Building a Honey Extractor (using an 'antique' washing machine)

Step 5 Overview of Build Components

If you are unfamiliar with commercial honey extractors, you may wish to visit the BeeSource links to USDA plans for honey extractors. This will give you an overview of the concept. You can see those plans here: http://www.beesource.com/plans/extractor_4.htm

Now that you have the basic idea, we can break down the fundamentals of building this honey extractor into the following four fundamental parts:

1) Creation of a superstructure which mounts to the washer hull, to support a lower bearing, and upper bearing, in which the center axle will mount, and rotate.

2) Construction of a center axle and connected radial honey frame baskets (in which the honey frame are held during the extraction process).

3) Selection and Installation of a 'Drive Motor' and construction of a 'Drive Coupler' which links the motor to the axle assembly.

4) Installation of a 'liner', which the honey will be used to 'catch' the honey as it come from the honeycomb, and which will also serve as a temporary collection area for extracted honey (until the honey runs out the drain in the liner and into an external container for filtering/bottling/etc).