These plans reflect the design as of February 2020, after four years of incremental improvement, and they will produce a machine that matches the winnowing performance of current models in nearly all regards and that can be readily built using basic woodworking and metal cutting tools. These plans do not reflect the Winnow Wizard as currently produced by Oppen Works, which has been redesigned for manufacturability and durability with less wood and more welded steel. In the interest of providing some incentive to purchase from Oppen Works, I will not be supplying plans for the metal version.
Unless you really enjoy tinkering and fabrication or you live outside the continental United States, I recommend purchasing a Winnow Wizard. With multiple compound angles, <1/32″ (<1 mm) tolerance on some dimensions, nearly 90 different components sourced from ten different suppliers, and 40-50 hour construction time, this is an advanced-level DIY project with high potential for frustration if things don’t line up correctly.
Please note that while the plans contain reference to a “partial kit” option, I am not able to supply partial kits at this time. If you are interested in purchasing some of the more complex components a la carte and fabricating the rest yourself, please contact me and I will put you in touch with the manufacturing team at Oppen Works.
The plans are free of charge. Complete print copies may be distributed to others, but for electronic distribution please link to this page rather than uploading the file elsewhere. If you use the plans to construct a machine, please see p. 9 for a recommended financial contribution.
If you already have a Winnow Wizard or are planning to purchase one, you may still be interested in the story of the machine’s development on pp. 3-8.
Publication of these plans qualifies everything contained within as “prior art” and therefore not subject to patent controls. I am committed to maintaining this as an open-source design.