The easiest cheese press ever...

[GortKlaatu]

To press a cheddar in a 6 inch dia mold could take 10 PSI. That is over 250 lbs of weight.  So you might  want a lever press for the high end. There are DIY plans on the sturdypress web site for the original sturdypress that has been crash tested to over 1000 lbs . Search cheese forum " breaking news ".

The size of the mold doesn't change the PSI needed--that's why it is  pounds PER square inch.  It's the type of cheese that dictates the PSI.  So as the square inches increase (with increasingly larger diameters of the molds) so would the weight needed in order to maintain same pounds PER square inch.
I know some recipes recommend 10 psi for cheddar but many other folks use significantly less (5-7.5 psi).  Smolt1 have you found that you need 10 psi?


I have never needed more than 3.5 psi to consolidate a cheddar. (Maybe that's because I use goat milk and the curd is usually softer) but I know plenty of folks who only use 3.5 to consolidate their cow milk cheddars well. (An no mechanical holes found when cut)


So yes the weight would change depending on the diameter of the mold in order to achieve the appropriate PSI, but for a 6 inch mold, even if I go all the way to 3.5 PSI you would only need 100 pounds of weight.  This kind of press will easily handle that.  But going to an 8 inch mold would present problems though because you'd have to get up to 175 pounds of weight on top.

[Curdlessness]

Math! Arrrrrgh!

[smolt1]

OK  OK
The  relationship between WEIGHT and PRESSURE is math and science...

The Pressure to form a given cheese is a function of many factors in the recipe ,including the temperature of the curds while pressing. This is art , not science, so your pressure can be different from someone else s pressure and you can both be correct.

I truly believe Mr. Osborn would say this.

[Frodage4]

Another cheese for Curdlessness, for bringing up The Far Side!