Sugar Shack

[kingOFgEEEks]

As others have said just ensure you provide support framing to use a tow assembly. My ....... What can I say; I like to overbuild everything.

Wow. That's a lot of great info.

For this year, I'm going to leave it open bottomed, and put a couple of scoops of 2B gravel (1-1/2" clean) on the ground to keep me out of the mud and allow me to level the evaporator (being dead level is important), but the fire rock and fire brick idea gets me thinking for the future.

 

[usmcbuckwild]

Wow. That's a lot of great info.

For this year, I'm going to leave it open bottomed, and put a couple of scoops of 2B gravel (1-1/2" clean) on the ground to keep me out of the mud and allow me to level the evaporator (being dead level is important), but the fire rock and fire brick idea gets me thinking for the future.

I’ve built a few (back in the day) when I still lived in CT. Learned the hard way a few times..... Over-engineer and over-build it: make anything you invest money last longer than you will.

We built a specialty shed that required being 100% level, had to fabricate in 4 screw jacks between the skids and the floor frame. The jacks were accessible in the floor from inside the shack. Basically sunk the open end jack base in the skids, attached the top brackets into the floor framing and the screw top was a 1” bolt head sunk in the floor. Lay your level on the floor and use an impact gun to level the entire shack in about 2 minutes. The jacks were home made from concrete form blow out braces (Thank you Manafort Bros Construction).

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Update: I got the roof done (didn't get pics), so just need to close the end walls in and get some gravel down, then set my evaporator. I'll probably tap in late January or early February, so time is starting to get short. At least I'm under roof and out of the wind now.

Got a new sap hauler too. That will help things this year.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Update: I got the roof done (didn't get pics), so just need to close the end walls in and get some gravel down, then set my evaporator. I'll probably tap in late January or early February, so time is starting to get short. At least I'm under roof and out of the wind now.
View attachment 104556 View attachment 104557
Got a new sap hauler too. That will help things this year.

Very nice!!

 

[usmcbuckwild]

Nice!

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Let there be lights!

My 7 year old was a trooper this afternoon, helping me wire up the shack in 10 degree weather . We were too busy working and having fun to take pics, so I took these later.

Now to get the gravel down and set the evaporator. I can close in the last side up and put windows in while I'm boiling.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

My evaporator was home-made by the guy I bought it from. The 32" x 6' firebox frame was a wood eater, and not too efficient. I added some rockwool insulation and a baffle to bring the heat up to the pan, to hopefully make my operation more efficient:

That's my idea of a fun Saturday night!

 

[amberg]

Finally got it down and moved outside last Saturday. Today I got the 2 end rafters on, and the purlins in place. I'll stand up the middle rafters next.
View attachment 99291 View attachment 99292

Is that wagon running gear a Cobey from the late 50's or early 60's,

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Is that wagon running gear a Cobey from the late 50's or early 60's,

I think it's a Gehl. Probably 50-60 years old. It had a 14' Gehl forage wagon on it, but when that rotted out, Dad picked up a couple Dion wagons at an auction and built a wooden round bale carrier out of the Gehl gear.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

No update in a while. I’m finally boiling for the first time tonight!

 

[Ryan Browne]

No update in a while. I’m finally boiling for the first time tonight!
View attachment 113169

Congrats man!! The first boil of the year sure is a great feeling. I'm hoping I've still got a few weeks to get ready in my neck of the woods, but anything could happen.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Congrats man!! The first boil of the year sure is a great feeling. I'm hoping I've still got a few weeks to get ready in my neck of the woods, but anything could happen.

Thanks! Not bad for the first night. I lit the fire at 7 and put about 10 gallons of sap in. She started really boiling at about 8:30, and I stopped adding wood at a little after 9. It finally was cooled down enough to walk away at 11:15, with about 40 gallons reduced down to 10 or so. Hopefully I can do it all again tomorrow, and have the pan sweet before it gets cold again.

 

[usmcbuckwild]

Thanks! Not bad for the first night. I lit the fire at 7 and put about 10 gallons of sap in. She started really boiling at about 8:30, and I stopped adding wood at a little after 9. It finally was cooled down enough to walk away at 11:15, with about 40 gallons reduced down to 10 or so. Hopefully I can do it all again tomorrow, and have the pan sweet before it gets cold again.

Now I’m craving pancakes soaked with REAL Maple Syrup.......

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Now I’m craving pancakes soaked with REAL Maple Syrup.......

I'm down to my last pint from 2017, so it was time!

 

[usmcbuckwild]

I may hit you up when done with that batch and buy a pint or 2. I miss REAL syrup; that smoky sweet flavor versus the sugary over-sweetened crap from the store.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

Back at it again...

 

[Ryan Browne]

Hey Chris, hope you guys are having a great season. I also hope you don't mind if I add some pics to this great thread you've got.


Things are just starting to happen in my neck of the woods. My tubing needed some repairs after the last 10 months, so I have been working on that this week. I had to relocate one of my tanks and my mainline because I'm not tapping my neighbor's woods this year. I had to run to the supply store a couple times, but I'm making good progress. I'm hoping for 300 taps on vacuum this year. 200 of them will run to this short section of 1" mainline. I'm using 6-way star fittings at the ends of the line and a couple of saddle fittings to get my 3/16 lines into the mainline. I'll add a vacuum gauge in the line also do I can keep an eye on how much vacuum I have. There's lots of squirrels in my woods, so it's pretty coming to see a low reading on the gauge and have to chase down a leak.



The PVC pipe is an ice filter I made last year. I hook a 12V DC shurflo pump to the part that's currently laying on the ground. From there it'll go into the tank. It's amazing how cheaply a guy can get great vacuum nowadays with this new 3/16 tubing and a cheap diaphragm pump. I switched all of my taps over to vacuum last year and my total cost including pumps, filters, mainline, taps and everything was between $3-4/tap.

I've got a couple buddies coming over in the morning and we're gonna start tapping. It's probably still too early, but we'll be able to work ito some kinks and maybe even get done sap over the next few warm days.

 

[darkimpulse]

Looks awesome. Hats off to you. Now I am craving pancakes and real syurp.

 

[kingOFgEEEks]

I was busy for a couple weeks, just got my pans sweet, finished my first gallon of syrup...

...and then the nor'easter came back a couple weeks ago:


After the storm passed, my grandfather and a good friend came over, and with the help of the front end loader on my Deutz 6265, we got it back together, and even finished the fourth wall:


Since then, it's been too cold for much sap to run. Hopefully things warm up enough this weekend to get me back in gear. Believe it or not, I didn't lose any syrup or sap in the collapse!

 

[RI Chevy]

Good to see you back upright!

Baton down the hatches. Yet another storm coming. [emoji52]