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Hey Guys,

First time poster

I'm in the process of building a cheese press out of Plywood =



I've picked up a pan from the local supermarket for the collection of the whey =



It appears to have a non-stick surface, would this be suitable for the cheese hoop to sit on and collect the whey?

Many Thanks Rob!

I don't think plywood is a good material for a follower. Firstly it will separate when exposed to moisture and secondly I seriously doubt that the adhesive used to bond layers of plywood together is food grade. Routing a round follower closely fitting the hoop from solid wood or a plastic cutting board would be a better choice - otherwise the curd will try to escape from the mold through gaps if enough pressure is applied.

Also the pan should be drained and have some insert, even a bamboo mat or just a bunch of skewers spread under the hoop, which will prevent the cheese bottom from sitting in whey and allow for better drainage.

Also using PVC for a hoop is questionable, though I'm using one too - the thick type meant for potable water, hoping that it's safer than the thin type meant for sewage

Hello Woodsman,

Thanks for the info.

Ok i've now ordered a cheese hoop (145mm wide by 110mm high made with drinking water quality "Pressure Pipe) with a matched follower (made from food grade HDPE) from here http://www.greenlivingaustralia.com.au/cheesepressandhoops.html

I will cut a piece of bamboo mat to fit inside the pan (as suggested by you) and drill a hole so it can drain off

Thanks Rob.

Ok i've modified a sushi bamboo mat to fit inside the pan that will sit under the hoop =



I'll drill a hole in this for drainage and sit the whole press on top of the sink.

Am i getting the idea?

Cheers Rob.

Your set up looks just like the one i am currently using.  It works great at lower weights but when I get up to like 40 lbs, it's level until i turn my back and then it begins to slant and I end up with a lop sided block of cheese.  dont get me wrong though.  What you have will work great if you can keep it level.   Im getting ready to build one like this here.

Hi Rob,
I have a press similar to yours. I have the same problem with shifting of the top board (binding?) when using heavier weights. I've only had it happen when I use my 4.5 inch mold. My larger molds work fine and two 4.5 inch molds at the same time works perfectly too. My understanding is that the dowels must be absolutely perpendicular to the bottom board and parallel to each other. Also, the holes in the top board may not be too large for the dowels.
Christine

Some of the molds on cheesemaker.com are PVC.  I was surprised.

Scroll down on this page:
http://thecheesemaker.com/supplies.htm

I have been very happy with my 4" PVC pipe hoops but I just want to put this
warning out there for anyone thinking of or currently using PVC for hoops.
-- Do not try to sterilize them by boiling! --
I found out the hard way that they can become soft and malformed just enough
that the follower no longer slides freely up and down their length.  No amount of
re-heating and trying to reshape them brought them back to their original round. 
Had to remake 3 hoops that day 

PVC releases chloride gas during manufacturing stage at high temperature. The gas is considerred to cause cancer especially to those involved in the manufacturing process.
HDPE is perfect for self made hoops, so is just PE (HD = High Density) that has less mechanical strength, not to bother anybody.

5 gallon and smaller buckets usually called pigtail or lard buckets around here are a good choice for hoops too. They're made of PE or HDPE, come with a rigid bottom and and cost less, even new, than comparable length of a similar diameter HDPE pipe. Cutting them down in size isn't easy, but then again making a straight cut of anything over 3" thick- requires a lot of prep and patience.

Hey Guys,

a few more mods to my press while i wait for the mold and follower to arrive

Cut out a section of the base of the press and drilled a hole in the pan, test run and the liquid
flows perfectly without touching the wood (should i varnish the wood anyway?)



Looks like i got very luck and the press fits on my draining board nicely!



Looking forward to my bits arriving and giving it a test run!

Cheers Rob.

If you are on a septic system, you may not want to run all that whey down the sink.

^Why Alice?^

I have a septic system, i guess it has something to do with bacteria?

It's called B.O.D. - biological oxygen demand. Basically by putting a lot of whey and foreign bacteria into your septic system at once, you will overload the oxygen carrying capacity of the system. Reduced oxygen levels means that the "normal" bacteria can't break down organics as efficiently. Too much, too often and it will have to be pumped out. No fun.

There are lots of other uses for whey. Just search the forum.

Quote from: Brentsbox on September 02, 2010, 09:48:57 AM
Your set up looks just like the one i am currently using.  It works great at lower weights but when I get up to like 40 lbs, it's level until i turn my back and then it begins to slant and I end up with a lop sided block of cheese.  dont get me wrong though.  What you have will work great if you can keep it level.   Im getting ready to build one like this here.

I'm hoping to build a cheese press like this as well. Brentsbox when you get far enough in the project, do you think you can post your shopping list, like where you purchased the parts and maybe even their part numbers and then some sort of a description of what you did. Drilling those holes in the steel pipe is going to be quite something.