Discontinued The Timber Elite by Vapwood

[Bravesst]

Good morning gang,

I just spent that last hour on my website, cleaning up, tweaking, polishing. I never count the non-shop time towards work hours, but it's at least equal to shop time. I actually enjoy writing, creating, editing. I need a life!

The ten percent off gets the Elite bare bones down to $260 (listed at $289). Not a bad *Mother's Day* sale price. Never thought I'd be saying this, but the Elite would make a great gift for lots of moms. Love the new cannabis world.

I'm feeling the vacuum of 420, probably a good thing as I catch up on everything. Part of me just simply wants to be able to build Lil' Buds for a living for a long, long time. As I know this is an up and down sales game, I feel the secret is to long term success is to keep building even when sales slow, exactly what I'm doing now.

Today I may get to my first assemblies of *mega batch*. With 30 fully pre-assembled, prepped units, and 30 really tight coils, I'm ready to rock and roll. This level of prep should translate into a smooth build process. I'm toying with the idea of a soft fabric covering for my work bench. The finish level of these units is so high, I'd like to keep them that way and not have to rebuff to this level again. It's actually the dust that scuffs things up again. In the end, a drop of heat and the buffer can fix anything.

Gonna be a good day!

 

[Bravesst]

Got one Figured Maple Beauty assembled yesterday afternoon. I went with two, 45 degree 3/32 vent holes, but need to open things up a bit, as it's slightly restricted. I'll probably open them up a hair to get the result that pairs best with the Elite. I'm going to assemble one Maple, Walnut, Cherry, Koa, Waple, and do a bit of testing, as I assemble the rest of the batch. Thanks to @HerbieVonVapster , I now know how to use the software for some of the initial testing, keeping my lungs nice and rested.

Here's a peek at Figured Maple.

 

[Bravesst]

Hey All
Long day, wife had a *procedure*, all good, but shop time cut a bit short. I'm set on the vent holes at two 1/8 holes, and that figured maple unit has been upgraded. Vents for the board compartment are 1/16. I also grooved the floor of the board compartment with a couple of little kerfs to help air move / cool. All holes drilled.

My plan is to build one Elite of each species of wood. I will put them through the paces. I've already started testing with the maple unit. Some settings my change a bit. Internally, the board wiring is slightly different, 14 gauge wire that runs to the coil is a hair shorter. If anything, my soldering skills / methodology have improved a bit as well, all resulting in better connectivity, and more accurate readings.

When first uploading the escribe software, I did a test *puff* and the unit basically floored itself at 50 watts in an attempt to maintain 400 F. I then realized I hadn't adjusted the TCR file, which for whatever reason, always resets to the defualt .006 (appropriate setting for nickel). I set the Elite Hot file on .00109 (Herbie's hard work determined the TCR to be .00109) to try and deliver an accurate temperature in the flower (not coil). The puff test on the software looked okay, maybe watts a bit low. I then went for it, took a pull, wispy, barely visible vapor. I upped TCR to .002, and too hot. I dropped ti back to .00120, too cool, finally settling on .00190. The only test I haven't run is the case thermal analyzer, and I'll do that first thing in the morning, when the unit is ice cold, maybe that'll change things a bit. That put the unit right on track. Tomorrow, I hope to get a Walnut and Cherry unit assembled. I'm trying to build each unit identically, down to very small details.

Consistency is the watchword of batch 3.

 

[P.A.M.]

Back from the honeymoon, we already scheduled renewals things are going so well.

It's so cool , smooth , even , and more!

My buddy , my buddy,
Wherever I go , he go

 

[Bravesst]

Good Morning Gang,

Thermals being run on my Maple Elite. So far, seems very on par with Cherry / Walnut. Of the 3, cherry may be the least dense, but not by too much. I'd expect a different result with Koa or Purple Heart. Both woods are dense and heavy, and that has got to change things up a bit.

I'm really on board with not having to stir. There are occasions where I want to just finish off a bowl quick, and that is where stirring works well. But day in, day out, loading and stirring gets to be some work. I think the Elite can help extract an entire stem without stirring, by simply bumping up settings (heat or power). I got so locked into 25 watts, I had to stir more often. This morning, while working on the computer, casually taking hits, I went from starting low and getting up to 30 watts, no stir, no twist. Ideally, I'd like to be able to pull 15 to 20 sips or so before having to touch the vape. I think that also has a lot to do with the strain / bud you've got loaded up. Some flower will extract faster, in my experience. Anybody have personal methodology you'd like to share? I was thinking loading a bit heavier, maybe a bit looser, but I think the real session lengthening will come from playing with settings.

 

[HerbieVonVapster]

The amount of trichomes to plant material can effect the vapor production. Some flowers have more mass to them the sugar leaves are more denser thicker and flower doesn't crumble down as well.(mostly indica's)

Since vaping the trichomes and not the plant material. Having more of them I feel equals a better experience.

Grind and humidity seems to plays a role. On a hot humid days sometimes letting flowers sit out for few hours has the opposite effect instead of drying it out they seems moister.

Grinding is difficult so I just hand crumble. I did get better vapor production when could use a grinder.


Stirring is something I rarely do. I either bump up temperature and finish off the stem or save the ABV to help wth sleep. I find vaping it just on the edge of combustion helps there. Since most of the goodness has been vaped off whats left is more sedating. Using fresh flower right before sleep can something have the opposite effect.

Most days I vape in the 380-420 range then it gets revaped at 445 degrees at night. Tend up up with more ABV than needed so when piles up I just make some capsules out of it.

That's the reason I use TC mode most of the time. I can control what cannabinoids are being vaped without vaping them all at once. I tend to function better durning the day using a lower temperature.

Plus depending on pain levels I don't always want to feel sedated. TC gives you the option to do this and the DNA chip ability to keep a stable temperature is key for this type of usage.

 

[Bravesst]

The result of a good days work. These will go through the paces, while assembling the rest of the batch. They will get one more blast of heat and final buff.

 

[Bravesst]

It's all about the wood, *that's what she said*. This AM, I am running case thermal testing once again on all the different wood species I build with. It's the first step in prepping this batch for delivery. This time around I have Maple, Koa, and Waple, in addition to Cherry and Walnut. My guess is that Koa will be the only standout. This is the only part of the testing process that involves waiting, as the software waits for a steady temp, then it takes about a half hour to run. The unit has to be ice, ice cold, best if sitting overnight, or at least a few hours without being touched. You also need a battery between 25 and 50% charged. Another bit of a pain in the ass, but worth it.

While my little party of five are being put the the paces, I'll continue to build Classics and Elites, first satisfying this batch, then building some stock. I've had to go back and build (from scratch) another Waple Blend, as I miscalculated. The simple contrast of maple and walnut blend nicely. I'm going to list this option on the site.

I'm working in the city today, and having a bit of a birthday party / mother's day party tonight at my house. Tomorrow is not only Mom's day, but my b-day as well. Wife has all sorts of plans - movies, dinner. I just wanna build Lil' Buds, but I'll have to go along. I'm sure I'll get 3 or 4 hours in (a typical shop work day for me is about about 4 hours, while spending another couple of hours on the computer). Yesterday, I pushed. The assembly process is tedious, needs to be perfect, with lots of neck, shoulder, arm fatigue. I'm dealing with #0 screws, soldering tiny wires to even smaller pads, installing an 18 mm x 25 mm coil in a 20 x 30 mm space. Sometimes I think the eye strain is what mostly ends an assembly session. To give you an idea of the labor that goes into building an Elite, I managed 4 assemblies in roughly four hours. Thankfully, the Classic is a bit faster.

 

[P.A.M.]

Sounds like a fun evening with movie & dinner and other plans ! Happy birthday my friend! Wish you enjoy your day ! I shall celebrate with my Elite this weekend in your honour ! 420Cheers ! This is not how it's spelt but happy birthday in french sounds like "bun fight" (bonne fete) . Bun fight Mike.

 

[Bravesst]

Happy Mother's Day. For those of you who might be interested, my Mom's birthday was 4/20. Destiny. Nice bun fight last night... Great time with family. Good food, conversation. I slipped out on my deck a few times. Funny, we're still not at the point I can't just *blaze* in front of everyone, vape builder, medical card, birthday or not. I'd like to just sit in my living room while hitting on the Elite, chatting with the family - maybe next birthday.

Running thermals on a brand new Cherry unit this AM. The Maple's numbers were pretty in line, except the case USB temp rise was a bit higher than what I've seen in multiple Cherry or Walnut units.I repeated the test twice, same results. Maybe the Walnut and Cherry resist the temp rise during charging a bit better. It will be interesting to see if this Cherry unit reverts back to previous numbers.

Each unit will go out with cold ohms set. I'm getting very consistent cold ohms readings, from .29 to .30. The TCR is about the only variable that needs to be double checked and set with each unit. This makes for a pretty uniform process this time around. Going with cold ohms settings, and only adjusting TCR to get the most accurate TC readings will make this a pretty routine process. I think, thanks to @HerbieVonVapster , I have a much better understanding of the process this time around. We shall all benefit with a better performance out of the box.

My wife has *plans* for us today. I'll make sure I get some shop time, just for my own sanity. If I don't move forward on my batch, I feel unaccomplished for the day, no matter what else I do. Yesterday, I got zero shop time, and I'm jonesing for wood. Doing testing, editing on the computer also helps me feel like I did something, but nothing compares to finally assemblies.

I'm pretty stoked about the quality level of the Elite in just a short time. The Elite evolved from the both the Lil' Bud Classic and the iHeat. Some really advanced stuff had to happen to make this possible. We had to replicate the control of the off the shelf mod, while incorporating the beauty and purity of hand made wood. What made that possible was the DNA75C and all wood cover plate design. The cover plate essentially turns the DNA75C into four leads (2 battery, 2 coil) that can be mounted to the body of the unit with 2 #0 screws.

Alan's coil, housed perfectly in the 20 mm wooden coil chamber of the Elite, which is lined in SS foil. Of course, the coil is pure stainless steal as well. There is nothing in the air path but wood and steal. The DNA75c board sits in its own compartment, completely separate from the air path, as does the 18650 battery. This is a clean set up.

Anyway, those are a few observations as I assemble, and kind of marvel at the quality of these units.

 

[Bravesst]

Good morning fellow cannabis lovers. Raining, cold here in NY. I've got a couple of appointments this AM, but in the shop for my typical hard core 5 hour day. I've also been testing the new units out, running thermals, arriving at optimal TCR's, getting good results with less fuss. I guess this is all starting to become a bit more routine (another word for zen), which is awesome.

I'm actually running the first Koa unit through the case thermal testing. Noticeably more dense, heavier, results should be a little different. This afternoon I should get a few more units assembled. I'm assembling the Elites first because they require the additional step of programming. The Classics assemble in half the time.

As @Alan would say, Full Steam Ahead... or is it, full steam for my head?

 

[Bravesst]

Break time... I set up my new drill press, and got another Elite (Waple) assembled. I've got about 3 more to go in this batch before I switch over to Classics. Testing also continues to go well today. Cold ohms are what they are, but we're coming in at a pretty consistent .29 average. I'm adjusting TCR on each unit, based on not just software testing, but actual hits. My default test setting in TC is 50 watts / 400 F / preheat on 3 . I look for the absolute smoothest, most powerful, tasty, rapid, punch-me-in-the-face hit without the fear of combustion. Thankfully, I can zero in on the computer, than do a final hit or two. This will mean once the Classics are assembled, I'll be ready to pack up and ship out. All testing will be done ahead of time. Eventually, this step may become unnecessary, as I can have default settings for each material, but for now I'm learning a lot of programming for the best experience.

 

[P.A.M.]

So like yeah, amazed by the Elite's outdoor performance. Switching between Elite Cool\Med/Hot trends allow me to Vape accordingly to the elements sort speak. Also enjoyable to walk and Vape with the Elite. Being able to get noticeable and visible vapor within a few seconds really enables you to Vape while walking feeling really casual about it . Knowing you are on a set temp , no worries of scorching your load due to being more attentive to walking then vaping . Look ma", I can multitask!

 

[nonbeliever]

Mike, can you make the latest versions of your Elite profiles available somewhere that we can download and try on some of your early Elites? Thank you guys for doing the heavy lifting on the software!

 

[Bravesst]

Building and testing is a nice plan. Testing isn't overwhelming this time around. I've worked out the entire process, and can interpret the results and adjust accordingly, with little hassle. Thermal testing just takes some time.

Hey @nonbeliever. I am working on uploading my latest files for sharing, and I just asked @HerbieVonVapster the best way for me to do this.

@P.A.M. Good outdoor performance in Canada is saying a lot. After running case thermal analyzer on all of these units, I can see how sensitive to just a few degrees in room temp this vape can be. The whole thing with TC mode is it doesn't care what's going on outside, it'll call on more watts to reach your set temp to compensate for cold air. With case thermals adjusted for each unit, accuracy of this process is improved. All of this going on without you being aware of it. That's true technology.

Shop is looking good with the addition of the floor drill press. I now have two drilling stations, one small milling station where super x / y axis accuracy is imperative (cover plate, back plate, coil compartment), and one where boring straight down power and accuracy is most important (z axis), bowl, taper, switch box, bottom cap. Tools are everything. This should improve the accuracy / consistency from the first hole drilled on.

Unfortunately, it's Tuesday, so I'm working in Manhattan most of the day. I can't even sneak into the shop for a few hours as I have my sister coming out to visit me for my birthday. No worries, the rest of the week will include lots of shop time. I will be testing (am right now).

 

[Bravesst]

@nonbeliever
I've been trying to upload the file to my website, but they don't accept the file format. For now, just send me an email at vapwood420@gmail.com and I'll attach the file to the return email. For now, anyone who wants the latest file I'm working with, can do the same.

Got another assembly squeezed in, testing now. All good stuff...

 

[nonbeliever]

While a few of you have been doing the hard work of sorting through software, I thought I’d spend some effort on the roasting tube. Personally, I like a somewhat more restrictive draw than the wide open roasting tubes have, not too mention I am tired of breaking the glass tube (glass tubes and I shouldn’t be mobile together.).

So as a starting point, I asked @Alan to turn a few all wooden tubes - drilled out to the same basic specs as Mike’s latest glass lined tubes, with a few differences.

1) I had @Alan drill out the 12 mm hole actually 1/2 inch deeper to experiment with baffling techniques for airflow, and
2) an 8mm draw path and mouthpiece, which I have to say I like a lot more.

To give you an idea of the draw tube dimensions... this photo is a standard wooden tube that Mike ships, along with the glass lined tube and the 8mm tube for comparisons.

This is what the bottom well depth looks like between the tubes:

My first baffle experiment is using a stainless steel foil strip (thanks @Alan!) that I folded up into a lopsided star (using the precision of a needle nose pliers ) bending the ends a bit to force some circulation in the draw pattern, and placing it in the tube, covered by the screen:

And then covered with the screen.

I need to refine the baffle a bit more, and will probably try some other things (I may try to create a ball of thin SS slivers for instance), but some initial observations. I did use the tube for the last week or so without baffling, and found with my draw, I still have a tendency to have hotspots (I found this on every one of the tubes, so it is me, not the tube).

With the baffle in, I’ve noticed no hot spotting (clearly more even distribution of the heat), and the draw is definitely a bit cooler. I also suspect I could occasionally remove the SS baffle and decant it in milk or oil to rescue the residue.

This also worked great on my Classic.

Any other ideas of baffle materials/models to test?

 

[Bravesst]

While a few of you have been doing the hard work of sorting through software, I thought I’d spend some effort on the roasting tube. Personally, I like a somewhat more restrictive draw than the wide open roasting tubes have, not too mention I am tired of breaking the glass tube (glass tubes and I shouldn’t be mobile together.).

So as a starting point, I asked @Alan to turn a few all wooden tubes - drilled out to the same basic specs as Mike’s latest glass lined tubes, with a few differences.

1) I had @Alan drill out the 12 mm hole actually 1/2 inch deeper to experiment with baffling techniques for airflow, and
2) an 8mm draw path and mouthpiece, which I have to say I like a lot more.

To give you an idea of the draw tube dimensions... this photo is a standard wooden tube that Mike ships, along with the glass lined tube and the 8mm tube for comparisons.

This is what the bottom well depth looks like between the tubes:

My first baffle experiment is using a stainless steel foil strip (thanks @Alan!) that I folded up into a lopsided star (using the precision of a needle nose pliers ) bending the ends a bit to force some circulation in the draw pattern, and placing it in the tube, covered by the screen:

And then covered with the screen.

I need to refine the baffle a bit more, and will probably try some other things (I may try to create a ball of thin SS slivers for instance), but some initial observations. I did use the tube for the last week or so without baffling, and found with my draw, I still have a tendency to have hotspots (I found this on every one of the tubes, so it is me, not the tube).

With the baffle in, I’ve noticed no hot spotting (clearly more even distribution of the heat), and the draw is definitely a bit cooler. I also suspect I could occasionally remove the SS baffle and decant it in milk or oil to rescue the residue.

This also worked great on my Classic.

Any other ideas of baffle materials/models to test?

Lots can be done in the tube!!!
@nonbeliever
Nice idea with the stepped ID's. I like the narrowing effect of the glass lined tubes. I've been thinking about narrowing the ID to do away with the need for glass, never thought about a baffle. What is the depth of the 8 mm hole? How exactly did you create that baffle? Really excited to try this out.

I got the best gift from my sister's boyfriend, a woodworker's tool box. It'll house the dozens of files, knives, chisels, and host of other small hand tools I use on a daily basis that I can never organize properly. Whenever the shop improves, the work improves. I'll be organizing between assemblies. Having everything you need at your fingertips is a challenge when you regularly use 40 small hand tools like 6 inch files, exacto knives, and mini screw drivers.

I'm keeping up with software testing, working on the 9th Elite. Once that's done, I'll install the battery compartment floor (always the last step), and record the each unit's ID# on the underside. Each unit will be set at its precise cold ohms, case thermal, and mod resistance, TCR, as well as appropriate profiles to use. Eventually, this may become more of a rounding off for each species of wood, but for right now each unit is being custom programmed based on the best performance. That's a great head start.

 

[madhockeydad]

Hi

Just checking how things are going? I’ve emailed about my Elite order a few times and no response. Is everything ok?

David

 

[Bravesst]

4 units completed today, 2 Elites (12 in total) 2 Classics (beginning the Classic assembly for this batch of 12). I'm short one Blend, until next month, but I'll have caught up on just about every other outstanding Elite and Classic order up to and including May. This will be a total of 2 dozen units, 12/12. Once this batch is out, my goal will be to pull from the pre-assembly inventory I'm working on vs having to start assembly from scratch when ordered. I've been building inventory, while filling orders over the last two batches. This will improve the way I do business on many levels. Wait times will be reduced, hopefully to 30 days or less. Consistency will be improved, as I can knock out X amount of the same species and set aside. While many might not understand the nature of the woodworking, Amazon Prime doesn't hand build your daily purchases.

The reason @madhockeydad you were delayed was all Walnut and Cherry orders were filled first. Thanks for your patience.

 

[madhockeydad]

4 units completed today, 2 Elites (12 in total) 2 Classics (beginning the Classic assembly for this batch of 12). I'm short one Blend, until next month, but I'll have caught up on just about every other outstanding Elite and Classic order up to and including May. This will be a total of 2 dozen units, 12/12. Once this batch is out, my goal will be to pull from the pre-assembly inventory I'm working on vs having to start assembly from scratch when ordered. This will improve the way I do business on many levels. Wait times will be reduced, hopefully to 30 days or less. While many might not understand this, Amazon Prime doesn't hand build your daily purchases. The reason @madhockeydad you were delayed was all Walnut and Cherry orders were filled first. Thanks for your patience.

Thanks for the response. I’m so excited to try these models but especially the Elite. I can wait to see how this performs.

David

 

[Bravesst]

@madhockeydad your unit is online for testing. I'm about to run case thermal analyzer on it, upload the Elite file, and give it a thorough test. So far nine units have passed testing with flying colors, I'm sure your Maple will be the same. My cold ohms are ranging from about .29 to .31. TCR's are bit higher than the original testing to deliver the heat / power necessary. No frustration with testing, good sign! Hardest thing about testing is draining batteries down to under 50%, which is required for the case thermal testing. Sometimes than can take more than a few bowls on the Elite. Battery started at 87%, I've down three bowls and it's still hovering at above 50%. Nice problem to have, too much power.

 

[HerbieVonVapster]

While a few of you have been doing the hard work of sorting through software, I thought I’d spend some effort on the roasting tube. Personally, I like a somewhat more restrictive draw than the wide open roasting tubes have, not too mention I am tired of breaking the glass tube (glass tubes and I shouldn’t be mobile together.).

So as a starting point, I asked @Alan to turn a few all wooden tubes - drilled out to the same basic specs as Mike’s latest glass lined tubes, with a few differences.

1) I had @Alan drill out the 12 mm hole actually 1/2 inch deeper to experiment with baffling techniques for airflow, and
2) an 8mm draw path and mouthpiece, which I have to say I like a lot more.

To give you an idea of the draw tube dimensions... this photo is a standard wooden tube that Mike ships, along with the glass lined tube and the 8mm tube for comparisons.

Awesome keep use posted on what you find. Glass lined isn't the best solution for me, but the 8mm wood tube has me excited.

 

[Vaporware]

@nonbeliever
I've been trying to upload the file to my website, but they don't accept the file format. For now, just send me an email at vapwood420@gmail.com and I'll attach the file to the return email. For now, anyone who wants the latest file I'm working with, can do the same.

Got another assembly squeezed in, testing now. All good stuff...

If you haven’t already tried, compressing it in a .zip file or other similar format might get it through the filter your host has set up.

Most if not all common computer operating systems come with software to at least zip and unzip things so it shouldn’t be hard for you or users.

 

[madhockeydad]

@madhockeydad your unit is online for testing. I'm about to run case thermal analyzer on it, upload the Elite file, and give it a thorough test. So far nine units have passed testing with flying colors, I'm sure your Maple will be the same. My cold ohms are ranging from about .29 to .31. TCR's are bit higher than the original testing to deliver the heat / power necessary. No frustration with testing, good sign! Hardest thing about testing is draining batteries down to under 50%, which is required for the case thermal testing. Sometimes than can take more than a few bowls on the Elite. Battery started at 87%, I've down three bowls and it's still hovering at above 50%. Nice problem to have, too much power.

Long battery life is nice. Another reason to be excited.