# My MacGyver Extractor



## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

My homemade 6 frame radial extractor for under $70.00. Worked fine the first use, we'll see how it holds up. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157624130679622/


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## gpost (Feb 11, 2010)

very cool!


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

very nice work


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

I am astounded. You're a visionary!

Grant
Jackson, MO www.maxhoney.homestead.com


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

get a couple of goats hooked to it and run them around in a circle and you may just have a market for that thing in most 3rd world countries. Nice work.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Yes, it soon became obvious that without a gear reduction, spinning by hand required more stamina than I had (envision two 90 degree elbows back to back, one turned down the other up) for a handle.

So I resorted to a variable speed electric drill with a 1 1/2" coupling fitted over the chuck. Took less than 5 minutes to spin out the frames, then another minute at a higher speed to spin the remainder out.

I like tinkering around so I really enjoyed building it. It is just to hold me over till I get up to enough hives to decide if I really like beekeeping enough to merit a honey house and real extraction equipment.


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## MAXANT (Sep 13, 2008)




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## NewbeeNnc (May 21, 2009)

Dude I like it. Can you draw up instructions?


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Since when are garbage containers made out of food grade plastics? Good ingenuity, but not something I'll have my honey get processed through. There are other areas I go cheap in.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Ah, but they are food grade:



NSF/ANSI Standard 2: Food Service Equipment
Equipment commonly known as 'fabricated food equipment': kitchen, bakery, pantry and cafeteria units, and other food handling and processing equipment including tables and components, counters, shelves, sinks, hoods, etc.


Round Brute® Trash Cans
Industry leader in waste and material handling applications. 

All-plastic, professional-grade construction will not rust, chip or peel; resists dents. 
Strong, snap-on lids are available for secure, stable stacking. 
Reinforced rims add strength and durability. 
Built-in Handles allow easy, non-slip lifting and anti-jam nesting. 
Double-ribbed base increases stability and dragging capacity. 
Gray, White and Yellow are USDA Meat & Poultry Equipment Group Listed and assist in complying with HACCP guidelines. 
Optional easy twist on, twist off dolly provides safe mobility. 
California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) approved when used as container/lid combo.
Certified to NSF International Std. #2 (gray, white and yellow) and Std. #21.
Dimensions : 22" Dia. x 27 1/4" H.
Capacity : 32 U.S. Gallons


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

After purchase, the can was scrubbed with soap and hot water, then rinsed, then cleaned with a bleach and water solution, then rinsed again and then re-washed with soap and hot water and re-rinsed. (the lid also). the PVC pipe components were given the same treatment and soaked in a bleach water solution to clean the inside of the pipes. 

The plywood, after being cut was sanded then assembled. After assembly it was saturated with Pharmaceutical grade mineral oil. and then wiped down to remove any excess. The outlet hole was left open to allow the honey to drain from the can without ever submerging the end of the shaft, there was virtually no contact of honey to the shaft(pvc).


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

jbeshearse said:


> Ah, but they are food grade:


Wow, very cool! :thumbsup: Learned something new. So I guess it's the mechanics of the unit Maxant has thoughts on! :lpf: We can't all have the best.


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## OB_Left (May 4, 2010)

Very nice!! Gave me lots of great ideas. I second the request for Instructions!


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## concrete-bees (Jun 20, 2009)

looks great but id put a honey gate near the bottom .... other wise the honey will fill up and strip out your PVC and might brake your plywood - honey is thick stuff !!!!! but keep the ideas flowin!!!


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## jannaMI (May 16, 2010)

Very cool!:applause: Wondering if the oil could leach out of the wood into the honey and affect the flavor?


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## pom51 (Jul 28, 2008)

That is a very good piece of enginnering it really is neat


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## honeydreams (Aug 10, 2009)

Very good Job!:applause:. Just a question? whats the gear ratio? on turning the frames?


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## peacekeeperapiaries (Jun 23, 2009)

very cool piece of work :applause:


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Thanks for the compliments everyone. As I said, i can't say anything about durability yet. It holds either mediums or shallows. I run all medium equipment, so it fits my stuff. The frames I extracted were all newly drawn comb this year. Wired vertically on wedge top bar frames with no horizontal wiring done. I have not damaged any frames as yet. I determined rotational speed by the unbalance consequence. Meaning I only spun as fast as feasible while holdoing the can in place.

As some wanted instructions I will e-mail them to anyone who wants them (the files are to large to attache at Beesource. They consist of a drawing(32 kb pdf) and a text file (8kb). (just e-mail or pm me)

Just be warned, this is a hobby rig and you could end up with just a garbage can full of wrecked frames and honey.

If you want a real extractor, I don;t think there is any better made than a Maxant. They definitely make world class honey handling equipment.


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## bigbore (Feb 25, 2008)

I would like to see plans too if you have any on it.


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

please send the inst. to me. [email protected] thanks


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## OB_Left (May 4, 2010)

Instead of the wood, thinking of cutting the holders out of some sheet plastic. Will increase my cost a little. What do you think? See link.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23869&catid=705


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

jbeshearse said:


> As some wanted instructions I will e-mail them to anyone who wants them (the files are to large to attache at Beesource. They consist of a drawing(32 kb pdf) and a text file (8kb). (just e-mail or pm me)


I have a website that you can host the plans on if you want and then you can just link to them. [email protected] I love home brewed equipment.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

David,

I sent the plans and cover sheet to you via e-mail. Thanks for hosting them.

As for using plastic instead of plywood. I have no experience with the structural performance of the plastic. If it is strong enough to hold the weight of the frames without flexing, it should work fine. But as your costs increae, you get closer to a retail extractor, so you need to consider cost, durability and your time.

Good luck,

jeb


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## duck_nutt (Apr 27, 2010)

very nice!:thumbsup:


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

jbeshearse said:


> (the files are to large to attache at Beesource. They consist of a drawing(32 kb pdf) and a text file (8kb).


No way! Those are small files. There is no reason you can't make them an attachment on your post. In fact, .pdf and .txt can be up to 195 kb.


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## tedw200 (Mar 4, 2009)

If you use Lexon it will work great, Lexon .25" thick little flexible but is sturdy, will not crack, dishwasher safe, just towel dry or leave flat in dishwasher for steril cycle. Lexon is very durable and inexpensive, go to your local glass shop and they might have cut-offs that they will sell for pennies on the dollar.
Great job, try selling in for sale section for a small mark-up.


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

Barry said:


> No way! Those are small files. There is no reason you can't make them an attachment on your post. In fact, .pdf and .txt can be up to 195 kb.


Okay, I'll try it then Here they are as attachements:

View attachment extract.pdf


View attachment MacGyver Extractor.txt


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## slickbrightspear (Jan 9, 2009)

nice love it


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

tedw200 said:


> If you use Lexon it will work great, Lexon .25" thick little flexible but is sturdy, will not crack, dishwasher safe, just towel dry or leave flat in dishwasher for steril cycle. Lexon is very durable and inexpensive, go to your local glass shop and they might have cut-offs that they will sell for pennies on the dollar.
> Great job, try selling in for sale section for a small mark-up.


Lexan may work, but I am a little concerned as to slivers or fragments from the lexan getting in the honey. Any white PVC or should be noticable, the clear lexan might not, even with straining. I let mine drain directly into an empty 5 gallon bucket with a nylon strainer set in it.

If I were to make any quick changes, it would be to buy pvc pipe bearings, or PE bearings/plates to add for the bearing surfaces. These are fairly cheap (under $10.00) and would remove the PVC to PVC "bearing" contacts. But since I was trying to build out of parts from Lowes or Home Depot, these were my best shot. 

Please feel free to make improvements and let us know how they work. I am still concerned as to durability. When I extract my next few supers in the next few weeks, we shall see how it does. Hopefully by that time I will have figured out a better power driver than the cordless screwdriver. But I will say that if you have a pristine driver (which I do) and you set the resistance low enough, you will minimize the chances of breaking anything in the extractor.

Cheers,

jeb


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## jbeshearse (Oct 7, 2009)

David LaFerney said:


> I have a website that you can host the plans on if you want and then you can just link to them. [email protected] I love home brewed equipment.


David is hosting the files on his site along with pictures, Thanks David.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

jbeshearse said:


> David is hosting the files on his site along with pictures, Thanks David.


http://doorgarden.com/extractor/ No problem.


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## bigmitch (May 1, 2010)

fhat is way cool for us budgeted individuals!!,,if you had some extra money,and wanted to make one to show kids,,try making one with a clear plastic drum,dont know how hard that would be to make? but it sure would be cool.:thumbsup:


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## Beregondo (Jun 21, 2011)

jbeshearse said:


> Thanks for the compliments everyone. As I said, i can't say anything about durability yet. It holds either mediums or shallows. I run all medium equipment, so it fits my stuff. The frames I extracted were all newly drawn comb this year. Wired vertically on wedge top bar frames with no horizontal wiring done. I have not damaged any frames as yet. I determined rotational speed by the unbalance consequence. Meaning I only spun as fast as feasible while holdoing the can in place.
> 
> As some wanted instructions I will e-mail them to anyone who wants them (the files are to large to attache at Beesource. They consist of a drawing(32 kb pdf) and a text file (8kb). (just e-mail or pm me)
> 
> ...


OK, 
So after 5 years, how'd it hold up?


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Barry said:


> Since when are garbage containers made out of food grade plastics?


I don't know what the situation was in 2010 when _Barry _originally posted this comment, but the Rubbermaid _Brute_ 33 gallon '_round containers_' are currently listed by the NSF as certified 'food storage' containers. Here is the NSF listing: http://info.nsf.org/Certified/Food/...Country=&PlantRegion=&Standard=&search=Search


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> but the Rubbermaid _Brute_ 33 gallon '_round containers_' are currently listed by the NSF as certified 'food storage' containers.





> are only acceptable for usage with the following food contact types:
> 
> http://info.nsf.org/Certified/Food/...Country=&PlantRegion=&Standard=&search=Search


Couldn't find honey listed anywhere.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Barry said:


> Couldn't find honey listed anywhere.


Well, not many specific foods are listed directly. Here is the exact wording ...



> ... are only acceptable for usage with the following food contact types:
> alcohol less than 15%, aqueous, bakery products with no free fats or oils on surface, dairy - oil in water emulsions, and dry solids.
> 
> http://info.nsf.org/Certified/Food/...Country=&PlantRegion=&Standard=&search=Search


One could make a case that honey is a form of an 'aqueous' food product. :shhhh:

[hr] [/hr]
Typically, extractors are not used for honey _storage_, as the honey is normally drained out of the extractor into a bucket or tank as soon as it hits the bottom of the extractor.


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