Discontinued Lil' Bud by Vapwood

[P.A.M.]

Do we get et an email saying we have a certain # in cue , or that installement was received or something .. I sent an email with my $50 and never got response . Sent inquire a week or so ago too and never got response .. I had to rewrite the typo found on website here and only then was it acknowledged..

I know you must be busy , if can confirm here or by email you did receive my communications , it would be appreciated. Thank you .

 

[Bravesst]

Do we get et an email saying we have a certain # in cue , or that installement was received or something .. I sent an email with my $50 and never got response . Sent inquire a week or so ago too and never got response .. I had to rewrite the typo found on website here and only then was it acknowledged..

I know you must be busy , if can confirm here or by email you did receive my communications , it would be appreciated. Thank you .

I got your down payment, you are all set.

 

[Bravesst]

After just emailing PAM, I've decided to post the projected completion / shipping. I've broken the pre orders down into 2 batches, plus the waiting list. First batch one and two on pre orders, then waiting list. A couple of minor changes should make it into round one (first pre order batch).

Both batch one, batch two should get their Lil' Buds in February, waiting list should get a notification in March.

Even though all vapes are hand built at every step, I can work with X amount of vapes simultaneously for much of the initial processes, as this saves some serious time of tool set up. Once all the blanks are cut, routed and drilled, coils built, assembly literally is *one vape at a time* all by hand, right down to the final planing and sanding of all surfaces before hot beeswax is applied. I even get to hand test each vape personally before it priority ships.

All is on schedule, moving along nicely.

And a big thanks to all who bought, placed down payment, or registered for the waiting list. By doing so you've helped launch Lil' Bud.
Mike

 

[Other Side]

 

[Bravesst]

If you like wood, you'll love this...

 

[Bravesst]

Happy Week End All!

For me it'll be a working weekend. The temps have sky rocketed in the Northeast, and the shop is back to awesome. Actually worked with doors wide open all day yesterday, as I was building up a sweat sanding / planing. It jumped like 55 degrees in a few days.

Today those bad boys in the pic above will begin their transformation into the *first batch* of Lil' Buds. Dimensions and parts are set, there is only one last option that needs to be explored, and that will be a quick yes or no (at least for right now).

 

[Bravesst]

My 8 little soldiers are now *roughed out* to accept battery terminals, coil heater, and switch box. Switch boxes are currently being worked on, while forming the coils are up next. Lastly is faring up, assembly, planing, sanding, and finishing with hot beeswax. All in a day's (or a few days) work...

 

[P.A.M.]

All sounds and looks great, @Bravesst ! Looking forward to it and maybe make a cloud video to help promote your lil'bud soldiers!


EDIT : curious if you have a safety rig thought out , kind of like the milanna guitar pick? Being a portable unit , it would be nice to pocket it without having to remove the battery or worry leaving it in..a tab that slides in and out maybe or explore a covered power button or other. Never really thought of that when doing installement plan, but yeah I'd hate to remove batteries constantly.

 

[Bravesst]

I'm not really a cloud guy, but you asked. I ask you to pay attention to the pics, because the details shown here (the rigid standards for battery connectivity and vent hole placement) are what allow you to milk the session.

 

[P.A.M.]

Wow! Not bad for a none cloud guy !! very impressive! I meant I'd perhaps make videos to help (Reading my early post I see how that was easily misinterpreted) I see you have it under control ! French being mother tongue , I sometimes lack on proper grammatical skills....

I love the pics too , nice and clean battery compartment & connectivity. great work !

 

[Bravesst]

Wow! Not bad for a none cloud guy !! very impressive! I meant I'd perhaps make videos to help (Reading my early post I see how that was easily misinterpreted) I see you have it under control ! French being mother tongue , I sometimes lack on proper grammatical skills....

I love the pics too , nice and clean battery compartment & connectivity. great work !

No problem, just a quick selfie-video, no big deal to shoot.

 

[Diggy Smalls]

That was from cold start up? Dang! That's super fast! Looks great, and I'm sure it tastes great. A double 18mm tapered wood stem would be awesome. Could use it as a mouthpiece or as a connection to a water piece.

 

[Bravesst]

@Diggy Smalls

There really is no such thing as warm up, unless I left it in the car at 10 degrees. I can special order you a double male stem no problem.

 

[Bravesst]

One of my brave soldiers took one for the team. I wanted to test a couple of things out, and needed a volunteer. He stepped right up, a true hero.

 

[P.A.M.]

Heroes are always welcome here! Much respect to that brave lil'soldier !

 

[Bravesst]

I hope to build a small militia of Lil' Buds one day, but for now, it's more like an elite special ops unit. We are feverishly working to get there, and every day is a step closer to the ultimate finished, refined, quality tested Lil' Bud that'll be ready to be in your hands.

Dependable, durable, user friendly, as the rapid heat up, cool down gives much control, with instant response to sensory feedback via inhalation. In other words, as soon as you hit the button you've got heat, as soon as you let go you've got cool. That is just part of the function of the coil shape. Coordinating the two is not hard to do. Just to mention, you MUST keep your stems / screens clean to be able to pull that rapid high heat into the load. The low, angled vent holes also help to increase airflow.

 

[Bravesst]

When I was learning how to build furniture, a master teacher told me *consistency* trumps *accuracy*. In other words measure once, cut a dozen times, (or more). Refining the build process enables accuracy that is repeatable over and over, AND, and this is a big and if I want to keep prices down, and speed, without sacrifice of quality. Not a shortcut, just a better way.

Many of the upgrades are just jigs I build, as in any woodworking project. Before you can really get anything done, you gotta build stuff to build stuff. Now that the design, parts, and dimensions are locked in, it was time to do just that.

In addition, the necessity for some upgrades on certain tools had become obvious. I was working too hard, and without the right toolage, certain things were not getting easier. Problem solved with the addition of a few things, but one in particular, a *pana-vise* with *quad hands*. This is the coolest little vise, where all of my past vises have been larger woodworkers vises. I've improvised pretty well, but this is a pleasure.

Anyway, thought I'd share what I'm up to. Even though these upgrades are keeping me busy for a few days, they will speed up the process considerably overall. We are proceeding right along, and I'm very happy with the progress.

 

[P.A.M.]

All sounds great ,Bravesst! Sent you some dough and an email. Wow does that dark lil'bud on your website in the bottom left corner ever look great !!!! I'd give it a good home if ever homeless they all look great !

Looking forward for more Vapwood news thank you for keeping us informed as you have

 

[Bravesst]

I like sharing the progress on Lil' Bud. It is starting to get to the point of 100% nailed down. That is not to say I don't have 2 or 3 ideas, but for the first release, it's a done deal. Like I said in the last post, right now I'm tweaking the process, as a buddy of mine observed, *dialing it all in*.

Now might not be the best time to talk about the future, but what the hell.

The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is getting Lil' Bud v.1 shipped and into your hands. It makes me very happy to say, that as promised, this should happen in February.

Next, I'm looking forward to Timber, as well as Lil' Bud version v.2. Timber, an inline, log style vape will contain all the same design features of Lil' Bud, coil heater, all wood.

I'm very much looking forward to LB v.2. It will give me a chance to embrace the cosmetic side, maybe take some real woodworking challenges, now that the nuts and bolts are sound and repeatable.

Full steam ahead,
Mike

 

[Bravesst]

Another *coil day*. This is so much better. Love the quad hands.

The forming of the coil is by probably the most important aspect of Lil' Bud. Now matter how pretty it is, how good all the connections are, how all wood and pure it is, without a well formed coil to evenly distribute heat, you won't achieve what is really possible with this technology.

Everything else is just the structure that allows you to take full advantage of the basic coil shape. With my new equipment, I actually like doing it.

 

[Bravesst]

Busy day, but not in the shop today. But have no fear, I have lots planned for this week. With a dozen bodies, switch boxes, lids, and coils complete, there is only one thing left to do - assemble. Tomorrow is gonna be a good day. Can't wait to post pics.

 

[MonkeyTime]

Busy day, but not in the shop today. But have no fear, I have lots planned for this week. With a dozen bodies, switch boxes, lids, and coils complete, there is only one thing left to do - assemble. Tomorrow is gonna be a good day. Can't wait to post pics.

Can't wait to see them!

 

[P.A.M.]

Can't wait to see them!

Same !! So excited can hardly contain myself !!

 

[Alan]

Lil’ Bud is really starting to take shape now. The coil build looks great. Those flexible arms work great for holding the wood disk steady while you form the spiral coil shape. You are correct that the coil formation is the most important part. So nice to have the coil not touching a glass insert which can conduct heat away and hinder performance. It is probably pretty light in weight without the glass insert. How much does Lil’s bud weight including the battery?

Also nice that the air flows past the mesh material rather than through it which would add more drag. Interesting how the sound of the intake air changes when the heater is energized. Sort of like blowing on a fire. The hotter the coil, the louder the sound.

So cool that you are able to easily disassemble Lil’ Bud for any necessary repairs. Will be super easy to install a new screen if it accidentally gets ruined. An improved coil design (if that is possible) could also be easily installed. This is how a vaporizer should be made. There should never be a need to do any sort of maintenance to improve the electrical conductivity. All the connections are electrically well made and the battery contacts do not appear like they will ever corrode. It will just always work with a good battery installed. The battery direction does not matter at all.

I like that you have found a way to quickly make the wood bodies without the need for $100K computer controlled equipment. You have some things more valuable called “skill” and “innovation”. There are so many woods with natural beauty that I can’t imagine making the body from anything else. It is the perfect blend of weight, strength, durability, and beauty. What could be more natural that beeswax for a finish?

So nice that you are always ready to make improvements to the design. Such a pleasure working with you.

Lil’ Bud should make a lot of people very happy, which is our ultimate goal.

 

[Bravesst]

When I first started working with Alan, I remember he made it very clear that his main goal was to make a lot of people happy vs just making a profit, hence such reasonable prices for such skilled work. That's a novel approach to business these days, and one I strive to emulate.

He has set the bar very high indeed, but at the same time helped me every step of the way to reach it. Anyone who will ever own a Lil' Bud or Timber, needs to thank Alan for his patience in tutoring me, turning me from a woodworker into a vape builder. I know I am forever in his debt.

A true master vape builder, Alan has taught me much about what quality really means. Following his example, I will work hard to put out the best possible product at the fairest price - thus making LOTS of people happy. I will also refuse to stagnate with a design just because it works, no matter how good. If there is a sound and practical improvement on the horizon, I feel obligated to look at it.

-FSA