What Did You Do Today?

[WhistlingBadger]

Personally I prefer fresh toasted HHB it has a really nice smell

 Bjrogg

That one's on my list to try if we ever make it out to Michigan again.  Don't have a lot of it in Wyoming.  But I'm planning to have another go at our local woods, juniper and chokecherry, this spring.  Juniper makes the shop smell wonderful.  Stand by for updates on the smell of toasted chokecherry.   

[White Falcon]

Finished this sheath.

[Piddler]

Broke a piece of Hickory that was turning into a bow.
Piddler

[Pappy]

WOW that's a nice looking knife an sheath. Beautiful work.  Sorry about the Hickory Piddler but it happens.
 Pappy

[Pat B]

Hard to break hickory, Piddler. You must have worked hard to do that. 
 Nice knife and sheath, White Falcon. 

[Piddler]

Pappy yes it does.
Yeah Pat I was surprised. On inspection it apparently had bug damage that went inside a very small knot I had little concern for. It went down about three rings and all the way across the limb. That damage was done while it was still a tree and it filled the hole. It was looking promising to that point.
Piddler

[JW_Halverson]

Pappy yes it does.
Yeah Pat I was surprised. On inspection it apparently had bug damage that went inside a very small knot I had little concern for. It went down about three rings and all the way across the limb. That damage was done while it was still a tree and it filled the hole. It was looking promising to that point.
Piddler

Drat!  I recently had finished next-to-final tillering on a lovely hickory bow and was heat treating/toasting and adding an inch of setback in the limbs. As I started on the second limb I heard some cracking noises, I discovered that a delamination between growth rings had opened up. I was gutted. All that work down the drain right before the finish line!

Eh, life of a bowyer, huh brother?

[Piddler]

JW
I wasn't as far into it as you but did have some time involved. Tiller was going good as well. Oh well.
Piddler

[Eric Krewson]

I have a friend who loves to kill deer, my sister-in-law needed some burger, my friend shot a button buck that needed a home. He had gut shot it so it took more time to trim and clean up. The season in Alabama ends this Saturday.

It was small so I decided to cut it up myself rather than pay what has become an exorbitant processing fee. I haven't cut up a deer in 30 years or so but have a grinder and meat cuber. The last deer I cut up I used a #32 hand crank grinder which was a chore.

Being a little rusty I decided to set up a YouTube classroom and learn how to do it right, a gal who goes by Outdoor Allie has some really good videos on deer processing. She has a magnetic personality as well which makes her videos fun to watch.

I removed all the fat, sinew, membrane and paid close attention to removing the nasty glands from the shoulders and hind quarters. This close trimming and cleaning up the gut shot mess took me a long time.



Raw stock ready to cut;



My grinder and my cuber, I bought the grinder used off eBay for $19 shipped, no one else bid on it. It is powerful and grinds as fast as I can throw meat in it. 



I made mostly burger with about 8 pounds of cube steak. Here is the first course grind on the burger, I added about 20% pork butt roast for fat and taste. The button head didn't have an oz of fat on him this late in the year.



Done for today, I have to do another grind on the burger, here is 18# chilling in the freezer ready for another pass through the grinder.

[Stoker]

Nice work Eric. Never shot a deer this year. I helped my friend and his boys make sausage 180lbs.We started making together in '89. Always a good time.

[bjrogg]

Nice Eric.

I just took all my grind meat out of freezer yesterday to slowly thaw. Going to make some summer sausage and burger. Have some pork shoulder to mix for fat. I usually get gifted several deer every year. I just cut my grind to size and then vacuum pack it in big bags. Then after the end of season I grind it all at once.

Bjrogg

[Eric Krewson]

What size plate do you use bjrogg? I have three that came with the grinder, two are tiny and grind too fine, the one I use has triangle holes and is pretty course.

My brother, the butcher, said his shop ground 500K # of burger a year and used a 3/8" plate and did double passes with it.

[Pappy]

Not sure what size hole I use but I never double grind mine, never have and it turns out fine, I don’t do 5k but do several hundred pounds a year. Pappy

[bjrogg]

I don’t remember what size for sure but I think it’s finer than that Eric. Think I have two sizes I think a 3/8” and a smaller one.

I do like Pappy. I just grind once with the smaller one. I like to have my meat really cold almost partially frozen. It grinds much better cold.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

This is the one I use Eric.

It’s not marked but it seems to be 1/8” or so . I have tried using the 3/8” for first grind. Then mixing everything and grinding again with 1/8” but it seems like it went through whole better than re ground. With my grinder it goes through the small one really well whole. Especially really cold

Bjrogg