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Sugar wood!

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Sugarmaker View Drop Down
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Joined: 12 Jul 2013
Location: Albion PA
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    Posted: 05 Apr 2020 at 11:38am
Folks, 
Some orange in here but some red too!
I started cutting fire wood for making maple syrup next spring.
 Local sawmill has lots of slabs. At $10 per bundle loaded it is a pretty good value and gives me another project to use tractors and equipment too!:) Will need between 12 and 15 bundles of slabs.

Made a improvement to the 3 point buzz rig by adding the additional 1/4 inch plate to the table, sharpened the cutting blade, replaced the table return spring, repaired a foot rail that had broken, and rattle canned it red to just freshen it a little too.

It is mounted to the Ford Jubilee, but I did think about trying it on the Di7!:)

Set up at the sugarhouse wood shed. Going to try to cut and stack to reduce wood movement. 

Two bundles seemed about right for the little goose neck. Also was going to be easier to get the wood off as I was cutting it. I dont have a way to unload these bundles, unless I was to bring the TD6 home.

At the sugarhouse wood shed:

Set up and ready to go. Uncle Jacks WD waiting to help do something. The WZ and D17 set just a few feet away too. They don't like the Ford much!

 It seems a WD45 Shift tower helped me procrastinate just right on this project! I did get to it yesterday and cut these up and stacked it. Made about 2/3's of a row. 8 x 10 x 2.5. Full row will make around 40 gallons of syrup. Still boiling raw sap. A R.O. would cut this wood requirement in half or more. But we are not going there at this time. Just one more gizmo that you have to tend to. Plus I still like to fire the evaporator every 8 minutes with all the wood you can get in the firebox. Open the door in 8 minutes and do it again. About 8 hours of that and you can loose a couple lb's!

Regards,
Chris
D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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soggybottomboy View Drop Down
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Joined: 20 Feb 2018
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote soggybottomboy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr 2020 at 7:21pm
It's sure fun looking at the equipment you use to get the work done. I can see that it is quite a bit of work, and probably harder to get stiff muscles out of the chair once you have been sitting awhile. My son's inlaws used to make sorghum syrup, and i helped with that a couple of years, and really enjoyed it. They had a press that had a long pole that came out horizontally from the axle that drove the rollers that squeezed the juice out of the stalks. They had a pair of the most beautifully colored work horses hitched to the pole, and they just walked round and round to power that press. It didn't take long to fill a five gallon bucket, and then we would carry it to the stove to boil it down. The stove was maybe 4 feet wide by 6 feet long, with a pan welded on top that was maybe 8 or 10 inches deep. My daughter in law's grandpa did the boiling, and he was particular that the temperature of the juice did not get so hot that the syrup would have a burned taste. They gave me a bottle for helping, and it was good stuff. Unfortunately, that bottle got knocked over in the back of the refrigerator, the lid came off, and my wife was ticked. But, i survived and am still married. 
 My daughter in laws family doesn't do that any more though. There was a family blowup, the farm that the press and cooker were on was sold, and the equipment mysteriously disappeared. I would love to do that again, but would have to start from scratch. I would need a pattern to, because i don't remember exactly how that press worked. Anyway, it's good to see the photos and the story.
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Sugarmaker View Drop Down
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Joined: 12 Jul 2013
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sugarmaker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr 2020 at 8:25pm
Soggybottomboy, Folks,
 Glad you enjoyed the photos. 

Here is the wood pile from those two bundles :

Regards,
 Chris


Edited by Sugarmaker - 05 Apr 2020 at 8:28pm
D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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shameless dude View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shameless dude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr 2020 at 8:35pm
i'm loving these pics!!!! with me quarantined to the house, it helps a lot to see these pics. thanks!!! I also used to get slabs from the local mill, some used for firewood and the small stuff went thru the leaf/limb mulcher for bedding.
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Hubert (Ga)engine7 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hubert (Ga)engine7 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr 2020 at 8:51pm
Hard to find slabs around here anymore. Still got the cutoff saw that Dad used to cut up slabs he brought home from his sawmill. It needs a good bit of repair but could still be pressed into service if needed. Haven't been around any syrup cooking in years. I love that cane and sorghum syrup; unfortunately this is not an area for maple syrup.
Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God.
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Sugarmaker View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sugarmaker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr 2020 at 9:48pm
Folks,
 Some of the old maple equipment designs came from the sorghum industry in the south. That was around the time of the civil war or the late 1800's. Some of it has remained very close to the original designs.
 Regards,
 Chris
D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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HD6GTOM View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HD6GTOM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Apr 2020 at 10:39pm
We've only got 1 or 2 guys around here that make maple S. Grand dad had a sorgum mill during the depression. According to dad they made thousands of gallons of molases for everyone in the neighborhood back then. Traded labor back then for product.
    Your set up looks grand.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ranse Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Apr 2020 at 7:10am
Sawmills can't give slabs away around here. The sawmill I've done business with says he got one guy that comes and gets some. He burns the rest. I talked to a guy I know that logs for a living. He says they just push all the tops in a pile and burns them. I asked why didn't they cut them up for firewood? He says it takes to long, he loses money on it, and you can't hardly sell it anyway. It seems like such a waste to me. I've tried to give wood away myself, but no one is going to come and cut it. I sawed up a large willow oak yesterday that fell in a storm. It made a lot of good firewood. I don't know what  I'm going to do with it. I need to build me a shop and put a woodstove in it.
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Sugarmaker View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sugarmaker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2020 at 7:53pm
Ranse, Folks,
 This thread had not been updated in a while. I will add to what Ranse said. Folks don't want to spend the time to cut and process wood anymore. It is WORK, yep that 4 letter word! Even I spend a lot of time avoiding it!:)
Anyway, the wood shed is full. We are ready for the 2021 maple syrup season as far as wood is concerned. Should be able to make almost 200 gallons of syrup if we get the sap.
Here is a picture with a couple rows of the red oak slabs in place for drying.


Another shot of the slabs being loaded at the saw mill. And yes they were burning them faster than I was taking them away too! At $10 per bundle they weren't making much on them. I was happy and they should make a good hot fire. They say red oak has lots of coals we will be able to test that next spring. Stop in when we are boiling!

Wife helping stack syrup wood. with the WZ standing by. I had 4 tractors, 2 big and two small and some implements for cub cadet, jammed in the sugarhouse during the off season. Hoping to get this stuff out of there for next year!

The set up for running the wheel of Death! This is where every move needs to be thought out. No room for error. And I try to do this by myself to stay focused.

Also have a cord or more of split ash, maple, and elm, that were cut to make room for a new addition to the yard.
These are close enough to the sugarhouse I could haul it in for making syrup too.
 I had plans for it being used in a wood stove. That may still happen but my insurance agent was not please when I mentioned I wanted to put a wood stove in the new building! 

I know we dont really need this when the temps are  in the 90"s. Just a preview.

Regards,
 Chris





Edited by Sugarmaker - 10 Jul 2020 at 7:58pm
D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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mdm1 View Drop Down
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mdm1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2020 at 6:31am
We are micro syrup makers. This how I started buying wood. Take my trailer to a amish sawmill. They load it and give me a call when loaded. That's a 16ft trailer with 2ft sides. $30.00. It's oak, ash and maple. Granted it is different sizes. I have bought from a local tie company. Lots of mills by our cabin and they all seem to have trailers sitting waiting to be loaded. 
Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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Sugarmaker View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sugarmaker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2020 at 6:56am
mdm1,
That is a great way to get the wood for your operation! Convenient. Good value!  How much syrup are you making each season? Did you make a lot of light syrup this past spring? I need to get to Wisconsin. Too busy or too lazy not sure which. Some of both I guess.
Thanks for sharing that. Is your trailer a dump unit? That would be slick too!
Regards,
 Chris
D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote weiner Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2020 at 7:52am
Thanks for the pictures and memories.  been a long time sense I`ve seen a nice Jubilee.
Real heros wear dogtags, not capes.
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mdm1 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mdm1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jul 2020 at 10:30am
Chris we only make around 5 gal. Syrup had alot of sugar sand this year. Our syrup is usually med to dark. We do it at our cabin which is 2 hrs away and the cabin is not right on the road. Not quite as convenient as I would like.
We have alot of red maples and just a few sugars. Lots of snow. I had a complete shoulder replacement this Feb. so that made it alittle tougher. We just give the syrup to family and friends. Had a friend ask how much he owed me. Told him I couldn't afford to sell it to him but I would give him some for a thank you! The trailer is not a dump but it is pretty easy to unload it.  Hope you get to WI some time. We could get some people together. Mike.
Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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