The Toasty Top

[Ed's TnT]

Not sure what Alan gonna tell ya Orestes but buying lumber/blocks and all that can be tough. I like to get my wood as dry as possible, wanna be around 5-8% moisture content, most boards you find are kiln dried and will be stated, I dont think anyone kiln dries burls caps and chunks, they usually air dry those and even after long periods of time can still have significant moisture within them. I wont work anything that is wet or even 25% MC, there is just to much of a possibility of cracking or checking. I did a few months back spend a couple hundred on some big camphor burl chunks and they came with better than 20% mc, sucks too cause they are beauties just gonna be a while before I can work em. Unless they say they are dry I wouldnt buy! I do think the TT would look badass in B&W Ebony, OOOO Bocote would be the shit as well as the Kingwood! Do some looking around guys there are some great stuff out there, check out gilmerwood they have a $100 minimum but have a hella selection and they are really great folks too, give em a call and they will tell ya whats what.

 

[momofthegoons]

Have mercy Ed! I looked at that website and I'll tell you, I got a little excited. Those wood pics are like porn for me. I've got my sights set on a couple of those woods. The Masur birch and Snakewood are incredible.

 

[Alan]

I have been having good luck with kiln dried wood Orestes. I'm with Ed on "dry as possible". The wood will become kiln dried when the heater is installed so it is better to start that way.
There are always ways to dry wood. I have even used a microwave (no more than one minute at a time) on some woods. Only air / kiln drying for Toasty Tops / Towers though. I have a large food dehydrator I can use for a drying kiln.
I'm always up for doing some custom work with some custom wood. There is some amazing wood out there. Just give me a shout.

 

[Ed's TnT]

Snakewood is a beauty and super dense, have worked a couple of times, it finishes so well, really like glass when done but is so prone to checking when working, every time I see it anywhere there is always a reference to working it with CA glue, it seals the cracks and checks really well.

 

[Orestes]

Just heard from the wood people, and their rose myrtle is pretty green, and they dont recommend drying it because burled woods crack easily. The black and white ebony is $200 for 3" x 5" x 22.75", which is a bit too rich for my blood. And the mexican kingwood tree is pretty small so they can do 3"squares.

So we might be back to square one... I will check a few more resources.

 

[gvape]

Honestly wayyyyy to many woods to choose from. I want one of each! Can I say Log vape in every room?

If anyone is interested I just made a post in EDS thread about how I used the TT tips to modify my EDs wood tubes. Now I can unscrew and screw on a TT or PD bowl with my wood stems!

How to Modify Eds Tubes for TT and PD

 

[Alan]

Thanks for sharing gvape. That is a very cool discovery. Those tips sure are versatile.

 

[Orestes]

Anyone looking for wood... Check ebay. Wow. Tons of suitable wood

 

[biojuggernaut]

thats what she. . . oh nevermind.

We should atleast list a couple of options to see if we can get a breakdown for a group buy. I personally like black and white ebony, redwood would look nice, mrytle, and teak are the one's that I find to look especially appealing. In terms of ease of lathe work and heat retention I have no clue. But we could decide on a batch and see what auctions best fit our needs.

 

[Orestes]

Check this out:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/STRIPED-ORA...ultDomain_0&hash=item519aa0f614#ht_1831wt_932

Two of us could split that... I think it would be quite beautiful in top form. I'm waiting for alan's response on another chunk of wood that i just found, if he thinks it won't work i'll definitely buy this agate (which has been dried 3 years) and i'd be happy to split it with someone.


And here's another great seller, who lists moisture content. You jsut have to scroll past all the pen blanks
http://shop.ebay.com/ncwood/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=200&_sop=2

 

[Orestes]

Hey I just noticed that link Ed posted. Most of their blanks are narrow but they have:

madrone
camphor burl
bloodwood
cocobolo
figured bubinga
ceylon satinwood

the good stuff is all at least $25/person (6inch chunk)

and a really nice chunk of ebony. 3 7/8 x 3 7/8 x 12 1/2". $127.... item number W23952. slightly steep for my budget but it looks like some good ebony

pretty stuff; $100 min. but we'd have to check out moisture and stuff

 

[Ed's TnT]

Make sure you call those guys Orestes, they will let you know the MC if possible, they have alot of choice woods and some you wont find anywhere else with that much figure. The $100 minimum isnt so bad, maybe you an find a big enough chunk you could get Alan to go in with you all and he would have some left over for custom pieces!

Ebay is cool for some pieces but then you have to deal with the seller, I have been burned quite a few times by Ebay and have learned its best to find a reputable dealer and stick with him! There are some great dealers on Ebay but the are few and far between. Sometimes you get what you pay for!

 

[Rick]

Watch out Alan! You may start getting folks sending you that exotic stuff by the truckload!
Moisture content of course is mui important. I just got a one foot chunk of Myrtle drop shipped to me by kewpcer. Very very nice stuff that was totally sealed in wax. It was also definitely on the lightweight side, not dense at all. When I cut three blocks(one shorty), the exposed end(upright end) developed a big crack through the middle within one day. Just a surface crack to let even more moisture out of the wood but would not pass for a top view. That is why for ten years we ALWAYS stack our pre-cut Zap blocks with the top down. If the crack is at the bottom, most of it gets drilled out and the bottom is covered with leather anyway.
Be careful on the 'imported' wood for many reasons. Customers who ship the wood are also taking an extra risk.
Aside from those words, I want to say thank you again Alan. You are a very important cog in the wheel of the Log Vape world here on FC. You help all of us with your extraordinary understanding and application of ideas. Also your 'open source' attitude is refreshing.
Might have figured you turned those beauties 'your way', with a wood chisel. Good luck with all that wood headed your way.

 

[gvape]

Thought it was about time to post these up. Been sitting with these on my camera for at least a week now. Been loving the MASSIVE hits this thing can give me. Definitely one of the best purchases you can buy if you have glass/want a tube that has very little drag.

 

[Orestes]

Two pieces of this left... I just snagged one:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80074082/blue-mahoe-tropical-hardwood-turning


isn't it fantastic? It's only been dried for 14 months so there is some definite risk involve, but look at that wood...

 

[Ed's TnT]

Wow those are amazing pieces, I know those guys really well, awesome bunch of folks, they do alot for the rainforest down there. You have found the goods! I am sure those will be stunning pieces

 

[biojuggernaut]

Two pieces of this left... I just snagged one:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80074082/blue-mahoe-tropical-hardwood-turning


isn't it fantastic? It's only been dried for 14 months so there is some definite risk involve, but look at that wood...

Wow those are sexy. I don't think 14 months is long enough however, Rick said something about atleast 3 years (I am probably wrong though)

 

[Alan]

Looks like I get to try some accelerated wood drying techniques now. That does look like some amazing wood Orestes. Thanks. Can't wait to get it dry enough to turn.

Thanks for the advice on the moisture content Rick. Always something to keep an eye on. I'm not too hopefully on the performance with a very dense and hard exotic woods since they conduct heat almost too well.
It is nice to feel so welcome here in the FC community. I enjoy sharing what I have discovered so that others can enjoy it too. The real value of the vaporizer is the quality of the work that went into making it. People will be enjoying it for many years to come. That is the goal.

Thanks again for sharing your photos gvape. That setup looks really nice. Those tubes do have very little resistance to them. So nice to have glass on glass. You can use pretty much any kind of log vape you want to now with that tube.

Ed - If you make some wooden tubes with a taper to fit into 14mm glassware, try making one about 2-1/2" long. Then if someone uses it on their glassware, the log vape won't have to be so high in the air when you use it.

Have you had a chance to use your Toasty Top Twanbiz?

 

[paytonpenn]

When ordering would one have to wait for the TT to be created then shipped. Or will one just be shipped?

What I am trying to ask is, do you already have them made beforehand?

 

[Alan]

When ordering would one have to wait for the TT to be created then shipped. Or will one just be shipped?

What I am trying to ask is, do you already have them made beforehand?

I have sugar maple Toasty Tops available now. You can send me an email to let me know what you would like and then I can send you a paypal payment request. I can usually get a TT to you in a couple of days. Special requests may take a while longer.

Thanks for the question.

 

[Ed's TnT]

Ed - If you make some wooden tubes with a taper to fit into 14mm glassware, try making one about 2-1/2" long. Then if someone uses it on their glassware, the log vape won't have to be so high in the air when you use it.

Good thinking Alan, I appreciate it, I will do some of those next week hopefully. I really wanna get some more blackwood though, think some small shorties in that species would be bad ass!

 

[Orestes]

Hey, if anyone is having trouble with screens, a handheld hole-punch, for paper, does the trick nicely. It wont completely bite through the metal, but it will leave you with the imprint of a perfect little circle to cut out with some small scissors. It's slightly larger than the tube, which means it will fit nice and snug, and not fall out. I got the hole punch for $2 at a local market

 

[PurpleDazed]

Hi all,
I contacted alan this past sat 8/27 and placed an order for a sugar maple TT and 2 shortie glass tubes w/14mm taper and 2 poly tubes. I hope to have by the end of this week or earlie next week. As soon as I get notice of its shipment I am gonna start a major cleaning on my glass and make spotless and ready once again for vape only operation.

I had a woodeez but a few months ago something inside became loose and the unit stoped functioning properly and of course it was after the year was up on it( i probably should have contact the guy i bought it from to get it properly repaired but I didnt) so I tried to tear it apart and saw how difficult it would be to disassemble and cant do with out scaring the look. So i went back to burning.

I had always wanted a pd but 2 years ago there was a 12 week back log and I am not know for my patience. but I found the woodeez 20 bucks cheaper and i got in less than a week. And the unit performed flawlessly I definately found that I was using much less herb and the effect seemed so much more pure.
I know that this design works and rethought seeing how long the wait was on the pd. then thought to just order it and it gets here when it gets here.

Then I stumbled on this thread and saw the TT and checked out the TT website and noticed the similarity in the basic core of these hot air convetion vapes and the TT has easy access to the heating core unlike any other vape like this. I dont know how I will like the tubes yet since they are a bit different in that the tips are removable to clean the screens easier I guess, but I had no problem with the tubes for the woodeez after each use while the tube was still hott I used an 8oz Ball wide mouth mason jar for my ABV and I would simply tap out the spent herb. if i got a bit too lit sometimes I would forget to empty the tube while hot and then after it has cooled to ambient temps blowing or tapping wouldnt clear the tube until the tube was reheated with a few puffs and tapping cleard the tube. I gues it will be a see what works best for clearing the tubes I know I wont feel comfortable tapping the glass pieces for obvious reasons. and I also liked how the plug from the wall wart has a 90' right angle bit plugging into the base of the top and some beafier looking cable that looks like it can handle daily use better than the straight plugs on the PD and woodeez. While in the year I used the woodeez I never had a problem with the plug and that was fist thing I checked when the unit stopped working but the wart was still sending the juice to the plug ok .

I cant wait to post some pics soon of my vape setup... till then.

 

[biojuggernaut]

Those little glass tapered tubes are BMF! I just lost mine yesterday moving into my apartment

I'm over it though

 

[momofthegoons]

PurpleDazed, you wont be disappointed. The TT is a great little vape and Alan is a pleasure to do business with.