Built this small press for the pears out of scrap. It was a quick prototype. I notched the 4x4s with a chainsaw and nailed it all up. Tray is a piece of wood countertop. Not suree it will hold. Planning to use garbage disposal as i have in the past which hopefully i wont need to add too much pressure. If it works out i will build one and take more time and make it a bit neater maybe using cedar posts. Appreciate any feedback.
Small 4x4 cider press
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Sequoiacider
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Looking good! I assume you are using it in conjunction with a bottle-jack. I have seen excellent results with such a setup. If the pressure from the jack is primarily pushing between the cross-support and the top support, and there is no gap between the tray and cross-support, then the tray should hold up just fine.
If you haven't done so already, you will definitely want to give it all a good coat of food-grade wax (Beeswax, Carnuba, or Shellac are all good food-grade options). That will help protect the wood from degrading and softening over time with exposure to the acidic juice.
Also, you shouldn't be using any type of chemically treated wood (wax only) on any part of the press that will come into contact with your juice. Based on the picture, it looks like only the frame is treated wood, which is fine. If any parts of the tray are treated lumber you will want to swap them out with untreated wood.
The garbage disposal grinder is a good idea. I previously used one that I built with great results. The only hiccup with a GD grinder is if you are grinding large amounts of fruit then it needs periodic rest breaks to keep from overheating.
If you haven't done so already, you will definitely want to give it all a good coat of food-grade wax (Beeswax, Carnuba, or Shellac are all good food-grade options). That will help protect the wood from degrading and softening over time with exposure to the acidic juice.
Also, you shouldn't be using any type of chemically treated wood (wax only) on any part of the press that will come into contact with your juice. Based on the picture, it looks like only the frame is treated wood, which is fine. If any parts of the tray are treated lumber you will want to swap them out with untreated wood.
The garbage disposal grinder is a good idea. I previously used one that I built with great results. The only hiccup with a GD grinder is if you are grinding large amounts of fruit then it needs periodic rest breaks to keep from overheating.
that is good to know about the wax. will that seal any leaks? i was planning on getting some food grade silicone to seal it up. yes i plan on using a car jack and will prob make some racks out of cedar. the posts are pressure treated. (old fence posts) and the trays walls are untreated white cedar. i have been freezing pears as they ripen so i might not need to grind them. though i might anyway. i worry about the notches being strong enough.
Sequoiacider
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Wax will help seal small cracks, but sealing with food grade silicone prior to waxing is a very good idea as the silicone will be able to seal cracks larger than what the wax can handle.
You could potentially press the pears without grinding them if they are soft, but you will probably end up with more juice with less pressure if you grind them first. With pears, be sure to do a slow pressing, increasing the pressure very gradually. Pear pulp tends to slow things down significantly compared to apples.
You could potentially press the pears without grinding them if they are soft, but you will probably end up with more juice with less pressure if you grind them first. With pears, be sure to do a slow pressing, increasing the pressure very gradually. Pear pulp tends to slow things down significantly compared to apples.
gregbathurst
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The notches should be strong enough but a bolt through each of the 4 main joints will hold it better. You won't be able to put maximum pressure on the press but you should get enough pressure for a decent yield of juice. Don't try to pump the jack too much once the pressure gets up, I have used a press like that and got plenty of juice.
