Oh
The best part is the budget.
4 handi panels - $26.00
4 casters (harbor freight)- $16.00 (Purchased for different project)
1 ceramic lamp holder $6.00
1 Butchers twine $2.00
1 thermometer $7.00
The remainder of the materials I either scrounged or modified stuff I had in the garage.

update
hugng out about 7 lbs of venison for jerkey tonight.
Also added a 175 watt heat lamp to replace a 120 watt that I was using. I hope that will speed things up a bit.
The turkey I made earlier in the week was tested again while hanging the deer. It has been in the freezer in a ziploc. I have to say it hads gotten better tasting. A lot like a terriaki flavor just not as salty.

Here's the jerked venison.
I did rub in some Tony's Creole - fresh ground black pepper and a shot of fresh ground sea salt to the outside of this batch

1/18/09
Took the father in law out to the flying fish for his birthday. Got back home about 1:30 and had a peek in the cabinet. Had a test and discovered that the stuff was already done. Looked at the thermometer it read 140 deg.
So 140 is the magic # for making jerkey.
This batch is pretty good but I could have skipped the sea salt dry rub, I could have gone a little easier on the Tony's too. Overall very good.
Total dry time on this batch was an amazing 12 hours+
I did make a modification and changed out one of the bulbs for a 175 watt PAR heat lamp.
I think because of the height of my cabinet I need a little more heat -- and a few more watts. I wound up with a 120 watt PAR and the 175 wattPAR. I am going to mount a small circulating fan inside the cabinet and call this one good.

Next I am going to try drying some veggies, that is until I get my sausage back from Syracuse. I love me some dried sausage!

Here's pics of the final results.
Everyone who has tasted my jerkey loves it. There wont be too much more to add here except maybe for new modifications. I have not tried using wood smoke in it yet -- but that will come with time. If someone would like help building one of your own I'd be glad to help as long as you buy the materials. To be honest it was really easy. I'll be glad to assist you making yours.
Anyhow here is what it's all about.

A man after my own heart. Hardly ever throw away anything. My wife stays on my butt full time about that.

Well if you read back my goal was to beat the price of the little rinky dink round plastic tray dehydrators. Just look to the top of this page and see what I spent. The cheapest that I found in store was $60.00 I think there are some that are cheaper. I bet none of those would dehydrate 7 lbs. of jerky in 12 hrs!

I would add a bradley smoke unit to it for 169.00. Which will also add some heat to it.

You may also want to consider using a brooder heating lamp instead of the 2 floodlights. Also, did I just miss it, or do you have a couple of holes in the top to let moisture escape?

Randall is going to me making me a big dehydrator for meat, but I will be keeping and still using my small indoor dehydrator, as I also dry veggies and fruit.

Lora

First off thanks Lora you steered me to the right websites.
The 2nd lamp is a food service heating lamp 175 watt. The other one is just a 120w floodlight. I ran out of materials before I could make a proper top. I did have a piece of plywood that was a bit small. It left a gap that allowed moisture to escape (1/2" at the front edge)

I have been doing this for years. I use a $10.00 adjustable temperature hot plate from wall mart in the bottom. Very easy to adjust and keep the temperature just where you want it - just turn the knob. Put a pan with some wood chips on hot plate and you get a nice lite smoking while making your jerky.

Instead of actually building a cabinet, I have always just obtained a cardboard box(refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer -depending on how much jerky I am going to make)from a local appliance store. I make a large batch of jerky and fold up the box for reuse. After awhile I trash it and get a new one.

You are on the right track. Find a hot plate that has a thermostat that will go from warm to hot, you can find them used at Goodwill or Salvation Army stores for a few dollars. No need for a fan the convection factor will take out the moisture. Cut a series of small holes in the top and on the front on the bottom so the air will circulate and let the moisture ladened air escape.


To add smoke flavor take a cast iron skillet and put some soaked mesquite chips in it. Cover with heavy duty aluminum foil and poke a few small holes in it. Set this on the hot plate. You will have to experiment with the amount of holes and their size in the aluminum.

I think you should be a little concerned about using MDF, it contains all kinds of chemicals, not sure on how to seal it. On that you are on your own.

For anyone that has not started this project, get some 2x2 pine and build your box frame, next find an appliance store and beg old the cardboard cartons that refrigerators or washers etc come in. Next cut and seal the inside of the frame leaving your door side open. Add shelving supports inside. Next is optional but for winter use I would add insulation to the outside to keep the heat from escaping through the walls. Fix the door the same way. Make sure you have vent holes in the top and the bottom to get air flow caused by the heat from the hot plate.

From here it is just experimenting to get the right low heat and a small air flow from top to bottom. Also playing with the amount of heat and the holes in the aluminum to get the correct amount of smoke flavor.

I guess I should have read the second page, sorry about that.

One last thing, fix a way to hold a drip pan above the heat source to catch any drips so they don't fall on the hot plate.

tell randall the pucks on the bradley smoke unit last 20 minutes a puck so you are in control of how much smoke goes on it .I know it goes over the cheap budget but I think, it is a gotta have because it puts off 150 degrees and you can cold smoke cheese and dehydrate with it that way.Just an idea.