Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
This may be a Garage Journal first, but I could be wrong! Hopefully you guys get a kick out of it…..
So my mother is pretty serious cook and enjoys some of the more "artisan" aspects of the culinary world. In the past we've made all kinds of specialty items, but mostly old school European stuff she learned from her Czech grandparents (breads, sausages, alcohol, etc.). Earlier this year she took a cheese making class and really enjoyed it. I didn't really think much about it until I stumbled across a YouTube channel all about cheese making and it kinda got me curious. I watched a few videos and did some reading about the various "tools" involved in the process and found out there is a whole cottage industry for cheese making. I thought a cool Christmas gift would be to get her some of the equipment required so she can learn a new process, and I can get some custom cheese.
The commercially available presses are all way overpriced for what you get, and a lot of them are wood, which isn't something I mess with. For the same money, I decided to make one that will actually hold up to some use. This style of press is known as a “Dutch Press”, which is well regarded for the consistent pressure they provide on the cheese mold. Apparently this is important when making harder cheeses such as cheddars and parmesans (keep in mind, I have zero cheese making experience). A key flaw I noticed in a lot of designs is they pivot on one point, which can cause your cheese to press unevenly under heavy weight; a problem noted in some of the videos I watched.
Thinking I can do better, I set out to design one with the following goals:
-Have some fun, and learn some new skills. Primarily, I wanted to further my abilities in CAD (Fusion 360) by working on an actual project with various aspects I’ve never modeled before.
-Use some new tools I’ve acquired.
-Weld some stainless. I never weld stainless, so I thought it would be cool.
-Get some time on my Bridgeport.
Design Considerations:
-Make it robust for heavy pressing ability
-Easy to clean
-No tools required to assemble/breakdown for storage
-Adjustable for various size molds (both height and diameter)
Materials:
-.188” 304 SS base/uprights/ram
-1” 6061 aluminum round stock for the arms and legs
-Stainless steel hardware throughout
Here are all of the components laid out on my kitchen table.
Another view of the arms/legs. All work was done with a .500” endmill to face the the ends and create the flats. The slots for the ram were done with a .1875” endmill. All the holes are tapped ¼”-20 for the knobs and rubber feet. The pin holes are .250”.
All of the hardware was sourced from McMaster. The pins are actually 2 different lengths, and are retained by ball detents. The knobs even have SS threads. The round spacer was made from the same material as the arms.
So my mother is pretty serious cook and enjoys some of the more "artisan" aspects of the culinary world. In the past we've made all kinds of specialty items, but mostly old school European stuff she learned from her Czech grandparents (breads, sausages, alcohol, etc.). Earlier this year she took a cheese making class and really enjoyed it. I didn't really think much about it until I stumbled across a YouTube channel all about cheese making and it kinda got me curious. I watched a few videos and did some reading about the various "tools" involved in the process and found out there is a whole cottage industry for cheese making. I thought a cool Christmas gift would be to get her some of the equipment required so she can learn a new process, and I can get some custom cheese.
The commercially available presses are all way overpriced for what you get, and a lot of them are wood, which isn't something I mess with. For the same money, I decided to make one that will actually hold up to some use. This style of press is known as a “Dutch Press”, which is well regarded for the consistent pressure they provide on the cheese mold. Apparently this is important when making harder cheeses such as cheddars and parmesans (keep in mind, I have zero cheese making experience). A key flaw I noticed in a lot of designs is they pivot on one point, which can cause your cheese to press unevenly under heavy weight; a problem noted in some of the videos I watched.
Thinking I can do better, I set out to design one with the following goals:
-Have some fun, and learn some new skills. Primarily, I wanted to further my abilities in CAD (Fusion 360) by working on an actual project with various aspects I’ve never modeled before.
-Use some new tools I’ve acquired.
-Weld some stainless. I never weld stainless, so I thought it would be cool.
-Get some time on my Bridgeport.
Design Considerations:
-Make it robust for heavy pressing ability
-Easy to clean
-No tools required to assemble/breakdown for storage
-Adjustable for various size molds (both height and diameter)
Materials:
-.188” 304 SS base/uprights/ram
-1” 6061 aluminum round stock for the arms and legs
-Stainless steel hardware throughout
Here are all of the components laid out on my kitchen table.
Another view of the arms/legs. All work was done with a .500” endmill to face the the ends and create the flats. The slots for the ram were done with a .1875” endmill. All the holes are tapped ¼”-20 for the knobs and rubber feet. The pin holes are .250”.
All of the hardware was sourced from McMaster. The pins are actually 2 different lengths, and are retained by ball detents. The knobs even have SS threads. The round spacer was made from the same material as the arms.
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