Good options for small-scale cider press?

Well after two seasons of using the mop press and quisinart I’m thinking of buying one. Too much work and I think it just doesn’t apply enough pressure to get all of the juice out.

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It depends on what “small” is really.

We are putting a couple of bushels thru a centrifugal juicer, and that works OK. We do it in several sessions (which match how the apples ripen and our available time). And it works OK. I think these juicers do get more juice out of the apples than a traditional press, but they are slow, doing an apple at a time. However if you add up all the time grinding and cleaning up from a traditional press, it may not be that much longer, but never having a traditional cider setup I am just guessing on that.

I suppose that we will eventually have to “upgrade” to a different setup, once more of the apple trees come into production. But until then, this is working for us.

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I know this old article has been brought up http://www.motherearthnews.com/DIY/homemade-cider-press-zmaz82sozgoe . The washing machine would need to be tweaked for efficiency but it’s a great idea! This video has also been posted on here but as you can see these kids did a fairly good job https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9z7NbO9mk. Twenty gallons of cider an hour would be very difficult to beat with any other device. These kids were not the only ones to read the mother earth article https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00tjcmtbx4s. I like this example as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbxl1JyY4Og.

Even though this is an old post, I thought I would comment. I discovered one of those Lalanne juicers in the pantry. We used to use it but discovered it’s too easy to make and drink juices and we were gaining weight from too much juice, ha ha.

Now I have too many apples in storage and they wont all keep. Some are not so pretty, also. We do drink a glass or two of juice every day, so I thought why not make some cider. I cant use a gallon at a time but a couple of quarts at once is ideal for us.

The Lalanne juicer worked very nicely. Some of the apple are dark red skin - Jonathan, Priscilla, Akane. The juice comes out a nice shade of pink. That also happens with pink flesh apple, Airlie Red Flesh. The juice is foamy and has a sediment, like cider we used to get at the local orchard 50 years ago. Stored in the fridge a few days, the flavor becomes richer and more like classic cider.

This juicer uses a shredder and centrifugal action to separate juice and fine pulp from the solids. It’s good to make a couple of quart jars of juice at a time.

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@Bear_with_me it makes an amazing cider i’m really glad you tried it! The foam i used to sweeten and flavor apple cinnamon oatmeal among many other things. Cinnamon and nutmeg make a good spiced cider. Enjoy!

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Same rule applies to the best time to plant an orchard and when to buy a cider press. We bought our Happy Valley Ranch’s Homesteader press close to 20 years ago, and discovered its price has doubled. The press has held up well in that time, and we are still very happy with it.

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Well, I need a small-scale cider press too. I have been using a steam juicer but I know that is not recommended for cider. I have the apple orchard just looking for a use for all these apples. This hobby is getting expensive.

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For the relatively modest price, I have been happy with my MacIntosh 5 gallon press with stainless basket ($299) from Pleasant Hill Grain, and the Maximizer hand-crank grinder ($199) to go with it. I’ve only used them 2 years, and only made about 20 gallons of juice, but I can report the press works easy and fast. It’s easy to squeeze out the juice, and it takes little time to empty and refill the mesh bag for another pressing.

On the down side, however, the grinder could be better, but for the price, it’s adequate. It takes a little practice for one person to feed the apples at a rate that will allow the second person to crank at a steady rate and, using the weight of the crank wheel, continue cranking without stopping or having to back up and start again. Another down side for the grinder is that the size of the pulp pieces seems rather large compared to what might be optimum for extracting the highest amount of juice. Part of the blame for the difficulties in cranking and chunk size could be that my apples have been mostly rather small, and also not completely ripened. I seem to get an average of slightly less than a gallon of juice for each 5 gallon press load, though I have read an average of two gallons could be expected with better apples ground to make smaller pieces.

If I had more apples to process, I would strongly consider buying one of the $900 to $1200 electric grinders that grind apples to smaller pieces with no effort at all. In the meantime, however, and until I have A LOT MORE apples, the $199 grinder will do just fine. Hand cranking does offer a degree of nostalgia, and it is also a thing that creates fun for family and friends of all ages.

Another point I should add is that, in order to use the press, I had to make a platform to bolt it onto and raise it off the grass in the yard–high enough to put a 2 gallon bucket under for collecting the juice–and with a diameter and legs to prevent the press from turning or twisting when force is applied to the handle during pressing. Likewise, I had to bolt the grinder to a couple of redwood 2x4’s and attach them to sawhorses on each end, so it was high enough to put a 5 gal. bucket underneath, and wide enough I could sit on one of the horses while cranking. So a little planning and ingenuity was required in putting the whole operation together, but it was all done at a nominal cost…and I expect it will all last for many, many years.

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Because I have done some woodworking and have the tools I am more inclined to just build my own. Need some design plans. Sounds like a substantial project though. That long threaded piece of material that the press screws against might be hard to find.

I bought the kit to build the Happy Valley Ranch American Harvester press, which is their big 2 basket press. Great quality in the metal work and easy to understand plans. Ill be finishing that press this winter.

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Burdens surplus center has the screw and nut

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I found an old press for less than $200. I am in the process of restoring it, but it works as-is. I plan to post the restoration process at some point.

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An alternative design is to mount a jack to the frame to apply the pressure to the pomace instead of a screw, like in one of the photos above. I have seen many other creative ideas, like using a 5 gal bucket with holes drilled in it as the basket. Some people are able to build their own apple grinder using an old electric motor and a rotating wooden drum with bolts or pipe collars as teeth. It can be done inexpensively if you have the time and skill.

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@Sparty

How soon will you start the restoration?

Ha! About 6 months ago.

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I’ll replace most of the wood in the coming months and do some fine tuning on the gears, grinder, and bearing points.

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@Sparty

That’s looking really good!

Looks amazing!

There are several things I have learned: I make 20 or more gallons a run and cannot get the pleasant hill press dialled in yet. Turned the top platten and screw fitting in the lathe to fit the pummy vessel, now using the Whizbang hdpe separator plates between bags.

  1. Apples need to be ground fine+++ or into pulp/sauce, that takes a good screen/cutting drum and RPM+++

  2. Pummy bags/cloths and plattens that have structural integrity

  3. A press with a deep catch basin tray and two outlets, under a heavily built stand with a 1" acme thread screw and metal top platten. There is a post in the cider topics showing a Harbor Freight machine press, that’s a great way but the jack has to be shimmed during the process and it can kick out and hurt you, go with the screw.

I tried both tubs, the oak slat works best but still needs the Whizbang hdpe separators.

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