A Pressing Engagement...Pics

[stovie]

Finally started construction of the cider press with Wellsy. Made from Oak. The uprights are two old fence posts and the horizontals come from an old gate post, I think.

Wellsy cutting a tabbed mortice and tennon

The first joint finished

Top section in place

55 gallon barrel

Adze the way to do it

Frame just about complete

The screw and original drawing

Halfway there, hopefully get it complete today

 

[jon r]

keep us posted Stovie! thats looking neat so far! I'll be keeping an eye out for the finished press and Cidar

 

[spamel]

Nice one! Looks like a proper job!

Is Wellsy a member here? It's just that you are obviously very good friends and do a lot of building stuff like the teepee and the canoe and now this press, and plus the archery, you must both have very similar interests. It'd be nice to see him aboard the good ship BCUK!

 

[Eric_Methven]

Ooooh! That's looking really good. Any chance of scanning the drawing and letting me have a copy? Pretty please?

Eric

 

[weaver]

Nice wooden screw leaning against the barrel. Those are like hens teeth here. Did you find it at an antique store or make it?

 

[mr dazzler]

Its the same metal oneisnt it?
You can get old ones but they usually have bits chipped off or riddled with worm. They are normally beech and that species doesnt last as well as oak etc. I have a box and die to cut 1 1/2 inch threads but havent cracked it yet its hard to get a real smooth result
cheers Jonathan

 

[stovie]

Probably the most problematic stage today, boring a 3" diameter hole plumb through 6" of oak in order to fit the screw housing. Took most of the day, between a large dinner and a few pints...

Having chain drilled the hole we then cleaned off the burrs...

The housing and the hole...

A bit of titervating to make it snug...

The housing flush and tight as a ducks a... with the screw in place to check alignment...Pleased to report it's plum vertical...

From underneath

So here we are...You can see the old "Perfect" mangle in the background to make the pulp...and of course the barrel.

The screw, as can be seen, is metal, and not wood. It would be ideal to use a wooden one, but practicality prevails. The screw is robbed from an old trailer. To date the cost is £0...+ beer and labour

All that is left to do is the feet, a baton down the inner face to guide the cheese board, pressing tray, and pegs to hold the whole thing together.

Eric I have an enhanced copy of the plan which I can send to you via email if you'd like. PM me. It has no dimensions but i can let you know what we have ended up with. The drawing was done from interpreting old photos in a book...hardly rocket science...

Spamel, Wellsy and me are so alike it's frightening, and we make our respective wives despair...As for him using a computer...he has only recently acquired one, and he thinks Google is black magic...But he's coming 'round....

S

 

[JonnyP]

Nice work Rich......How goes it at WG.....?

 

[British Red]

Best thread I've seen in a long time Stovie!

What are you planning to use to do the initial pulping? I'm betting a clean spade then a shredder? Mind you with the size of that beast you could chuck whole apples in!

More please!

(When you have the kinks out, could you knock me up one quickly? )

Truly great and inspiring stuff!

Have an invisible rep point!

Red

 

[stovie]

Nice work Rich......How goes it at WG.....?

Very well Jon...Just about to start a new season of scouting etc...must meet for a pint very soon. I see from your threads you've not been idle yourself...Ther'll be plenty of cider come christmas

 

[stovie]

Best thread I've seen in a long time Stovie!

What are you planning to use to do the initial pulping? I'm betting a clean spade then a shredder? Mind you with the size of that beast you could chuck whole apples in!

More please!

(When you have the kinks out, could you knock me up one quickly? )

Truly great and inspiring stuff!

Have an invisible rep point!

Red

Cheers Red, you are always so generous, and genuine

The "Perfect" (in the background) shredder pulps whole apples without thinking about it. Used it today just to see what sort of state it was in, and it works beautifully. The pigs appreciated the pulp

Almost tempted to go "on the road" with the press, to anyone who has an orchard...just like the "old days"...

 

[mr dazzler]

The screw is robbed from an old trailer.

Ah that bring's back memories. When I was about 17 I worked weekends on a farm. One sunday after a "few drink's" the night before, I was supposed to move a trailer full of brewers grain then shovel it out for the beast's. On that ocasion in my bleary befuddled state on a cold frosty morning, I was oblivious; I drove away without winding the screw up and promtply bent the thing in half Mind I bet there not cheap to buy, and record dont make them any more if I remember rightly. Good for you the press will be just nicely ready for the apple season. Nice to see some framing cuts as well. Have you done any other framing?
cheers Jonathan

 

[spamel]

Looking really good Stovie. I hope we'll see Wellsy on here soon!

 

[British Red]

The "Perfect" (in the background) shredder pulps whole apples without thinking about it. Used it today just to see what sort of state it was in, and it works beautifully. The pigs appreciated the pulp

D*mn I missed that

We used to use a cheap electric branch shredder (chopped the big uns up with a spade first) and a press made out of a scissor jack and a frame welded out of junk steel

Yours is considerably more elegant!

I bet you could do a travelling show with that shredder and the press mounted on a trailer - people would love to donate their apples just to have a go at it!

I'll volunteer my apples if you give it a go (just kegged 5 gallons of beer yesterday and bottled another 5 - the 60 bottles of wine I'm just fining will be bottled by the time you got here.....it could be a heck of a perty )

red

 

[spamel]

If you need a hand Red, give me a call.


I'm free!! (Said in a rather disturbing shrill voice in a very camp stylee!)

 

[British Red]

Can't drink since the op Spam - I'm just using up ingredients - so I may take you up on that!

Red

 

[JonnyP]

Stovie...I have a tree full of bramley seedings, plumping up right now...Your welcome to the all if you want em...Not sure if cookers can go in the mash..?

 

[stovie]

Stovie...I have a tree full of bramley seedings, plumping up right now...Your welcome to the all if you want em...Not sure if cookers can go in the mash..?

Thanks for the offer Jon, but have all the apples we need...several orchards on offer around us. But dont worry you'll get a pint or three...

Interestingly, the secret to cider is either use established cider varieties (Kingston Black, Katy etc) or as in our case, mix and match eaters with cookers/crabs. The ratio is about 1/4 eaters/crabs and the rest eaters (we have Worcesters). If you use eaters only, you end up with a very bland tasting drink. this year wil;l be very much experimental....but fun none the less.

 

[stovie]

Did this a couple of weeks back, but not had time to get the pics uploaded. Turned out to be a steep learning curve, so in the end only produced 5 gallons, as opposed to the 55 originally planned. So we have decided to have a second pressing at the end of october.

This is the finished press with boards and cheese former

Chopping the apples. Found out later they were not mashed enough, so going to invest in a garden shredder...

Cleaning the barrel

Forming the cheese.

Cheese being built up

Giving it some wellie...

Jon's cup is put to good use

Two old cidermen...a lot wiser

Butchering the pigs this weekend...boy, the work never stops...

 

[Toddy]

Brilliant
I thoroughly enjoyed that one Stovie, very well done.
I use one of the little hand turned fruit presses but it hard work and awful wasteful.

By the bye, I have a dead hornbeam (died of drought) leaning over my fence if you want to try making a wooden screw. It's incredibly hard and tough timber.

cheers,
Toddy