Homemade honey extractor from a washing machine: drawings and how to do it yourself

It is not so difficult to make a homemade honey extractor from a washing machine. Many beekeepers are thinking about creating a mechanized unit for pumping honey. Especially those who are going to put the business on stream, to sell the fruits of their own labor. Factory-made finished products are reliable, but expensive. The way out is to assemble a honey extractor using non-working household appliances.

Types of honey extractors

Most existing designs are easy to make. Do not require special knowledge, skills, complex tools.

At the initial stage, you should choose what material will be used to create the honey extractor. They are as follows:

1. Tree. The most common design. Any suitable container will do. An oak barrel, for example.
2. Aluminum. Also quite often used in the economy. Suitable boil-out, large capacity tank. Or a saucepan.
3. Stainless steel. Here it is somewhat more complicated. In order for the future honey extractor not to leak, to serve for a long time, it is necessary to connect the sheets by welding. Or use a ready-made solution - a tank from an old activator-type washing machine.
4. Plastic. Modern plastics in terms of strength, wear resistance are not much inferior to metal. The capacity from "Baby", a small-sized washing machine, will be just right. Another suitable size polymer tank will do. The main thing is that the wall thickness guarantees structural rigidity and stability.

Which option to choose is up to you. If only the future honey extractor justified the invested funds, costs, with minimal modifications to the finished tank. And without the use of complex technical solutions.

The size of the honey extractor is limited by the designer himself. The key indicator here is the dimensions of the frames. Cassettes are installed in the tank, where frames with honeycombs are fixed. Mounting should be simple but effective. Next, the design of the honey extractor will be disassembled in detail.

Let's focus on types for now. There are 2 of them:

• radial;
• chordial.

The operating principle of the honey extractor is simple and clear. The tank with frames rotates with the help of an electric, manual drive. Centrifugal force squeezes honey out of the honeycomb, then the finished product flows down to the lower part, where a drain valve is provided.More often than others, radial honey extractors are used in home-made solutions.

Necessary tools, materials

Depending on the selected design of the honey extractor, the list of materials and tools is determined. Must-haves:

Machinery hammer (small sledgehammer)

1. Vise.
2. Drill (manual, electric, screwdriver).
3. Angle grinder (Bulgarian).
4. Welding transformer.
5. Electric soldering iron.

Here is a basic set of tools. It can be added, cut. From the materials you will need steel plates, bars, as well as consumables for equipment (cutting wheels, electrodes, drills, solder). An approximate view of the finished honey extractor with an electric drive, a control unit, is shown in the figure.

And the videos will help you understand the principle of operation, the device of the unit:

Drawings and dimensions

The following are the typical dimensions of a homemade honey extractor. The drawings are indicative dimensions, which can be adjusted to the needs of the manufacturer.

The following drawing shows the detailed structure of the unit, indicating the components.

Detailed drawings show an enlarged image of individual units.

Slats

Rotor bars

Now you almost know how to make a honey extractor. There are a few details left and a description, tips for making a unit from an old washer.The age-old question: to stop on a design with a manual drive or electrified - remains open. Both options have certain advantages. Well, and disadvantages, as without them.

Manual drive is simpler, more reliable. Allows you to adjust the spin speed. The electrified solution ensures greater productivity. So, the output of the final product, honey. The complicated design provides for the installation of a control unit. This unit provides spin adjustment, eliminating the need to control the process.

And these are bevel gears

Using a rolling bearing (bronze, brass bushing) on the tank axle will reduce noise, ensure smooth operation of the honey extractor.

Making a honey extractor from a washing machine

Creating an aggregate from improvised means, at minimal cost, is an excellent solution for a beginner beekeeper.And making a honey extractor with your own hands is not so difficult. Need a non-working (unnecessary) washing machine with a ready-made tank of a suitable size. Suitable models "Siberia", "Alma-Ata", similar. The age of the “semi-finished product”, the washing machine, does not matter.

The tank of the machine has fairly thick walls, almost not subject to wear. It remains to refine the capacity. Close all unused openings so that they do not leak. Brew (you need a welding machine), clog with plugs, overlays, solder.

Dealing with the design of the honey extractor is not difficult. Anyone who has at least a secondary education and knows how to work with metal can do this.

Cassettes

Standard, generally accepted cassette sizes depend on the hives used. That is, it needs to be adjusted in place. Typical aspect ratio is 435x300 mm.

Usually, finished case frames are slightly smaller.When hand-made cassettes, it is desirable to use stainless steel. It is an inert material that does not oxidize and does not affect the quality of honey. Which assembly method to use - welding, bolting - is up to you. Stainless steel is not a widely available material. But it is worth trying to ensure everything is as it should be. Replacing with "rust", ordinary steel is not desirable.

The figure shows the design of the angle and stretched wire.

Drive

The issue of the presence of a drive in the design is the subject of controversy among beekeepers. On the one hand, the manual method determines the spin speed. And not so traumatic for the framework. After all, they are always reused. On the other hand, the electric motor eliminates the need to constantly monitor the process. Wasting time.

But this will require an engine as well as a belt drive. The manual version requires a pair of bevel gears. It is recommended to get parts of worn-out agricultural machinery. And the handle will have to be threaded to secure the parts.

If the electric option is chosen, then you should get a motor. Modern engines provide high speeds, are compact, productive. But you need to adjust the speed. For this, a simple belt drive is used, plus a pair of pulleys of different diameters. A smaller disc is mounted on the motor axis. On the axis of the tank - more. In the manual version - on the contrary. The ratio of diameters is selected experimentally. Automation, the control unit will allow you to control the speed within acceptable limits, make honey extraction a common thing.

Honey extractor stand

To decouple the unit from the base, you need a stand. It will ensure the stable operation of the honey extractor, reduce the noise level. In addition, the unit must be on some elevation so that a container can be placed to drain the product.

The best option is to make 3 legs around the perimeter of the honey extractor. They can be attached by welding, bolting.The main thing is that the tightness is not broken. And honey did not flow out of the container, was not wasted. A welded stand, a frame made to fit the device will do.

The issue of painting remains controversial. The finished product must not contain any impurities. And in no case be dangerous to humans. However, external surfaces can be covered with modern, safe, non-toxic paints.

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