Compact butter maker

A compact butter maker adapted and configured for countertop operation comprising:

• a cream container, a drive housing, a drive, and a generally cylindrical dasher;
• the drive comprising a motor, a wheel, a connecting rod, and a shaft, wherein the motor is rotatably coupled to the wheel, the wheel is pivotably coupled to the connecting rod, the connecting rod is pivotably connected to the shaft, and whereby rotational motion of the motor is transformed to reciprocal motion of the shaft;
• the drive housing housing the drive, the drive being coupled to the dasher and adapted and configured to drive the dasher in reciprocal motion, the drive housing further comprising at least one plate, each plate being generally oriented along a horizontal cross section within the housing, the plate defining an aperture for the shaft, the aperture retaining the shaft in a generally vertical orientation;
• the drive housing and the cream container being adapted and configured to reversibly mate and to position the dasher in the cream container for reciprocal motion therein;
• the dasher having an outer surface and the container having an inner surface whereby the dasher outer surface and the container inner surface have complementary shapes, the dasher being dimensioned to fit within the container with tolerances that provide space between the dasher and the container for circulation of cream or butter during reciprocal motion of the dasher;
• the shaft comprising a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being coupled to the connecting rod, the second portion being removable from the first portion, whereby the second portion can be removed from the butter maker for cleaning;
• whereby the circulation of cream during the reciprocal motion converts the cream to butter.