Ready to Spin
I have a wonderful 20-frame Maxant extractor. It is well made, works great, and easy to handle. The only problem I have with it is that the tap is higher than the very last bit of honey. Honestly, I don’t see how it could be otherwise, unless a tap was put right at the center bottom of the tank. I bet that would cause some problems in either how the extractor would work or how they can be made.
After a bit of pondering, I figured that if the extractor was small, like a bucket, I would tilt it. I presented my dilemma to my husband, Ian, he of the woodworking side of the family, and he came up with a nice sturdy stand that can be tilted, extractor and all, once the majority of the honey has drained.
Going For The Last Drop
His solution was to add a second piece of wood on top of the extractor stand. This piece of wood is hinged to the top of the stand. The extractor is held in place by a tight ring of wood screwed into the top piece of wood.
The Details
When the process if finished and most of the honey is drained, I can lift the back of the top piece of wood, push some 4X4’s under it (we always have off-cuts of wood around here), then let the remaining honey drain out.
Do you have any innovations that you’ve come up with in the honey house or in beekeeping that you’d like to share? Please do, we can all learn from each other.
Brookfield Farm Bees & Honey Blog 