How to make an apple press yourself
Often the harvest of fruits at the summer cottage is so large that it is not possible to process all the juicy fruits, and there is absolutely no desire to donate for a penny. It is better to put the surplus on juice - healthy, natural, vitamin and very tasty. It is irrational to buy a professional juicer or other expensive equipment just for the season, but making an apple press from the materials available on the farm is a reasonable way out. To create this device, you do not need to have special design skills and engineering education. It is enough to prepare the tools and acquire the drawings.
How to make an apple press yourself
What materials will be required
You will need a tool with which metal and wood are processed, as well as an ordinary locksmith's kit. It all depends on the design of the apparatus and the available blanks and materials.
According to the degree of automation, electrically conductive and manual models are distinguished.
What needs to be prepared:
- saws for processing wood and metal (a grinder with replaceable discs is suitable);
- hammer;
- keys according to the diameter of the bolts used;
- pliers;
- nippers;
- drill with a set of drills for metal and wood;
- jack;
- welding machine (to work with frame elements).
The following materials will also be required:
- a container in the form of a tank (there may be a part from an old washing machine, but only a whole one, without damage on the inside, chips or rust / mold);
- parquet wooden lath with a total length of about 15 m, boards and bars made by hand;
- metal pipes with walls from 3 mm thick;
- metal channel;
- bench screw with a suitable nut;
- threaded rod and valve;
- metal corner or other material for the frame;
- glue for wood;
- bolts with nuts, self-tapping screws;
- metal plate for bolting the rails;
- metal sheet for pallet organization;
- burlap or other natural fabric with a size of 1.5 x 1.5 m for filtering the pulp in the tank.
IMPORTANT: Vitamins contained in fresh fruits are very easily degraded as a result of prolonged contact with metal. Therefore, it is best to make apple presses with wooden bodies.
To preserve the taste of the juice, it is undesirable to use pine or spruce bars, slats and boards. Essential oils and resins in the composition, as a result of contact with the juice, significantly distort it.
Also, pressed boards such as chipboard or OSB are not suitable, since their structure is impregnated with phenol-formaldehyde adhesive, which, with dust and other particles, can get into the product during pressing.
Design options
According to the principle of work of the press, there can be:
- screw;
- jack-based;
- hydraulic;
- screw.
With the correct assembly of any press for squeezing juice from apples, it will be possible to achieve an efficiency of about 70%. It looks like a container filled with juice for about 65-70% of the weight of the pulp and dry cake in the remainder.
IMPORTANT: When working with a grinder and other power tools, you must use protective glasses and clothing, and also adhere to the rules of conduct with electrical appliances.
Screw press
Juice with every spin
Such structures are driven by the rotation of large blades.
Unlike equipment based on a jack, screw devices require the use of significant manual forces, which reduces the performance of such a device.
Main elements:
- bed;
- body (pulp is placed in it);
- bowl or pallet silt of a sheet of metal, knocked down wooden boards;
- working node;
- a pair of metal pipes;
- circle for a bench screw;
- piston;
- wooden lattices.
Step-by-step instruction
- Depending on the size of the future press, metal pipes of the required length are selected, as well as a profile, which are welded together with the letter "P".
- A hole is made in the profile located at the end, which must allow the threaded screw head to pass through. It needs to be secured using simple conventional welding.
- A support structure or clamp must be welded to the pipes.
- A stop in the form of a circle (metal or wooden) with a diameter of 0.5 - 1 cm less than the size of the container for the pulp is installed at the bottom of the screw. A handle is attached from above, which will rotate the screw over the stop.
- To make the case, they take wooden slats 3-5 cm wide and up to 0.5 cm thick. They are cut into 20-30 elements of the same length and rubbed at the ends with sandpaper, which will allow in the future to freely place the filter cloth in the container.
- 4 strips are cut from a metal plate 3-5 cm wide along the circumference of the body. At a distance of about 6 cm for the outer circle and 5-5.3 cm for the inner one, holes are made for the bolts. The slats must also be drilled at the same height from the bottom and from the top.
- The body is assembled by attaching each rail in pairs to the top and bottom inner and top plates. To make it more convenient to take out the waste from apples, you should make a "door" with your own hands. For this, a quarter of the circumference is attached to separate plates, and is fixed to the general body with hinges or other special parts.
- The pallet is made of steel sheet with curved edges of about 7-10 cm or a plastic bowl in which a hole is made.
IMPORTANT: All metal elements that will come into contact with apple juice and pulp must be coated with an anti-corrosion coating. This will not only prolong the life of the press, but also save vitamin compounds, rust and various harmful substances from getting into the juice.
Press using a jack
In contrast to manual devices, mechanisms using a jack are distinguished by greater productivity and efforts that the tool is capable of providing.
Therefore, you need to take care of the strength of the container for the pulp so that it does not break as a result of work. It is best to use solid metal tanks with holes and without a bottom, or fasten wooden slats with thick plates (from 2-3 mm).
The most convenient are car jacks designed for a mass of 2-3 tons.
Depending on the owner's preference, the tool can be installed on top or bottom of the equipment, which will not affect the performance or other characteristics of the device in any way.
Step-by-step instruction
- Make a container for the pulp. It is necessary to wash the tank of the washing machine, thoroughly clean it of any deposits or rust, remove the bottom and carefully make many holes to a height of about 0.2-0.3 times the length of the wall. This will increase the efficiency of the unit due to the ability of the juice to come out not only through the lower part of the tank, but also along the height of the mash column.In the same way as for a screw press, a wooden tank can be made, but mounted on thicker metal plates.
- It is necessary to weld the frame: a steel sheet from the bottom of the device, 4 metal tubes or corners, two profiles in the upper part of the product. In this case, the height is calculated so that a tank freely placed in this "cage" will allow filling the raw materials, installing a circle and a jack.
- The assembled device should hold approximately 7-15 kg of apple raw material (depending on the size of the device). For filtration, a linen, burlap or other natural material is used, which will be placed in a container and completely protect the pulp from contact with the tank.
- A wooden circle is laid on top of the chopped fruit, as well as below. This prevents the structure from collapsing under the high pressures generated by the jack.
For 5 minutes of operation of such equipment, on average, with a sufficient amount of pulp, 1.75 liters of pure homemade juice are strained.
Hydraulic Press
Excellent adaptation
The main difference of this type of device is the use of a hydraulic jack or an elastic barrel filled with a stream from a water supply.
This significantly reduces efforts while maintaining the high efficiency of the unit.
Step-by-step instruction
- The assembly of the hydraulic press bed is carried out according to the generally accepted principle: a ready-made metal or wooden tank is used for the body. At the lowest point, a hole is made for a drain spout (from a pipe or a steel sheet curved in the form of a groove).
- If the tank is leaking, it will improve the performance of the press. However, it is best to equip the unit with a plastic cover to protect against splashing and loss of juice.
- If a self-made body is used, then you need to select the required number of rails so that the gaps between them are no more than 0.5 - 1 cm.You can fasten them with bolts on the outer and inner metal plates. The strength of such a tank will best be maintained if the attachment points are located 10 cm from the top and bottom edges.
- For a homemade pallet, a plastic bowl is installed, a shield knocked off the boards with sides or a sheet of metal bent around the edges. To extract the juice, you can make a drain chute.
- To evenly distribute the pressure over the apple mass, a wooden circle 0.5 - 1 cm smaller in diameter behind the inner circumference of the tank and a metal stop about 10 - 15 cm is placed under the hydraulic element. This is necessary in order to protect it from destruction.
- Burlap or other natural canvas must be used to filter the pulp.
NOTE: The elastic barrel is also used as a hydraulic press, since it expands from the water pressure from the water supply and is able to press on the raw material.
Screw press
Outwardly, the apparatus looks like a meat grinder. Its basic principle of operation is to create pressure on the stop by means of a belt transmission from the rotation of an electrically driven pulley.
Raw materials are loaded into a feed chamber, where they are processed by auger grinders, and sent through a sieve to a drain chute. Thus, a juice containing pulp is produced.
Step-by-step instruction
- The tank is made of stainless steel sheet for the body. Its dimensions are approximately 10 cm in diameter and 30 - 40 cm in length. Some craftsmen recommend adapting an old juicer.
- An axis is installed inside with helical blades located on it. This part must be ordered from the master or, if the appropriate units and skills are available, do it yourself.
- An element must be attached to the end of the axle, allowing it to be firmly connected to the motor axle.
- A hole is made above the body from above, to which a loading chamber with beveled walls is welded or connected. On the other hand, opposite the engine, a sieve is installed to remove the cake.A lot of small holes are made from the bottom to collect the juice in the pan.
- The whole structure is mounted on a special frame welded from metal corners or profiles.
- To control the work of the press, you need to install a start button in front of the engine and the power plug.
IMPORTANT: Self-assembly home auger press is the most complex, costly and time consuming.
Due to the fact that the equipment is driven by an electric motor, the productivity of such an apparatus is very high and is approximately 7 liters in 5 minutes of operation.
Juicing process
Depending on the design of the press, raw materials can be fed in envelopes wrapped in a filter cloth or without them (for screw mechanisms). This is necessary to keep the pulp inside the rack tanks and to separate only the juice.
The apples are preliminarily fed to special grinders for processing into pulp. A bend (a circle of boards) and an emphasis are installed on them to prevent the destruction of the press installation by metal parts.
If the pomace was produced with high quality, then the oil cake remains in the tank. It is used as compost or fertilizer. Pre-sent to the compost heap for processing by worms and microorganisms.
The resulting amber liquid can be consumed immediately or preserved for preservation for the winter.
Most often, apple juice is made:
- Cider;
- Various types of wine;
- Rolled up pasteurized juice.
For health, eating apples is of great benefit. In addition to containing valuable vitamins, these fruits are rich in trace elements, including iron. It is an excellent product for preventing anemia, strengthening immunity and improving overall well-being.
Summarize
It is very easy to make a press for squeezing apple juice at home.
It is enough to prepare the desired drawing, pick up tools and materials, and also be patient and persistent.
Thanks to this simple adaptation, apples do not have to be thrown away or surplus to animals. From the processed pulp, excellent juice and raw materials are obtained for fertilizing vegetable gardens in the next season.