-2.5" is suggested. There is an article in the Maple Digest by Dr Tim (or was it The Maple News) or both?
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.
It was in the most recent Maple Digest (March 2021), but you are correct. 1.75-2.0" for vacuum, 2.25-2.5" for gravity, including bark (unless the majority of your trees are really old with thick bark).
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
I’m not sure where I found the 1 1/2” depth recommendation. One of the many lessons learned and will do differently next year.
The vises took me about 100 hours to machine. Gave one to my brother for Christmas. All stainless and brass, hardened stainless jaws. I updated design for more flowing curves from linear tapers. Going to give it a shot with hydraulic tracer attachment for the lathe. One of the best things about machining is you can make things nicer than anything you can buy.
Marty, Sam, Henry, Jim, Brandi
Richmond, VT
--
2021: 49 bucket taps, 50 tubing, 8 gallons. Closed valve, burned front pan ended season early
2022: 49 bucket taps, 50 tubing, 24 gallons. New front pan!