# My home made extractor!



## odfrank

>I put about $90 into this project,
And $9000 of hours.


----------



## BeeGhost

Sorry, but I am very efficient and have the tools to work with! The welding was 3 hours, only because I was being very exact and not country boy welding! The frame was built in minutes. Even if it took me 10 hours at my current pay scale, it would have cost me about $400 total. How much is a motorized extractor these days??? 

I imagine if you added up your gas, milage on your vehicle, time spent collecting and putting out swarm traps, tending to the bees and such..........your paying people to collect swarms...........right? You are up to what, 50 swarms just in traps this year? At an hour per swarm retrieval, your at atleast $1500 just in time alone, not with the added factors of gas and such. But why do you continue to do it? Maybe because you like to? Am I right? Maybe I like to build things because I like a challenge.

Somethings you cant factor in time. Heck if you go to the fridge and grab a beer that is worth something aint it? How much does a butler make?

Lets see if I can make some more posts and have you jump on them with negativity............if there is a problem between you and I Frank, lets hash it out either on the phone or in PM's.


----------



## New Ky Beekeeper

As a Systems Engineer, I appreciate things that are home made. Especially projects that are professionally completed. 
Let us know how this year's harvest goes!!


----------



## Tom B

This is a great extractor, using the treadmill motor is genius! I am still going to crush and strain this season but this winter's project is an extractor. I do not have access to a welder but will have to figure something out. I also like the wooden frame for mounting peripherals. Is the barrel just a cut-down 50 gal plastic barrel?


----------



## dingo983

Impressive. It's always cool to see what people can build on their own. I just bought an hand crank extractor someone built from a motorboat prop.


----------



## odfrank

Sorry, I meant no negativity. You are a talented engineer of homemade equipment. It is a hobby, labor is priceless.


----------



## Tazcan

Awesomness, i love it


----------



## minz

You should have left the tread mill to power it! working out and spinning honey.:lpf:
I got to say I am impressed. I do all my wooden ware, includeing frames myself and it gives me great satisfaction. Too bad you did not do the frame holder in super strut, I would have copied it.


----------



## Almondralf

Very, very Nice!!! The great thing about home made equipment is that you know how to fix it when something goes bad and you will always have the opportunity to make it better over the years!! I think this is great! :applause:


----------



## cerezha

Satisfaction from the finished project needs to be counted also. Great job! I especially like the welding! I am jealous - I am bad at welding... Also - recycling parts is good for environment; it needs to be counted also! Sergey


----------



## Charlie B

Nice BG! Must have been a blast to make. I love the treadmill controller.


----------



## Cleo C. Hogan Jr

Beeghost.....You are exactly right, if you factor in your time, in any phase of beekeeping, you can do better as a Greeter at WalMart. HA!!! HI, Welcome to WalMart. I used to keep bees.

cchoganjr


----------



## honeyman46408

*Time??
*Time to a retired guy dosen`t mean as much as it used to:lpf:opcorn:

I do enjoy seeing people that can do with their hands, I like tinkering a lot but never make a project that neat 

*GOOD JOB!!!*


----------



## tommyt

Very Nice 
can you show (explain)a pic of the bottom "Pin?" holder 
The part that the main shaft is sitting in/on or fastened too?
Is it a bearing? or a ?


----------



## BeeGhost

odfrank said:


> Sorry, I meant no negativity. You are a talented engineer of homemade equipment. It is a hobby, labor is priceless.


Thanks Frank, I appreciate that. I have a lot of respect for you and your knowledge and dont want any bad blood between us. Your someone I would like to be able to turn to with questions and pick your brain as well. Take care bud.


----------



## MAXANT

Very creative, Well done!


----------



## Charlie B

BeeGhost said:


> Thanks Frank, I appreciate that. I have a lot of respect for you and your knowledge and dont want any bad blood between us. Your someone I would like to be able to turn to with questions and pick your brain as well. Take care bud.


I'm still in the process of training him to be less abrupt BG, it's a labor of love on my part!


----------



## odfrank

Charlie B said:


> I'm still in the process of training him to be less abrupt BG, it's a labor of love on my part!


With the last name Frank, you have your work cut out for you. I wish I could remember where those posts are in which you have insulted more people than I have. Maybe it's this San Francisco fog that makes us two so obnoxious.


----------



## Tnmedic

tommyt said:


> Very Nice
> can you show (explain)a pic of the bottom "Pin?" holder
> The part that the main shaft is sitting in/on or fastened too?
> Is it a bearing? or a ?


I second this request. I've been contemplating building my own extractor and this is one thing that's holding me up


----------



## BeeGhost

I'll try to get pics up tomorrow evening of the frame holder and seat in the bottom of the barrel. Ran out of time today because I actually got to hang out with my bees after work before I went to a mandatory pre-fair meeting for 4-H!!


----------



## BeeGhost

And thanks everyone for the praises, this bee keeping stuff is fun and keeps the mind young!!


----------



## Ozarks Honey Company

> Very creative, Well done!


Coming from Maxant who makes honey processing equipment that is one heck of a compliment!

I couldn't agree more!!!

I just purchased a 12 frame radial and wish I had the creativity and talent to build such a fine piece of equipment. Very nice BeeGhost!


----------



## BeeGhost

Ozarks Honey Company said:


> Coming from Maxant who makes honey processing equipment that is one heck of a compliment!
> 
> I couldn't agree more!!!
> 
> I just purchased a 12 frame radial and wish I had the creativity and talent to build such a fine piece of equipment. Very nice BeeGhost!


Thanks OHC!! And yes, it was a very nice compliment from MAXANT, and if I ever decide to go pro, I will be buying nothing but a MAXANT!!

Infact my mother was going to buy me a Maxant extractor for a fathers day/birthday combo present, but I told her to hold off until next year, after I see how the honey sales are going to go after this season!! If things go good, i'll be expanding the apiary and running two extractors next year!!LOL


----------



## BeeGhost

Here is where the spinner attaches to the bottom. It is a bearing that I picked up at Orchard Supply, got home and boiled it in a pot of hot water to remove any grease. After rinsing and repeating a few times until it didnt have any sort of grease residue I camcoated it as well. The wood holding it is a piece of pine which is camcoated as well and the bolts holding it in are SS.









I did the same to the top of the spinner frame. Heck, even the 2x4 is camcoated!! Oh ya, after loading the extractor I have two pieces of lexan to help keep the honey from splattering everywhere out of the tub. The top of the frame is a bolt welded to the tubing then extends through the 2x4/bearing and the treadmill pulley is bolted to it. The bottom pin goes through the bottom bearing and into a camcoated metal "cup". I dont remember what it is called, but I think it pushes onto bolts as a cap or something.


----------



## jim81147

BG , what did you use for the drum? I have looked around and could not find anything similiar.


----------



## Ben Franklin

BeeGhost said:


> Sorry, but I am very efficient and have the tools to work with! The welding was 3 hours, only because I was being very exact and not country boy welding!
> 
> Excuse Me!!!! I am a country boy and my welds hold and they are exact too. Same as my carpenter work, I just had to say that,,,I really like your extractor.


----------



## Holiday

Mr. Ghost mon - Verrry Cool - I live up in Angels Camp....Charlie B helped me with an ant problem....Could you E me at: [email protected],
I would pay to get a set of design plans for such an extractor as you have built - I see you move it about with a hand truck, excellent !
See Ya ! Chris


----------



## berkshire bee

I'm glad I'm not the only one to use a treadmill motor for my extractor. They have plenty of power and unlimited speed control. I motorized maxant and it works great. My next treadmill motor project will probably be a potters wheel.


----------



## marshmasterpat

Ben Franklin said:


> BeeGhost said:
> 
> 
> 
> Sorry, but I am very efficient and have the tools to work with! The welding was 3 hours, only because I was being very exact and not country boy welding!
> 
> Excuse Me!!!! I am a country boy and my welds hold and they are exact too. Same as my carpenter work, I just had to say that,,,I really like your extractor.
> 
> 
> 
> Ben - That quote was directed to folks like me. I use two types of welding. Gorilla welds and mud dobbler welds. Gorilla welds are just like gorillas, big, bullky, not really good looking and strong. Mud Dobbler welds resemble mud dobbler nests, big bulky, not really good looking and have no strength. Trying to figure out how to keep the two from looking so much alike. :scratch:
> 
> Amazing project, a threadmill motor and controller. Time to start watching the garage sales. Pictuce of the extractor frames would be nice. Do they just slip in the center?
Click to expand...


----------



## BeeAttitudes

Would there be any problems inserting or removing frames from this style frame holder? Is a 1 1/2" wide space enough so the frames slides in/out without interfering with the comb?


----------



## Riskybizz

Very nice extractor if I do say so myself. Hats off Odfrank to your classy apology. I'm sure everyone here will agree that responding to forum quotes at times allows you to slip in a reply from time to time that you question after you hit the "reply" button. I know I have asked myself before on more than one occasion if what I said in reply could be interpreted as mean spirited. I'm sure yours was not meant to be Odfrank.


----------



## Holiday

I grew up with Frank.....he's a great guy....much like yourself; EXTREMELY OPINIONATED......I search Bee Source just to watch you two go at it !!!!!
Ghost - GREAT extractor...very clean and functional.
Chris Henderson alias Holiday


----------



## fraz6020

Nice Job I cant afford the extractor I want so I will crush and strain. If I had the tools I would try to do what you did. I am sure the accomplishment you feel when it is working is priceless. Like eating the fish you caught always taste better then what you buy.


----------

