Content
- 1 Why does a beekeeper need a table for printing honeycombs
- 2 Types of beekeeping tables and accessories
- 3 How to make a machine for printing honeycomb frames with your own hands
- 4 Is it possible to make the cultivator "Kuzina" myself for printing honeycombs
- 5 How to operate the honeycomb frame printing machine
- 6 Conclusion
The frame printing table helps the beekeeper to speed up and facilitate the honey pumping process. It is more convenient to print the honeycomb on the machine before placing it in the honey extractor. The design of tables often differs in size. Each beekeeper tries to choose equipment according to his needs.
Why does a beekeeper need a table for printing honeycombs
Honeycombs are made up of cells where bees carry and process nectar. Ripe honey is sealed with caps - a beading. They consist of three components: honey, propolis and wax. The lids prevent honey from flowing out of the honeycomb cells. To pump out the product, the beekeeper has to cut the beekeeper. Only after unsealing is the frame placed in the honey extractor.
Printing a frame is time consuming. Wax honeycombs are viscous. It is difficult to cut the casing without special devices. When processing a small number of frames, beekeepers get by with beekeeping knives, cultivators, forks. A large apiary needs a honeycomb frame printing machine to help speed up the process.
In a homemade version, the device is a table. It is beneficial for a medium-sized apiary. It is made of metal or wood. The main element is a trough with a basket, a wooden cross member and a needle. Everything is fixed on the frame. The bottom of the trough is made with a slope for honey drainage. A drain valve is fixed at the lowest point. The basket is collected from the comb cut from the honeycomb. The needle serves as a holder for the frame.
Industrial tables are equipped with a conveyor, electric drive and other devices. There are automatic machines. On industrial tables, printing is often done with hot wire. The glow of the string comes from electricity.
Types of beekeeping tables and accessories
Many devices have been invented for printing honeycomb frames. They all differ in design, but the main difference is the principle of operation. It is according to the last parameter that beekeeping devices are divided into 3 types:
- Cutting devices remove the capping, grabbing a small amount of honey with waxy honeycomb cells. Cut caps after printing require further processing. To separate the wax from the honey from the backing, the beekeeper needs to purchase additional equipment.
- The cutters do not remove the capping during printing. The caps are cut on the honeycomb. Pure honey flows through the longitudinal cuts. However, cutting machines are not in demand by beekeepers because of their imperfection. The plus is the lack of wax in the flowing honey. Cut honeycomb bees regenerate faster. This group includes machines with brushes and chains. However, they have even more disadvantages. After passing over the caps, the brushes and chains not only cut the beading, but also clean the wax from the combs.
- Lancing devices are made up of many needles. The bristles pierce the lids of the combs, squeezing honey out of them.
Speaking specifically about each device, the listing of honeycombs in amateur apiaries is performed with the following tools:
Beekeeping knives are ordinary, heated in hot water before cutting off the lids.The disadvantage of the tool is considered to be low productivity, water ingress into the enclosure with honey. Electric and steam knives are improved. The first tool heats up when connected to a 220 volt power grid through a 12 volt step-down transformer. A car battery is also used. The steam knife is heated by the steam generator.
A popular tool among beekeepers is the honeycomb fork and the needle roller. The first tool cleans the bead. The plus is that there is no need to warm up the plug before work. Needle rollers pierce the caps without removing the comb from the combs. The tool is made of plastic or metal.
The electrically powered wax cutter resembles a mixture of an apiary's knife and a carpenter's plane. During operation, the device cuts off the bead. Connect the wax cutter to a 220 volt network.
Amateur beekeepers use a hairdryer and a gas burner to process a small number of frames. The process is based on the heating of the cage with a stream of hot air. The downside is the flow of molten wax from the top of the combs to the lower cells.
To make the printing of honeycomb frames with any tool faster and more convenient, tables and all kinds of stands are used. The frame with honey is fixed at the optimal height. The beekeeper performs a honeycomb printout without worrying about the backing. The cut lids will fall into the special tray of the table.
How to make a machine for printing honeycomb frames with your own hands
It is not difficult to build a machine for printing frames. It is important to know what parts it consists of:
- The basis is a frame made of wood or metal. Sometimes it is immediately made in the form of a box with legs.
- The holder of the frames is the support.
- A metal pallet is installed on the bottom of the frame or the bottom of the box. Honey will drain into the container.
- A basket for collecting wax pieces and lids is made of fine mesh.
- The metal pan of the apiary table is equipped with a drain valve.
The beekeeper makes a table for printing frames with his own hands at his discretion. There are no special requirements here.
Drawings, tools, materials
The drawing of the table is shown in the photo. There is nothing complicated in the design. The material of manufacture is wood and stainless steel. Aluminum will do. From the tool you need a standard set:
- saw:
- drill;
- Bulgarian;
- hammer;
- pliers;
- screwdriver.
If you make a steel frame with legs for the machine, you will need a welding machine.
Build process
It is easiest to assemble an apiary table with your own hands from wood, but you can use a ready-made tank from old household appliances. The process consists of the following steps:
- A wooden table is knocked down from a bar and a board. The height of the legs is made such that the service person does not constantly stand in a bent state. The width of the structure must correspond to the dimensions of the frame. There are no restrictions on the length. The machine is made without a cover. Instead, one part is taken up by the frame holders. A transverse beam is attached to the second part of the table. A container for collecting honey is installed on it. The pallet is necessarily made of stainless steel or aluminum.
- A comfortable table is obtained from a stainless round washing machine tank. The bottom of the tank has already been made with a slope. There is a drain pipe at the lowest point. It is cut off with a grinder. A drain cock is inserted into the hole. The metal legs are the support of the table. The frame is welded from a rod 10-12 mm thick.
- During the printing of frames, honey will flow out of the combs. It must be separated from the wax. The filter is a metal mesh with a mesh size of 3 mm. For her, stops are made on the table. The mesh is pulled over a frame made of slats. The element is made removable. The holders of the frames are ordinary wooden slats fixed across the table.
- The final assembly of the table, designed for printing frames, is the installation of a drain valve on the honey collecting container. Ball valves are used.In the tank of the table, it is fixed with a threaded adapter with nuts.
Beekeepers do not recommend making a table that is too long. The inventory will need to be stored somewhere. It's important to keep the width to fit the frame.
The video shows an example of an apiary table:
Is it possible to make the cultivator "Kuzina" myself for printing honeycombs
Popular among beekeepers is the honeycomb unsealer called the Kuzina cultivator. The device is convenient to use when printing winter frames. The tool consists of a bed. On one side, teeth are fixed, forming a comb or fork. A handle is fixed on the opposite side. In the diagram, under the number 3, there is a limiter pressed by an elastic plate 4. The elements limit the deepening of the fork into the frame.
The bed of the cultivator for printing combs is made of stainless steel 1 mm thick. The U-shaped workpiece is cut with a width of 18 mm, a length of 75 mm. For the fork, take a steel plate, bend it in half. No. 7 sewing needles are inserted between the strips. The plates are clamped with a clamp, soldered from both ends so that they do not separate and the needles are firmly held.
The stop roller is cut from a piece of aluminum tube 22 mm in diameter and 58 mm in length. A rubber hose with a thin tube 4 mm in diameter is pressed inside, forming a channel for the axle. The pressure plate is cut out of 1 mm thick stainless steel and fixed with a bolt to the bed. A handle is cut out of a similar metal. In relation to the bed, it is fixed at an angle of 50 about... The rotation of the limiting roller occurs on a pin, which allows you to adjust the depth of the fork immersion in the honeycomb during printing.
How to operate the honeycomb frame printing machine
The process of printing frames with honey depends on the device used. The table is just a support for the frames.
How to print honeycombs
To print the honeycomb, the frame is placed in the table holder. With a fork, knife, cultivator or other device, the bead is removed. The lids fall off and remain on the filter mesh of the table. The honey flows into a tray with a drain tap. At the end of the work, the removable elements of the table are disassembled, washed with hot water.
Conclusion
The frame printing table is made stable, lightweight and compact. Most of the time inventory will be stored in a shed or attic. It is more convenient if the table is collapsible or partially folding.
