Suggestion for wood variety in press making

[SaccharoVices]

I have read a few threads about press making and I thought of something I had found from another hobby- I was making country style cured hams from a freshly butchered pig and needed to make a rack for salting/draining. i did some inquiring as to the variety of hardwood most suitable for food contact, somewhat regarding toxicity, but mostly concerned about imparting of flavor. oak is of course food-safe, it is used extensively in wine making (barrels) but lends a strong character. i found from an old-timer friend that poplar is the best, most neutral hardwood available for this. it is the wood used for popsicle sticks. i made a slotted rack held together with stainless screws, it was submerged in heavy salt brine for nearly a month while curing the hams and came out totally unfazed- not soaked, expanded, discolored or anything- and it really is flavor neutral, the wood was sourced from HomeDepot- they have some very high grade boards available- finely milled and defect free (not intentionally plugging Home Depot). seems that it could be used to make a high quality press.

 

[BoomerCreek]

Look into maple. It is used for butcher block and is more dense than poplar. I don't think that oak imparts flavor in the short time it is in contact with the juice. I also use cherry slats in the bottom of the press to improve drainage. Just cider for thought.

 

[dusty1025]

I would stay away from poplar for press making. The closed grain and neutral character make it a good consideration, but it is not a hardwood and therefore, in my opinion, would be a poor choice for use in a press. As mentioned above, maple would be excellent. It is a closed grain wood, unlike oak, and is very dense and extremely durable.

 

[gregbathurst]

If you are building the frame you want the strongest, sturdiest wood because it has to bear a lot of pressure, and the frame doesn't come into contact with the juice much. for the racks you can build the traditional slatted racks, a lighter timber like poplar would be ok. It needs to be a fine grain that will take screws. Racks aren't usually sealed, they are allowed to build up a population of yeast that will inoculate the cider (soaking into the timber). If you live in the UK you can buy racks already constructed.
If you are using flat boards for the racks you can use just about anything IMO. I was thinking of using fibre cement boards but plywood was cheaper. I agree that oak would be fine, the amount of juice contact won't pick up much flavour.

 

[sashurlow]

My issue with poplar would be that it is not very rot resistant. Boat makers avoid it like the plague for this reason. Unless you plan on brine-ing the finished product, I would worry about rot. Oak and maple seem to be the woods of choice for manufactures and there is probably a solid reason for that.
scott

 

[SaccharoVices]

Thanks for the input- maple and oak do seem like a logical choice for anything structural- didn't know that poplar is so rot prone (or that it is not a hardwood), so maybe not even a good choice for the racks? maybe it would do OK since it is not continuously submerged like a boat, it would have time to dry out between pressings.

 

[dinnerstick]

poplar is a hardwood! ie a non-conifer

 

[sashurlow]

I depends on your definition... Balsa is a hardwood too. For a hardwood, however, poplar is pretty soft.
Consequently, apple would probably make a good material for presses. Good luck finding pre-milled apple. Next year I intend to top cut some crab apples to graft onto. Maybe I should keep some good pieces out of the firewood pile. Anybody know the qualities of apple wood?

 

[Homercidal]

I think Oak and Maple would be fine choices. I doubt the Oak would have time to leech any flavor into the cider, and anyway, I bet it could be a GOOD flavor!

I planned on doing mine with oak, because it's rot resistant and hard. Go with Maple if you want a very hard wood and tight grain.