What an interesting press!!! That is neat!.
The temperature in Houston should not be a problem I would not think. Actually, it should make it easier to attain and hold your target temperature. It might be less comfy for you however.
You still want to age your cheese at 55-ish deg F depending on what you are making.
From a curd cutting method i would suggest 1 of two things, I would suggest that you just simply be careful with your cuts, (what I do), or buy/make a real curd knife. I am in the process of making a custom curd knife from Stainless Steel fishing line and flatbar. But until that is done, I simply use a long knife and be as carefull as I can. I try and get my cuts to be 3/8th's to 1/2 in apart.
Yes sometimes I accidentally go outside those margins, but I was never good at coloring in the lines.