Author Topic: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure  (Read 12744 times)

Offline OzzieCheese

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #15 on: February 01, 2015, 07:30:04 AM »
The movable fulcrum is a great idea and my lever arm has 4 settings at the moment 5X 6X 10X 12X.  Once I understood the physics it became obvious and fine tuning to the desired weight is as easy as what is 12 X 2kg (two litres of water = 2kg). So with this wonderful design there is no guess work.  The weights seen here are 7kg being hung from the 12X position which is 84kg = 188lbs.

I think that will do :)

Again thanks smolt1 - you're a bloody genius. :)
   
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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #16 on: February 01, 2015, 07:40:45 AM »
Nice work Mal. Looks great. A cheese for your efforts. I'd love a copy of the plans if possible Smolt. My Dad is a retired cabinet maker, so he could help me to build it. I've been toying between one of these style presses and a pneumatic one. Maybe I do both. :-)

Shane

Offline smolt1

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #17 on: February 01, 2015, 05:22:54 PM »
OzzieCheese: That looks great and yes the selection of a different mechanical advantage is only a notch away.

Shane:  I put that new design on the cheese forum to get it in the public domain so that anyone can make one if they wish. I haven't had time to make a set of plans yet, but the only dimensions that are critical are the fit of the plunger and stand ( I make it between .25 and .3 mm, 1/100 inch ), the length of the lever arm, where the notches are on the lever arm and the placement of the swing ( helps solve the problem of friction on plunger movement). These are all easily modified after you make the press except for the fit of the plunger. Have at it!
 

Offline Danbo

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #18 on: February 01, 2015, 06:22:32 PM »
Mal: That is a beauty! AC4U

Smolt: Sharing great ideas an innovations online is really what makes the world a better place!

:-) Danbo

Offline smolt1

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #19 on: February 01, 2015, 07:39:19 PM »
Danbo:  Thank you, and I agree.

OzzieCheese:  I hope you used glue, because my first builds were with screws and they sheared away at high weights. Also if you move the lower pivot of the swing over toward the plunger it will relieve a lot of the friction on the plunger at high weights.

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #20 on: February 01, 2015, 08:07:18 PM »
Not sure what smolt uses but I've found this unbeatable for wood. http://elmers.com/product/detail/E9416
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Offline pastpawn

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #21 on: February 01, 2015, 08:07:58 PM »
Threads like this one are why I love this forum. 

It seems to me that one could put a fixed weight on the end of the lever arm and simply move the fulcrum around to get the force desired.  I.e., avoid the inconvenience of changing weights at the end of the arm.  Perhaps a bit more sophistication would be involved around the movable fulcrum.

BTW Ozzie, we have VERY similar workbenches.  I've got a large blue Record vise in the same position, maple inserts in it, and my bench looks similar too.  Mine's made from a section of a maple bowling alley, with 4" locust legs. 
- Andrew

Offline pastpawn

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #22 on: February 01, 2015, 08:08:56 PM »
Not sure what smolt uses but I've found this unbeatable for wood. http://elmers.com/product/detail/E9416


I've always used Titebond for wood glue. 
- Andrew

Offline OzzieCheese

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #23 on: February 01, 2015, 08:29:46 PM »
Oh Yeah I'm a glue and dowel kinds guy - lots of em' - I used a wood glue called Gorilla - from the US. Indirect food contact compliant and same with the oil coating I'm using. 

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Offline Al Lewis

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #24 on: February 01, 2015, 08:54:25 PM »
Gorilla is the identical one as this. Just more expensive.
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shaneb

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #25 on: February 01, 2015, 09:15:52 PM »
Thanks Smolt. I'll track down your threads.

Shane

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #26 on: February 02, 2015, 12:24:04 AM »
Gorilla is an awesome glue!

Offline OzzieCheese

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Re: Cheese presses - setting the right amount of pressure
« Reply #27 on: February 02, 2015, 01:01:12 AM »
The part I call - the control box -  took the most time almost 3 hours measuring and contemplating.  What you can't see is the other side where all the support dowels are through the centre.  The control box is also set up for smaller and wider pressing situations and it is also reversable. This will be given a real run next weekend - got to do a Cheddar ! I reckon I can get 10kg on the end of this and still have plenty of capacity.  I observed during the stress test that the area at the bottom of the press - where the stationary upright meets the bottom plate - bends about 1mm.  I will probably have to remake the base plate so time in the future.  But thats the beauty of the deisgn - I can remake parts without throwing the other bit away.

I'll keep you all posted on how it works :)

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