What size bottle jack for my cider press?

[Bungbanger]

I'm making a moderately large cider press. My mold for the ground up apples and straining bags are 18"x18"x4" I will have 4 -5 of these layers with wooden racks in between. Will a 12 ton work fine or should I step up to a twenty ton. I'd prefer to do 12 ton since its a lower profile jack. Thanks.

 

[WVMJ]

Pictures! I like the youtubes where the guys make their own wooden presses and then think the jack is to small so they get the big one, next thing CRACK WVMJ

 

[chevalcider]

Pictures! I like the youtubes where the guys make their own wooden presses and then think the jack is to small so they get the big one, next thing CRACK WVMJ

By my math you would be exerting 74 psi with a true 12 ton jack. This is the upper range of what I understand to be optimum pressing pressure. I have 14 inch cheeses and use a 4 ton and achieve 60% on most pressings. I think that 40 psi is a starting place and you realize diminishing returns as you exert more pressure, meaning 60 psi will not get you double the juice of 30 psi.

Like the previous poster said, most wood frames are not designed for 12 ton and I would go easy on it the first time around. Little creaks could be hints of bigger failures to come!

 

[UpstateMike]

Remember, pressure is going down, and up. Are you making the frame out of wood, or steel?

 

[Bungbanger]

By my math you would be exerting 74 psi with a true 12 ton jack. This is the upper range of what I understand to be optimum pressing pressure. I have 14 inch cheeses and use a 4 ton and achieve 60% on most pressings. I think that 40 psi is a starting place and you realize diminishing returns as you exert more pressure, meaning 60 psi will not get you double the juice of 30 psi.

Like the previous poster said, most wood frames are not designed for 12 ton and I would go easy on it the first time around. Little creaks could be hints of bigger failures to come!

Thanks, a 12 ton I will try. My my press is being built out of Amish cut 4x4s of white oak. I will double up the pieces to make 4x8" and 12" thick with a butt load of 12 inch carrier bolts holding it together. I will post pic when done. I built the box out of pine with a copper tube coming out the bottom and sealed the inside with brewers pitch. I still need to make frame.

 

[WVMJ]

Have you found your pressing clothes yet? WVMJ

 

[OleBrewing]

My buddie and I start out with a scissor jack since it has some good travel. Then switch to a 20 ton for the final press. This is a large press chain sawed out of a massive cotton wood tree. The header beam is about 10x12. We get about 30-35 gallons each load.

But remember this is a lot of force and potentially dangerous I would not want to be around if there was catastraphic failure.

 

[MindenMan]

I am curious WVMJ, what type of clothes are you supposed to wear when pressing apples? I have never heard of such a thing, is it an Amish thing?

 

[WVMJ]

You should dress festively to start your cider off with a happy air. Just make sure you dont get them dirty shaking out the pressing cloths that make up the cheeses in the press WVMJ

 

[fartinmartin]

Two 4x4 does not equal and 8x4 , it's just two 4x4s .

 

[hudsoncider]

I use a 20 ton jack on my press with 19" square racks. Currently i have 5 cheeses but i am going to add a few more. I get about 3.5 gallons oer bushel and fit about 1/2 bushel per cheese.
I was going to build a wooden press but was concerned with the strength, so used the harbor freight shop press which i am very happy with.