Hi,
What type of mold did you get? Does it have a plastic follower that you can put weight on? Like this one?
http://www.leeners.com/cheese-making-pressing.htmlIf you have raw milk, you don't really need a press unless you want to make cheddar. If you rest the curds and press them in the pot under the whey with your hand, they will clump together and come out as one solid mass that you can just transfer to the cheese mold above, and then use 8-20 lbs (like a gallon of milk, or a basic round weight) to knit the curds even more. The above process will yield you other advantages such as well-knit curd, proper hole formation if you want to make swiss, more even acidification, more even moisture distribution because of gradual whey loss, and so on.
If you want to make cheddar, then a press is vital to knit the salted curds together.
Many types of cheese, such as blue and camembert are pressed only under the weight of the curd. Tomme type cheeses are pressed with a weight equal to the weight of the curd mass. Alpine and gouda type cheeses are pressed with 10-20 lbs.
I think with 8 gallons per day, get a few molds so you can do larger batches. Cut out and cleaned beer kegs make for great containers and fit 15 gallons.
. Gruyere, tomme, and alpine style cheeses are a great start for cow's milk.