I built an 18" diameter press from Maple and it is beautiful and works like
a charm, however I am not sure I actually saved any money! (materials were
close to $500). That hard eastern maple is really expensive, especially
where you need 4 x 6 beams. I used an 8000 lb capacity tongue jack to
provide the pressure, which gives me roughly 28 psi on the follower. I had a
machine shop drill, roll and weld two hoops and I cut, beveled, sanded ,
drilled, and epoxied each slat before bolting it in. It sounds like, and is,
a lot of work. Suggest buying ready made unless you like doing that sort of
thing! The tongue jack works great as you don't have to use a lot of blocks
etc. You just pull a pin, drop the foot to the follower, and slowly start
pushing it down. I use a large mesh bag, but may make a bag out of the poly
screen they use for screen doors. I can press a 40 gallon batch of red in 2
loads, and press the skins as dry as I will ever want them. With a larger
bag I can probably do it in one load. It works great!
(If you make it beautiful it will raise your stock with womenfolk as well,
may offset some of the cost)
"Tom S" > wrote in message
om...
>
> "Don S" > wrote in message
> om...
> > > I know that a hydraulic bladder press operates at about 30psi
>
> I run my bladder press at about 3 Bar, which is closer to 50 PSI. You
need
> a hydraulic ram or a screw device with a _long_ handle to achieve that
kind
> of pressure over a large platen. A simple lever arrangement won't cut it.
>
> > > if you
> > > have a 10" diameter basket, that's about 78 sq in. Times 30, that's
> > > over 2300 lbs of weight on a one-to-one lever system.
>
> Correct.
>
> > Are your sure about the calculation where you arrive at 2300
> > pounds? Wouldn't I only have to think about the 30 psi and ensure
> > I get that pressure on my round (or square) pressing plate?
>
> Yes, but remember that psi = pounds per square inch. You have to multiply
> the 30 by the number of square inches of plate.
>
> Building something like this from scratch isn't easy or cheap. That's why
I
> suggested renting or buying a press. You could always sell it if you
decide
> winemaking isn't for you.
>
> Tom S
>
>