First let me explain. I am a semi-retired printed circuit board / electromechaincal designer with two hives in my backyard, a Lang and a KTBH. Beekeeping is stricktly a hobby. I enjoy tinkering and making sawdust in my garage and I do not sell my honey nor give much away. I first learned about bees from my 6th grade teacher and neighbor, Mr. Englehart.
My first harvest (last July) was crush and strain, then I got to thinking about a low-budget extractor. One thing in my favor is that I have suppliers nearby so I didn't get beat-up on shipping (shaft, bearings, plastics). I don't think my concept would hold up under heavy commercial use, but that's not an issue for me, and I am already contemplating improvements. It will only spin four medium or shallow frames radially, and four deeps tangentially due to limitations on the drum diameter.
So I pulled four frames from my Lang and and spun almost a gallon of honey out of them, and yes, I used a variable torque AC drill (the cordless was just for the video). I am really amazed how well the bees cleaned-up everything after I put the pieces out on the patio.
Happy to answer questions, PM me if you like, spare me the flames.
Having fun!
http://s865.photobucket.com/albums/ab218/Sunchaser01/Bee%20Stuff/?action=view¤t=DSCN1202.mp4 (http://s865.photobucket.com/albums/ab218/Sunchaser01/Bee%20Stuff/?action=view¤t=DSCN1202.mp4)
http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab218/Sunchaser01/Bee%20Stuff/DSCN1194.jpg (http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab218/Sunchaser01/Bee%20Stuff/DSCN1194.jpg)
http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab218/Sunchaser01/Bee%20Stuff/DSCN1188.jpg (http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab218/Sunchaser01/Bee%20Stuff/DSCN1188.jpg)
Looks like it should work fine, Sun Dog.
Joe
As long as it spins round and round, that's all that matters. Looks good.
Looks good Sundog. Now how about laying out a motor controller for us on a PCB :)