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.mp4http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab218/Sunchaser01/Bee%20Stuff/DSCN1194.jpghttp://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab218/Sunchaser01/Bee%20Stuff/DSCN1188.jpg