New Horizontal Curd Cutter

[rsterne]

I recently made a new Horizontal Curd Cutter, patterned after the ones in these threads....

http://blog.cheesemaking.com/making-horizontal-curd-cutter/

http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,14315.0.html

It uses a rotating wire for the cutter, held in a rotating rod that moves vertically, indexed by clips in slots in the support, dropping into shallow grooves in the rod....



What I did differently is that the grooves in the rod are 3/4" apart.... There are 4 grooves in the support for the clips, three are 1/4" apart (where the clips are in the photo), and one is 3/8" below the top groove.... By using a single clip in the top groove, the rod moves 3/4" between "clicks".... By adding a second clip in the 3/8" groove, the rod moves 3/8" between clicks.... With clips in the top, middle and bottom grooves, the rod moves 1/4" between clicks.... To cut the curds to 1/2", you simply push it down 2 clicks at a time on that setting.... 

The vertical wood blocks on the ends drop into the handles on our cheese pot, locating the cutter.... You first make the horizontal and vertical cuts at the appropriate spacing with a curd knife, let sit 5 minutes for the columns to heal, place the cutter on the top of the pot, and then you slide the cutting wire down until it touches the top of the curd, and then slide it down in the center vertical cut to the starting point you want (1/4", 1/2", 3/8" or 3/4" below the surface).... Turn it 1/2 turn, slide it down to the next position and repeat.... When the rod hits the bottom of the pot, you stop and remove the cutter, sliding it out the center vertical cut again.... Then I let the curds heal an additional 5 minutes....

I used it on the weekend for the first time on a Dill Havarti, to cut 3/8" curds, and the result was the most uniform cubes I have ever obtained, with no whales and virtually no "fines".... I am delighted with the results....

Bob

[MacGruff]

What a great tool!

Where did you get the hardware? Local hardware store? Or did you have to order any of it from any specialty locations?

[rsterne]

I bought the 1/4" brass rod on Amazon, and the 1/16" piano wire for the cutter from a hobby shop.... The "hitch pins" (aka "R" pins) were from an industrial supplier (Lordco), they are 1/16" diameter wire and about 1.5" long.... They have one straight side (that fits in the slot) and a wavy side that clips onto the outside of the support.... The wood is a cedar plank I had lying around (you could use any wood, oil it with mineral oil to protect it)....

The only tricky bit is the support for the rod with the slots in it for the R-pins, and a flange on it to screw to the top of the wood.... I turned that on my lathe....  .... I also used that to machine the small grooves in the brass rod that the leg of the R-pins drop into to index the movement of the rod.... Those parts of the job are custom, I'm afraid....

Bob

[MacGruff]

I am a woodworker as well, so a lathe is in my shop (although my son uses it more than I do these days). I do not do metal work though and some of those pieces looked "suspect", shall we say???   

Good job!

[rsterne]

Here is a photo of the key part....



You could probably make it from a piece of tubing/pipe that fit over the vertical rod with the slots, and cut the slots with a hacksaw and clean them up with a needle file.... You could use a larger diameter rod, whatever you need to fit the pipe.... Drill a hole in the wood and glue the pipe in.... and file the notches in the rod by hand.... I suppose you could even make it out of plastic, or even wooden dowels....

Bob

[MacGruff]

Hmm.... Some ideas are percolating....

Thanks for the photo. It really helps!

[DiamondDaveMg]

Here is a photo of the key part....



Bob - I'm having difficulty visualizing how these R pins work.  Usually the straight leg goes through a hole in a pin, but it seems like the straight side and the curved side are resting in the notch in the brass rod.  So to advance the rod, is it just brute strength pushing down which pops the R pin out enough that the rod drops, but the pin doesn't go flying?

[rsterne]

The curved side of the "R" pin clips over the outside of the housing, there is no notch on the other side, only on the side with the straight leg in it.... The notches in the housing are just deep enough to allow the straight side of the R pin to protrude about 0.020" into the 1/4" through hole.... I had to open up the end bend of the R pin so that it doesn't have huge pressure against the rod, and is not too hard to remove from the housing to change the position.... The grooves in the 1/4" brass rod are about 0.015" deep (1/4 the diameter of the 1/16" wire of the R pin).... There is significant resistance to moving the rod vertically, initially, but not much resistance to it sliding once the straight side of the R pin is between the grooves in the brass rod.... When the next groove lines up with an R pin, the rod stops sliding, located quite firmly so that you can turn it without it moving vertically....

To use it, I pull the rod up all the way and put the cutter on top of the pot, with the vertical wood blocks in the handles of the pot.... I tap on the top of the handle gently until the cutter rod is touching the top of the curd.... I line it up with the center vertical cut, and tap on it gently to get it to slide between the grooves, then once it starts sliding, I slide it down until the R pin clicks into the next groove.... Turn it 1/2 turn to make a horizontal cut, and repeat, cutting each layer until the center of the rod hits the bottom of the pot.... It works perfectly....

Bob

[DiamondDaveMg]

Thanks for the explanation Bob - that helps a lot

[chimney smoker]

Hi, Bob, how did you attach the piano wire into the end of the brass 1/4” rod?

[rsterne]

I drilled a 1/16" hole in the brass rod, that was a sliding fit, and soldered it.... Yeah, I know, solder has some lead in it, but I filed off any excess, and it's only in the curd for a minute or two, so it doesn't concern me....

Bob

[chimney smoker]

Thank you Bob! I’m not concerned with that little bit of soilder either. I think I will silver soilder it.

[rsterne]

That would take the temper out of the piano wire and it will likely bend at the joint....

Bob