How to Build a Cider Press

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Let's assume, for the sake of brevity, that you'll be working with 5/8" stock. The first order of business is to pre-drill the two 38"-long strips of metal which will act as the hoops that hold the slats.

Start by drilling a quarter-inch hole in 19/32" from one end of each strip. Then make additional quarter-inch holes spaced every 1-3/16" apart, for a total of 32 holes per 38" strip. Score the spots with a center punch before you drill them, and don't forget to bathe the drill bit in cutting oil as you use it. (In addition to prolonging the life of the bit, cutting oil makes the job go a lot faster. Motor oil does the trick too, but not quite as well.)

Now bend the two metal straps around a 12"-diameter bucket or wooden jig, apply C-clamps and spot-weld the ends together. (In my opinion, a shop would be taking advantage of you if they charged more than a couple of bucks for this two-minute task.)

Next, you'll need a table saw (or at least access to one) to cut the beveled slats. Before you begin, saw your 5/8"-thick breadboards into 12" by 12" squares. Then tilt the saw's table up 15 degrees, lock it in position, set the blade's cutting guide so that you slice off a 1"-wide strip of wood with each swipe, and—using a push stick (NOT your fingers)—whiz off a couple of trial slats. (Note that you'll have to push the large block of wood through one way, then turn it around and feed it through the opposite way, etc.—reversing the chunk on each pass—to produce the "truncated pyramid" cross section that you want on each slat.)

Drill holes through both test pieces three inches in from either end and bolt the two slats side by side to the inside of the metal hoops. Check the gap between the pieces of wood. Is it 1/16"? If not, adjust the table saw's guide so that the slats measure a little more or less than 1" across the widest face of their cross sections.

Once you've adjusted your saw so that the two trial slats fit next to each other properly when mounted on the metal bands, you're ready to [1] cut the 30 remaining slats, [2] give them a light sanding, and [3] bolt or rivet them into place on the hoops.

THE SUPPORT FRAME

Fasten the 4 x 4 members of the support frame together with carriage bolts. Sixteen-penny (3-1/2") common nails are adequate for the side braces. (Just be sure to drill guide holes in the 2 x 4's first to prevent splitting.)

Notice, by the way, that the ground clearance of the two lowermost horizontal 4 x 4 framing members—the ones that carry the juice trough—is not the same for each 4 x 4: The beam at the front of the frame (as shown in Fig. 1) is 3/4" lower than its mate at the rear. This is so that the juice can flow down the trough and into a collecting pan at the front of the press.

THE TROUGH AND DRAIN

The bottom of the trough can be cut from a 15-1/2" x 36" piece of 1/2" exterior plywood, while an adequate rim can be made with bits and pieces of wood from the scrap pile. The molding should be about 1-1/4" high, measured from the inside of the trough. (Some waterproof glue and a few strategically placed screws will do a good job of holding the trough together without detracting from its appearance.)

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