# Home made extractor plans needed



## Ben Franklin (May 3, 2011)

Hello fellow and lady beeks, I just picked up and rescued a hive that was about 8 suppers high, three are below the queen excluder and fairly light in weight. The next 2 are heavy with capped honey the 3rd up and above at almost full.
I want to extract this honey but need plans to try to build and extractor.
Thanks


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

http://s697.photobucket.com/albums/vv333/acebird1/Extractor/

http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv333/acebird1/Extractor/FourFrameExtractor005.jpg

Check the photos out if you want to build something like this.


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## mrspock (Feb 1, 2010)

Ben Franklin said:


> Hello fellow and lady beeks, I just picked up and rescued a hive that was about 8 suppers high, three are below the queen excluder and fairly light in weight. The next 2 are heavy with capped honey the 3rd up and above at almost full.
> I want to extract this honey but need plans to try to build and extractor.
> Thanks



I just bought a set of plans off of ebay. I think they are decent, although I'll be adapting the motorization to hand-crank. Be forewarned that it requires some welding.

I'm sure there's more for sale.


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## smith (Mar 7, 2009)

Could Acebird explain the motor in his extractor? It looks to me like its a ceiling fan motor in the bottom of the extractor. How do you keep the honey from getting into the motor, and oil etc. from getting into the honey?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Oil? Have you ever had oil drip on you head from a ceiling fan?

There has been a lot of concern about honey getting on the motor so my intention is to use something like a pie tin to shield it if it needs it. The motor is 6 inches of the bottom so I am sure the honey will never get that deep with two or three supers. If I were going to do more I would let it out the bottom bung into another container.


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

I really like Acebird's homemade extractor idea, looks like it would work just fine. I think I would try to figure out a way to mount the motor above the extractor somehow instead of inside the tank, except you would have to still have room to get the frames in and out easily which might be tough to do.


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## oldfordguy (Dec 5, 2009)

It looks to me like it would work better if the frames were mounted with the bottom bar nearest the center rather than the top bar. Since the cells are angled up, it seems the honey would come out of the cells more easily that way. Really great idea though; I'm going to try to build one similar. Thanks for sharing.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

When I first made the extractor I had the frames mounted inward and then learned on another site that the cells are slanted upwards 13 degrees. Then I made metal brackets to turn them around. Both photos are there on the site.

My very first extraction was gravity and some warm air. I used a standard box to support the frames and only half the honey came out no matter how long I left them hanging. If I were going to do this again I would flip the box so the frames were upside down.

http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv333/acebird1/Extractor/P1030988.jpg


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## smith (Mar 7, 2009)

We built something similar to Acebirds. Instead of the PVC shaft, we used a piece of 1/2 inch threaded rod and used aluminum channel to hold the frames. We use a reversible electrical drill to drive the unit from the top. We can do a super in about 45 minutes, and get about 35-40 pounds or so off a super. Not perfect, but it works fine for a small operation. Always looking to improve somehow.


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yourself/4-frame-honey-extractor-2/


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## snapper1d (Apr 8, 2011)

It doesnt look like it would be very hard to mount the ceiling fan to the top like most extractors.In fact it looks like it would be much easier to mount it on top.The ceiling fan motor is a really good ideal!!! Slow with increasing speeds when you want it.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

jmgi said:


> I really like Acebird's homemade extractor idea, looks like it would work just fine. I think I would try to figure out a way to mount the motor above the extractor somehow instead of inside the tank, except you would have to still have room to get the frames in and out easily which might be tough to do.


Many have suggested that I mount the motor on top, some even say belt drive. But if you rigidly mount the motor on top it will not work because a ceiling fan motor is essentially a torque motor. The friction of a belt will slow it down or even stop it if the pulleys are not perfectly centered. The PVC pipe is what covers the interior of the motor so honey cannot go through the center of the rotor only the cooling air for the motor can go through. A pie tin with a hole in it would keep the honey that would drip on the painted surfaces of the motor that are not moving.
Nothing is bolted together so it makes it easy to load and access frames or for cleaning purposes. Although, I expect the bees to clean up my mess after I am done.


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## snapper1d (Apr 8, 2011)

You are right it isnt a torque motor.I would mount it stationary on top instead of the bottom.It would only take just a flip of the finger to get it started spinning.


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## mrspock (Feb 1, 2010)

The more I look at it, the more I think that your cieling fan the is the way to go.

Very brilliant,

I do find myself wondering if a Cieling fan would have the juice to rotate 6 medium frames... at ~5lbs each, that's 30lbs, about 29 lbs more than the weight of the fan-paddles.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6aNbPQlFqI
2 frame 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obo8QV7brE0&feature=related
4 frame 

the KISS extractors 
no offense 
How much to buy a ceiling fan and ruin it


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

mrspock said:


> The more I look at it, the more I think that your cieling fan the is the way to go.
> 
> Very brilliant,
> 
> I do find myself wondering if a Cieling fan would have the juice to rotate 6 medium frames... at ~5lbs each, that's 30lbs, about 29 lbs more than the weight of the fan-paddles.


Thank you. A ceiling fan motor has two large bearings in it to give access for the wiring. These bearing are capable of carrying hundreds of pounds. The way it is mounted now the motor only has to overcome the friction in the bearings and at the moment the slight friction at the top of the PVC pipe. If I have to I can change that by adding three bearings 120 degrees apart to the top wooden support to eliminate drag.

Tommyt, by now the plating and steel filings from the bracket have gone into the honey below. I would suggest a plastic bearing at the least. What I saw on the net was even simpler that gave me the idea for mine. No bearings or support to the barrel. Shorten the shaft that goes into the drill so it is right close to the frame bracket. Then just spin it in mid air using only the bearings of the drill motor. If you want to tie a rope to the drill supported above so you don't have to hold the weight up all the time it will help with fatigue. It will shake in your hands a little bit due to imbalance but it should be OK if you come up slow.

The only reason why I didn't go this route is because I feel the drill will not last very long being used like this. I suspect if you were going to do a lot of frames the drill would get very warm. Let us know how long it last. I know the ceiling motor will last my life time.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

I have mixed mud (concrete and wallboard) with a Milwaukee and Dewalt for 25 years and all they every needed were Brush's
Don't underestimate a decent drill


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

I suppose you are right but I mixed 17 buckets of roofing paint a day for a total of 125 buckets and that is all the craftsman had in it. There is a difference between a 40 dollar drill and a 150-200 dollar drill. Did I also say I am frugal. I spent nothing on my extractor which was also a goal in my design.


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## PCM (Sep 18, 2007)

Acebird said:


> I spent nothing on my extractor which was also a goal in my design.


Looking forwards to your first extraction with your ceiling fan extractor.

Certainly hope you will have a movie made of it,

PCM


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

LOL I got a whole bunch of people wanting to know how it will work out. Unfortunately nobodies got some mediums full of honey nearby that I know off. If anybody close by has some frames they want to extract let me know. The sooner I test it the sooner I get the bugs worked out.


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## Ben Franklin (May 3, 2011)

Wish I was closer,,I have three shallows to extract.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

If you only have three put them in a plastic storage bin upside down (top bar to the bottom) in your attic for a few hours. You know you have to uncap them first, right?


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## smith (Mar 7, 2009)

The unit we built looks exactly like TommyT's (as they say, great minds think alike). We just used a plastic food grade tub, and a little different brass bearing system. But the threaded rod and metal channel framing is essentially the same. We've also experienced no problem with metal flakes, and we've been very careful to look for that. And our drill is easily into its fifth year, if not longer. In fact, its a whole lot lighter model than what was shown on the video. This is something most folks in the 1-12 hive range can build and get satisfactory results.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

smith said:


> We just used a plastic food grade tub, and a little different brass bearing system. But the threaded rod and metal channel framing is essentially the same. We've also experienced no problem with metal flakes, and we've been very careful to look for that.


The metal particles are probably too small to see and may not be harmful to eat in such small quantities but plated steel on plated steel bearing is not recommended as far as I am concerned. Truth to tell the upper bearing strap is so flimsy that it really isn't doing anything other than suggesting where the center of the barrel is. If it was taken off and the top part of the rod shortened so the drill would be closer to the cross frame supports it would work equally well. If the two frames are that much different in weight such that it creates an unbalanced condition that top strap is not going to hold it centered.


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## smith (Mar 7, 2009)

Your comment about the strap is possibly correct. We use wood with a brass sleeve instead, although a heavy plastic with a sleeve would work as well. After the years with which we've used ours, if metal flakes were a problem, the threaded shaft would have a bald spot by now. It doesn't, and we can still thread the nut through the length of the shaft. You can also mount a donut magnet beneath the sleeve to catch or monitor metal wear if you really want. We do use a shorter shaft than that seen in the video. Instead of attaching the drill to the shaft directly, we placed a 2 inch long socket over the top of the shaft and drilled a hole sideways through both so the socket can be secured with a cotter pin. Then we use a drill mounted socket driver to attach to the socket. This prevents slippage and wear between the drill and the threaded shaft. The wobble factor for unbalanced frames is a factor for any extractor. You try to match them as much as possible, or just start slower until they equalize.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Well you have seen mine. Wood by itself is adequate. Just moisten the hole with water. I would machine off the threads though no matter what you use for a bearing or at least sleeve over the threads with a pipe and nut.


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