February Journal THE COUNTDOWN!!!

[Wanabe1972]

Sat in front of the TV this morning watching the news and made up another 50 drops. Hope I can get in the woods today. The big white dial out on the tree still says 15 degrees so i think ill wait a little bit. Im pretty much ready here other than cleaning the head tank, cleaning a few buckets and taking my tanks to the bush and setting up my seasonal lines and tying in a few more laterals in to the main line, plug in the fridge in the shack buying propane for the stove. OMG gotta go good thing Im on vacation.

[dano2840]

well i will throw a "food grade" plug in her and see what she doesn going to need in on sunday, going to get 2 1/2 cord of slab, we will see if that solves the problem, its just slabs so the 61 will work fine if it comes down to having to use that old girl. I just miss all that power of the 268XP (really a bored out 372XP) the 61 is a gutless wonder with over 2000 hours on her from what i was told by the previous owner probably could stand to be rebuilt or at least tuned i know the jets need to be tweeqed and tuned, but its reliable and works when no other will so i keep it around and keep her running.

[gator330]

We're in a good cold spell here. Can't do much more then wait. I don't see much chance of taping before march. Last year it was Feb 26. Didn't get sap till the next week. Got more bacon to slice and package. Best yet Red maples!!!!!

[red maples]

it gets better the more you do it. takes practice.. my first ribs were just ok really not that good, but now its easy figured out the perfect rub time and temp and they come great. We don't even go to the local BBQ places anymore because they are a let down...spoiled the family on another thing.

[vtsnowedin]

I hung eight hundred feet of mainline today. All wired up except the side ties. I think I'll let it set for a day or two to work the kinks out. In the last two days I have managed to cut myself twice. Once reaching down to pick up the two handed tool and ran a finger nail onto the tube cutter blade and today cutting a plastic pipe with my jack knife I managed to fold it's non locking blade onto my middle finger and cut to the meat. Bandaids on both hands and using a pair of pruning shears for all tube cutting. I don't know what to do about the two handed tool. The blade is looking at you at all times and very close to your fingers when you close the vise grips. Working in a foot of snow on steep slopes the unexpected can be expected.

[farmall h]

Sounds like the VTer's way of doing things. I cut myself on the two handed tool last Saturday. I went to squeeze on a drop and misalligned the tube to the barb. Of course this was a tight one against the bark of the tree and my fingers were in there trying to reposition things when the blade became exposed 'cause I twisted the tool just enough to push the blade handle back. Fingers were froze so it didn't hurt...bled like a stuck pig though!

[vtsnowedin]

Sounds like the VTer's way of doing things. I cut myself on the two handed tool last Saturday. I went to squeeze on a drop and misalligned the tube to the barb. Of course this was a tight one against the bark of the tree and my fingers were in there trying to reposition things when the blade became exposed 'cause I twisted the tool just enough to push the blade handle back. Fingers were froze so it didn't hurt...bled like a stuck pig though!

It's not the hurt right then that bothers. A very sharp knife and I hardly felt it. It's the throbbing that night thats the bear. The two handed tool I have has the blade exposed at all times. I suppose thats the difference between the $135.00 tool and the $210.00 one.

[danno]

I have the blade on my two handed tool wired back. Don't use that blade. Usually clamp both ends of the tube in the open position and use a pair of shears and cut the couple inches of tube out between the clamps.

Figure on an 8 tap lateral, I'm cutting about 15" of lateral out. Can't have those laterals too tight

[caseyssugarshack93]

i do the same as danno=for as cutting sections out of the tube when cutting drops in= open tool all the way put the jaws on the pipe cut one end with the cutter built on my tool with CUTTER GUARD then take the cutter i have in my pocket and cut the other side take that shove in my pocket and line up the drop and BAM on to the next one

[lpakiz]

My home-made tool has a scalpel blade for the cutter. That is sharp! I have a piece of 3/8 hose that I remove and re-install over the blade each time I cut with it..
Yes, it's not the initial injury that's bad but knocking off the scab and bleeding all over everything for 5 days.