How to make a do-it-yourself honey extractor using available tools
When maintaining an apiary, beekeepers need to pump out honey, which is carried out using a honey extractor. There are several ways to make a DIY honey extractor from available materials at hand. This will help to significantly save on the purchase of expensive equipment.
If your apiary has only one hive, you can get honey without a honey extractor by consuming it directly from the frame by breaking off the honeycomb. When containing several bee colonies a honey extractor is required to ensure high-quality honey pumping.
This device is a kind of centrifuge equipped with a rotating drum and a stationary tank. Inside the structure, there are special cassettes rotating around their axis, into which frames are placed. During the rotation of the drum handle, honey begins to flow out of the honeycomb. At the same time, the frames remain intact, so that they can be reused.
Types of honey extractors
Depending on the technical characteristics, honey extractors are classified into several types. By the way the cassettes are arranged, the following are distinguished:
- radial - cassettes are located along the radial drum perimeter;
- chordial - cassettes are fixed on the chords of the drum circle;
- chordial-radial - in this case, the cassettes can be fixed on chords and along the radial perimeter.
DIY radial honey extractors are best done if you want to preserve the integrity of the honeycomb as much as possible.
This design allows a much larger amount of honey to be pumped out than with the chordial installation, which often damages the honeycomb.
Honey extractor dimensions and materials
Before proceeding with the manufacture and drawings of the honey extractor, you need to determine the size of the device. It depends on the number of frames. For a small apiary, a honey extractor for 2 frames is enough; in the production of honey on a large scale, designs for several dozen frames are more effective.
The dimensions of a homemade honey extractor are selected depending on the number of frames. The best option for a small private apiary is considered to be a structure with a diameter of up to 65 cm.
In addition, before making a honey extractor with your own hands, prepare all the necessary materials:
- tank;
- metal rods or fittings;
- bearing;
- belt;
- shaft;
- pulley;
- faucet for honey drain and nuts for its fastening;
- silicone sealant;
- thin metal rods, mesh or wire for cassettes;
- fixing aluminum rivets or corners;
- bracket;
- rheostat;
- rotor;
- protective mesh.
Additionally, you may need a hacksaw, circular saw, jigsaw, plane, screwdriver, drill, hammer, soldering iron, and welding machine.
When choosing a material for a honey extractor, take into account its property of oxidation. The lower the oxidation capacity, the stronger, more reliable the structure is, and the better the honey.
How to make a do-it-yourself honey extractor from scrap materials
A two-frame honey extractor with your own hands is very simple to make.Keep in mind that it consists of three main parts - a reservoir (barrel) to accommodate the main components, a cassette and a drive mechanism consisting of bevel gears, a base for subframes and handles.
As a reservoir, you can use a tank from an old washing machine, a plastic or wooden barrel. You will also need a metal beam for attaching the rotating drum, a drive bracket (80 mm wide, 4 mm thick), a base for attaching a subframe, a stainless steel handle for rotating the mechanism.
Additionally, prepare the cone-shaped gears, the shaft for the main (center) gear, wire and steel subframes, as well as parts for removing the pumped out honey. Prepare the drawing of the honey extractor in advance and strictly follow the diagram - this will greatly simplify the creation of the device and help to avoid common mistakes.
Self-assembly of honey extractor:
- Take two strips of steel 52 cm long and no more than 1 mm thick, connect them in the shape of a rectangle and fasten them with bolts.
- Drill a series of holes around the perimeter of the rectangle, and pull the mesh over them.
- Bend 2 channel bars of 2 strips and stretch the second mesh.
- Reinforce the subframes with metal strips to prevent deformation.
- Take the tank that will be used, close all unnecessary holes with stainless steel patches.
- After that, make a hole with a diameter of 20-25 mm at the bottom of the tank to remove honey using an electric drill. Insert a tight ring and a steel plate into it.
- Make another hole a little higher - it is necessary to secure the steel plate, which provides easy access to honey.
Finally, place the crossbar in the middle of the hole. Insert a pin into the center hole of the crossbar, then place the gear with the nut on top.
Install the rotor in the lower half of the honey extractor, fasten the bar with nuts and make holes in it. Secure the mechanism with a few more nuts. After that, you can connect the drive and check the operation of the homemade honey extractor.
From the washing machine
A honey extractor from a tank from a washing machine is one of the most popular and affordable options. The body of the device is made from the tank of an old washing machine; the device is additionally equipped with an electric or manual drive, which ensures the rotation of the drum.
Prepare a steel beam 80 mm wide by 4 mm thick, steel strips 2 mm thick, subframes made of metal strips or wire, and steel plates and tapered gears.
Making a honey extractor:
- Fold two stainless steel strips (length 52 and 55 cm, width 1 mm) in the shape of a rectangle and fasten with bolts.
- Drill a series of holes around the structure.
- Make two nets out of the wire to braid the holes you made.
- Make channels from two steel strips (length 40 mm and width 1 mm) and fasten mesh plates between them.
- Make one end of the device deaf.
Weld a metal strip onto the subframe for strength and stability. Then make the second subframe in the same way.
How to make a DIY honey extractor out of wood
A do-it-yourself wood honey extractor can be made from any type of wood, but it must be well dried and not contain resin.
The best option for making a honey extractor will be a spacious wooden wine barrel.
Step-by-step manufacturing of the device:
- The most convenient shape for a drum is an octahedron. It can accommodate the rotor, install frame fasteners.
- For the manufacture of the side panels, use a solid board, having previously aligned it. The thickness should be no more than 20 mm.
- Make a drain hole on the bottom of the front wall with a diameter of up to 20 mm.For it, you can install a faucet, securing it with a sealant or a wooden cork with a rubber seal.
It is better to take wooden beams 40-50 mm as a stand for the honey extractor. They are attached to the lower part of the structure at an angle, for maximum reliability, connect using crossbars and fix the joints with glue.
Making a honey extractor from a plastic barrel
Do-it-yourself honey extractor from a plastic barrel is considered the simplest, easiest and fastest option. This material has many advantages - it does not corrode, is easy to clean from honey and does not absorb foreign odors.
Use metal rods, planks and a rotating element as additional elements - for example, a pedal from an old sewing machine or bicycle. As the pedals rotate, the cassettes turn around, honey begins to flow down the walls.
Small plywood honey extractor
The way to make a honey extractor with your own hands is very simple and does not take much time. When using plywood, the structure is light but strong. The thickness of the plywood should be no more than 10 mm. This option is great for frequent transportation.
The plywood honey extractor is made similarly to the wooden one and is treated with wax inside in several layers. You can use wood glue or nails to hold the structure together. Then tighten the side panels with the metal band. This will ensure the strength and reliability of the structure.
Electric drive and manual method
The principle of operation of any honey extractor is based on circular rotation, which requires a drive. It can be electric or manual. The first is considered more preferable, since it greatly facilitates human labor.
The manual drive is best used if there are no more than 5-7 bee colonies in the apiary.
Do-it-yourself electric honey extractor is done with an engine whose power does not exceed 90 watts. This could be a car engine or a glass cleaner. For maximum ease of use, complete the equipment with a switch.
A honey extractor is a must for any large apiary. You can buy it in specialized stores for beekeepers or make it yourself using available materials at hand and simple manufacturing schemes. In this way, you can spend a minimum of financial resources and get a device designed specifically for the needs of your apiary.