Long Hoop - Pressing Several Stacked Cheeses

[Redone]

Hi very new to cheese making,  I've made Mozz. with good sucess. I am going to make some Romano and Cheedar and I am going to make a press.  I don't want to make a big wheel I'd like to make  smaller wheels and was wondering if they can be stacked in a mold with a follower in between each wheel. (cheese, follower, cheese, follower, cheese, follower) If you think this would work do you have any input on the min, size a wheel should be for Romano (because of brining)?  Thanks

[captaincurd]

we stack cheeses in our press 8 in dia wheels  with the press at a slight angle from vertical.  The cheeses are pretty pliable when they first go in.  so 1. if your press is horizontal you need to get it under pressure pretty quickly or the cheeses may ooze down away from the top of your molds, or 2. if your press is vertical, and your stack is too high, there is a risk of the stack buckling  also giving lopsided cheeses, or worse dumping them on the floor.

[FarmerJd]

I have done 4 cheeses in a 6 inch hoop at one time. It is kind of tricky but they all turned out relatively uniform. They were all jacks with different peppers added to each one. It was hard flipping because of the extra effort required to flip each one and then replace followers and reset in press. It can be done but would probably be easier to stack four different hoops instead. Good luck though!

[Cheesetart]

I hadn't thought about stacking.  That gives me something new to think about.

[Redone]

THANKS FOR THE INPUT.  I might try one at a time to start. Any ideas on what would be the min. dia. for a wheel of  Romano. ??

[MarkShelton]

I have a romano in the cave now that I made from 3gal of milk and put in a 6" mold. It looks like a miniature version of a commercial parmesan wheel (about 3.5" tall) This would be about the smallest I would make (actually, I would probably increase it to 4 gal) because you don't want it to be all rind. I figure about 1/4 inch rind all around. If you cut that off from a 4" wheel, you're not left with much. That is, if you're air-drying and oiling instead of waxing. If you wax, there won't be a rind, but for me, it wouldn't be as authentic.