Anyone make a "homemade" apple press? How?

[lunagardens]

I would like to have an apple press but there are other priorities before spending that kind of money. I make as much as I can but am having problems finding Plans on how to build an apple press CHEAP! I do not own an orchard but have a few trees and pick a lot in the fall. So medium size is best.
Anyone make one for around $50 or less? I would like to read / see pictures & how to's from anyone on here who has made their own.
I really want to make one this year. I would like to try my hand at making cider vinegar, juice & some hard cider. So really need a press.
Anyone up to sharing?

[MaggieJ]

Try plans cider press, not apple press.

Here's one with plans.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/press.htm

As for cider vinegar:

http://www.versatilevinegar.org/

Hope this helps!

[lunagardens]

Thank you MaggieJ. I like the sound of the $20 cider press but wish it had pictures. I am a "visual" learner. Instructions become gibberish to me after the first few lines ...
Has anyone here on HT built one?Something built that cost less then $75 in materials? I would love to see some pictures.

[CoonXpress]

Maggie, I'm the same way with instructions, so here's a pic.
So simple that it'll be real easy to make by anyone.

Will

[Junkmanme]

That picture tells me that I could make a "sausage-stuffer" very easily! Thanks for the picture, CoonXpress!

[pinfeather]

Some neighbors have an apple orchard and made an "apple press" out of an old washing machine. They cut a circle out of plywood that fit down into the bottom of the machine and nailed 16p nails all the way into it so they poked out the other side. They put the circle into the drum with the pokey nail ends up and somehow fastened the plywood to the bottom of the washer tub.

They put an assortment of apples into the tub and run the spin cycle. The cider comes out the discharge hose. They periodically clean out the apple skins & pieces during the process. They feed the peals & such to the pigs.

[woodsrunner]

Bought this for $40.00 in a garage sale two years ago. Used it as is the first year.



Spent another $30.00 and about fifteen hours of labor to get it looking like this the second year.



Then after finishing that one DW shows up with this hanging out of the back of her Aveo. She got it for $20.00 in another garage sale. There isn't a sound stick of wood in it, but, all the metal is usable. I figure if I go with 100% red oak I'll have another $100.00 and many labor hours in it.



When it's done, this one will probably be up for sale. It won't be cheap though.

[Smallhold]

That is just brilliant. The very first cider I've ever made just been bottled and it came out smashing.
Was looking into applepress and/or grapepress. Will give the selfmade one a go.
Thanks guys.

[lunagardens]

Wow Woodsrunner... I am so envious of your find. I never find the good stuff at sales-and When I have they are priced way too high.You did a great job. Its looks new!
CoonXpress, I like it! Kinda bulky looking. Do you dismantle for storage? Could you give us a little "mini tutorial" on how ya did it? What kind of woods did you use and were they easily available from the area hardware store? What kind of jack did you use? curious minds want to know
This is great! It really helps to see what others have improvised instead of purchasing a new (costly) cider press.
Anyone else out there make their own? Remember- we like pictures. Its a must have for us instruction fuddled sorts.

[CoonXpress]

Luna, it's not mine. It's a pic I found off a Google search. I did read the article that was with it, bad thing is, it just talked about the pressing of the apples, and didn't go into the building of it.

Just did another search and found this, looks to be smaller and would be easy to make. Also looks like it'd be useful for a small volume. Don't think I would try to press a few thousand pounds of apples with either press.
Will


Several years ago I built a press based on the design of a flower or leaf press. The base was an 18x18" piece of pine with four threaded rods, attached, one in each corner. The top plate was a similar sized piece of pine but with slots cut for the metal rods rather than holes. It was set up in a very similar way to a traditional cider press: an old unpatterned tea towel was placed on the base board and a couple of jug fulls of crushed apple (liquidiser.....very slow!) placed on top. The edges of the tea towel were then folded over and the whole mass patted down to give a squarish pudding affair. A 15x15" (approx) piece of ply wood was then placed on top followed by another tea towel and more apple pulp. This was repeated to give about four layers. The top plate was then put in place and a nut placed on each of the threaded corner posts. It was then a case of gradually tightening each one with a spanner until all the juice was extracted. It was incredibly efficient. Each layer of apple could be peeled from the teatowel in one piece and was the consistency of damp cardboard.

Mark Tobin

[beorning]

My aunt had a press when i was a very small kid made out of a washing machine. Hers had a garbage disposal attached to it. I remember feeding the apples through the disposal into the washer, and cider would come out of the discharge hose. Sorry I can't recall any of the more technical details. I think I was four when I saw it.

[VALENT]

wOW, Woodsrunner, that is some kind of nice.

[agmantoo]

To make the pulp just use an old garbage disposal to pulverize the apples.

[Fire-Man]

Originally Posted by lunagardens

I would like to have an apple press but there are other priorities before spending that kind of money. I make as much as I can but am having problems finding Plans on how to build an apple press CHEAP! I do not own an orchard but have a few trees and pick a lot in the fall. So medium size is best.
Anyone make one for around $50 or less? I would like to read / see pictures & how to's from anyone on here who has made their own.
I really want to make one this year. I would like to try my hand at making cider vinegar, juice & some hard cider. So really need a press.
Anyone up to sharing?

Is it---You just want a "Press" or want the juice out of the apples?? If you don't have a Big Orchard and just want the juice---Why not use a Juicer--Like a Juice Man or similiar? I have one that you can put a whole apple in(up to 3") and the juice just flow's. A Couple hundred apples would not take that long. Just a Thought. Randy

[lunagardens]

I want the juice to make cider, hard cider, vinegar, and just plain ol' apple juice. A juicer just doesn't appeal to me. Thanks for the suggestion though. I want something non electric & efficient that can be used anywhere and lent out to a few friends if desired. I am speaking of gallons and gallons of juice. Not just one or two. Of course I do not mean ten bushels at once. I would only want to do small amounts at a time due to wanting different varieties. Our local orchard has over 10 kinds over the fall season. So a bushel or two at a time is the plan. Besides, a bushel of u-pick at our local orchard is $10.50.
I would also use the apples between my large tree and the unwanted from the neighbors tree that are ready in late august-early September. No idea what variety (our "neighborhood" use to be an apple orchard back in the early 1900's) but makes great apple sauce.A light yellow green with speckles. not very large, more medium/ big lemon sized. We pick from the local orchard as the different types mature. Cant wait to try my own "apple jack" this year.

[TexasArtist]

Someone on the self relience or singletree bord made one a few months ago and posted it there. You might want to post this samething over there. Sorry I can't remember who but I know I saw it. They ade it out of two buckets and a jack and some other parts.
Glad luck and when you done pass the cider!!