Homemade screw press for grapes. How to make a grape press with your own hands. The principle of operation of the grape press

Due to frequent questions, I want to tell you on the pages of my blog about how I made my first screw press for grapes, with a 20-liter basket.

This was back in 2007, when I was just starting to engage in winemaking “for myself” and was not going to think about any expansion of this aspect of my work.
At that time, a lot of December ripened on my gazebo, there was Muscat Hamburg, Livadia black and many remnants of bunches of table varieties, mostly overripe, spoiled by wasps and ants. Now I remember this raw material with a smile, but then I, like many lovers, considered it quite suitable for wine. Which, in principle, is true, if you don’t delve into what kind of wine it is. 🙂

But this is the lyrics, let's move on to the constructive. Literally.

So, a screw press for grapes. What does it consist of, in my understanding?

1. Frame. The option with a screw through the basket (as I have now) seemed unacceptable to me then.

2. Screw. A screw is a screw, with a powerful, preferably rectangular, thread. With a smile, I now remember my ordeal with turners in the workshops I knew... What a people! Lazy grabbers! 🙁 There is still a picture from the workshop of our city water canal, when three turners, without letting go of the domino bones from their hands, told me how busy they were and how they had no time to turn a screw from a finished rod. They talked for 10 minutes...

3. Basket. Well, I saw the basket, in my understanding, it should be made of oak slats. Where can a resident of Dnepropetrovsk get oak? That's right, the first association is parquet! 🙂 That’s what I used on this product, the main part of the press. The basket must be tightened with hoops. Which ones? Well, stainless steel, of course! For some reason, the dealers in the local construction market did not have a stainless strip of acceptable width and thickness at that time, but they did have corners. Well, I took them. Then, oh, how I regretted it, because the basket turned into a life-threatening object... Well, more on that later.

What is the design? Not only did I make a frame, but I also wanted the press to be a self-contained piece of equipment that did not require any stands. Those. on legs. A kind of frame on legs, a nut is fixed at the top into which the screw rod is screwed, and in the frame there is a basket made of oak slats into which grapes or must with pulp are loaded.

I started with the basket.

In a parquet store I bought two dozen parquet boards, 320 mm long, 50 mm wide and 15 mm thick. At the market there are two meter-long stainless steel corners. As I already wrote, no one had a strip 0.5...1 mm thick, I had to take the corners... :)
Using a home machine, I removed the grooves from the boards with a milling cutter to reduce clogging. As I later saw, the operation was useless: with the help of a dishwasher brush, all the cracks are washed out very easily.

Using self-tapping screws (with a stainless steel coating!) I attached them to the corners with a gap of 10...12 mm. Then, using a grinder, I cut a corner between the planks, bent the edges of the strips, and made holes in them for the bolts:

And voila! - cart is ready:

The diameter of the basket requires an insert, a piston, which will directly rest on the grape pulp. Here is the basket with it, “assembled”, so to speak: :)

The height of the basket is 32 cm, the internal diameter is 29 cm. The volume (calculated) is 21 liters.

The photographs show sharp edges on the corners. Oh, how many scratches they made on my hands when moving and washing, how many rags they tore... Until I took the grinder again and cut off all the excess right down to the boards!

The next day I went and bought a 25 mm angle, M6 bolts with nuts, and several Ø 6.2 mm drills. I assembled the frame of the press and immediately got to work:

It is necessary to place planks under the screw on the circle:

I ordered the screw in advance from a “handy” turner who was finally found, with great difficulty. Screw Ø 30 mm and 3 mm pitch, with a nut, with a welded disk with holes for fastening, cost me a considerable sum at that time: 100 UAH!

The remaining details are a piece of plywood on the stand and a plastic bowl in which I made a hole and inserted a tube - the final touches. It cost me a penny. And the total cost of this screw wine press (or wine press, which is correct? :)) was about 300 UAH. I was glad that a factory Italian similar press cost about $300. This is such a savings for the family budget! 🙂

As I understand now, that head screw would be enough for a 100-liter press! 🙂 I didn’t have a welding machine then, and at that time I had never held one in my hands, so I did everything with bolts. Well, the apartment, after all. Although it would be possible to cook on the balcony with an inverter, as I now understand.
Due to the bolted connection, the frame “wobbled” a little, which created additional problems towards the end of the spin cycle, when the forces increased. But what an indescribable pleasure it was! 🙂

Well, finally finished! 🙂

The result was a wine that was not at all embarrassing to treat to friends!

As you can see, friends, you don’t need a higher education to make a screw grape press yourself. There are 3...4 months left before the winemaking season, so whoever wants to use my experience - there is still plenty of time! Have a good harvest and happy homemade wine! 🙂

If the trees in your country house bend during the season under the weight of fruits that require urgent processing, you should take care of having a juicer. This problem also arises among winemakers, among whom there are no people willing to process the berries manually. It is quite possible to make a juice press yourself, eliminating additional expenses for purchasing equipment, which is quite expensive today.

Operating principle

Screw type can be made using different technologies; in this process, parts such as old containers, tanks from washing machines, as well as pots and boards are used. In some cases, structures are made using a jack. If we are talking about a traditional device for obtaining juice, then the device includes the following components: a thrust mechanism, a basket, a pressing element, and a base. The basket should be placed on the base, with a tray underneath for receiving juice. The last of these elements provides a gutter, under which a sap receiver is installed.

Making a press yourself

Initially, you will need to prepare the base and frame, which are made of a metal profile. To make a juice press, you will need to form the upper part of the frame, which should be positioned horizontally. For this element, the most durable and rigid profile with thick walls is selected. This will prevent the components from bending under load. A sheet of plywood is laid on the base, on which the tank and tray are installed. In order to prevent frame corrosion, it is necessary to cover the surface with a layer of paint. As for plywood, it is treated with varnish.

Pallet preparation

If you decide to make a juice press yourself, then you will need to prepare a tray; it can be an element of the same name from a large diameter pot. You just need to cut a hole in the side and glue a plastic tube into it, with the help of which the juice will flow into the receiver. When working with a pallet, you need to act very carefully, since the product can easily break if it is accidentally caught or something is dropped on its surface. This also applies to operation, since the tube can be torn out due to negligence. In order not to worry about this, it is best to use a tray made of stainless steel.

Making a tank

A juice press must have a tank, which can be made by a craftsman from galvanized steel. When choosing a material, you should stock up on planed pine beams; it should not be glued; you can easily find such lumber in any hardware store. The tank will be made of timber, the cross-section of which should be 20x40 millimeters. The gap between the elements of this product should not be more than 5 millimeters. Due to the fact that wood contains essential oils, as well as resins and glycosides, it is best to use an indifferent biological material like natural wood as a material for the tank; it can be birch, beech, or oak. As for pine, it is usually not used when making a manual juice press. This is due to the fact that the material contains resins, the content of which can somewhat affect the taste of the juice.

Making a piston

When making a juice press with your own hands, you will need to make a square from two layers of boards, which should be located perpendicular to each other. In this case, self-tapping screws should be used as fasteners. The resulting square will allow you to get a piston, and you will need to use an electric jigsaw. It is important to make an element that fits in diameter. The pistons should be rounded with a file, which will make it easier to install the elements in the tank. The piston is also made from biologically pure wood such as beech, birch or oak.

Work on the power element of the device

If you are making it for juice, then you can use a screw as a power element. A jack will also do. In order to obtain juice, it will be sufficient and which is capable of creating a force equivalent to two tons. Among other things, you should cut the planks that are placed under the jack; this requirement is explained by the fact that the piston stroke will not be enough for the height of the tank; the jack handle will rest against the edge of the barrel.

When making a screw manual juice press, you can use a traditional galvanized pin for the screw. A handle and a nut are welded to it, the latter of which will turn the screw. To filter the juice, you should use a fairly strong cloth that has a fine mesh. Polyester or lavsan are perfect.

Making a metal press

When making a juice press with your own hands, you can use a steel structure as a basis. To do this, the master will need to have skills in turning or plumbing, as well as have and be able to operate a welding machine. It is based on a stainless steel tank borrowed from an old washing machine. Two cylindrical containers without a bottom are made from it. The diameter of these products should be 23 and 29 centimeters, and the height will be the same, equivalent to 24 centimeters. In a smaller diameter cylinder you need to make holes, arranging them in a checkerboard pattern. Their diameter should be 8 millimeters. The inner container, which will become a basket, is necessary for loading fruits, while the outer one is for juice.

When making a juice press, it is important to place a rectangular tray under the cylinders, which is made of stainless steel and has dimensions of 30x50 centimeters. The sides of the tray must have a triangular bevel, which is necessary for draining the juice. A 21 mm flange will act as a poisson. Its fixation must be rigid; it must be installed on the lower part of the rod.

If you decide to make a press for squeezing juice yourself, then you need to weld a head with a hole that is necessary for the lever to the top of the poisson. Using the last element, the thrust mechanism will be activated. A nut will work in tandem with the screw, which is installed on the U-shaped frame. The latter is fixed to the base; if necessary, it can be concreted into the floor or fixed to the table with screws.

Key secrets

If you use it when making a juice press, you will not have to grind out the nut, but you need to ensure that the base is strong enough. It is against this that the mechanism that is designed to lift the car will rest. When using a frame-type wooden press, it will be possible to operate the device without a basket. The steel element in it will be a screw with a nut and gratings that are placed between bags of raw materials.

Breeders have developed many grape varieties that can ripen in any part of Russia. Grapes are prepared for the winter in the form of juice, which children love very much. And for adults there is nothing better than natural grape wine. To squeeze out the juice, winegrowers have to put in a lot of effort. A special press helps make work easier. And by making a grape press with your own hands, you will be able to get a useful device while saving money.

General definition and types of presses

A grape press is a barrel with drainage grates, equipped with a tray for collecting juice. A power screw is located on top of the barrel, with the help of which pressure is exerted on the pressing element. The barrel is made of stainless steel, as well as wooden planks of beech or oak. It is important that all materials are environmentally friendly.

Presses can be used not only for processing grapes. They are equally effective when processing apples, as well as other fruits and berries. All devices are divided into several types.

Mechanical. Such devices are popular among gardeners. Their distinctive feature is not very high productivity associated with the need for manual labor.

The grapes are poured into a perforated basket. And the principle of operation of mechanical equipment is that the creation of the required pressure on the press is carried out due to a screw mechanism, which is rotated using a handle.

Electrical. This category includes two types of equipment:

• Hydraulic Press;
• pneumatic press.

The operation of the hydraulic press is ensured by a hydraulic pump. That is, it exerts pressure on the pressing element using water. Pneumatic equipment involves applying pressure with air. Electric devices differ from mechanical presses in that they do not require manual labor. Due to this, work productivity and the volume of juice obtained are significantly increased.

What materials are needed to make a press?

The grape press can be purchased ready-made. Manufacturers offer consumers various types of equipment, including hydraulic juicers. But it’s not at all difficult to make it yourself.

The grapes are loaded into a barrel or basket, touching its walls. Therefore, it is very important that it is made of high-quality material. Two options are most often used.

Tree. Only hardwood, such as beech or oak, is suitable for these purposes. By making a basket from wooden planks, you will be able to obtain a durable and environmentally friendly structure. But when using wood, difficulties arise with caring for the equipment. After each juice extraction, the basket will have to be thoroughly rinsed and dried.

Metal. The ideal option would be cast iron or stainless steel. These materials do not oxidize upon contact with fruit. Metal barrels are easy to maintain, easy to clean and are highly hygienic.

The press itself is a circle, which is often made of wood. In addition, you will need to prepare bolts and nuts for fastening structural parts, a metal rod and bearings, as well as tools for working with wood and metal.

Procedure for making a press

To make it easier to make a grape press with your own hands, you can take a drum from an old washing machine. Holes are drilled in the drum for attaching wooden planks. Drainage strips can be sawn from bars or use parquet planks.

A “pancake” is made from the same strips, which will act as the bottom of the basket. A block is screwed onto the “pancake” across the slats, which will provide a gap between the basket and the metal barrel.

Next, a U-shaped frame is made from a metal profile. It is important that the profile thickness is at least 3 mm. The frame is concreted in the ground, ensuring its stable position. If you need to make a mobile device, legs made of metal pipes are welded to the frame.

A “pancake” made of stainless steel or cast iron is installed on the frame crossbar, which acts as a press. To fix the “pancake”, a hole is drilled in the frame. A lever or handle is installed on the press. Further turning the handle, the press will lower into the basket.

The barrel is installed at the base of the frame on a pallet, for example, in a basin. A hole is made in the basin into which the hose is inserted. The juice will be drained through the hose into a receiving container.

It is also necessary to make a wooden shield that will cover the grapes loaded into the basket. This completes the process of making a homemade press.

How to use the press

To use a homemade press, the basket is covered with filter cloth. As a filter, you can use gauze folded in several layers, special fabric, chintz or synthetic fiber. It is important that it does not contain dangerous dyes.

The grapes are removed from the bunches. If juice is supposed to be made from it, the berries are washed under running water. For wine, washing the berries is not required, since it is the grape skins that contain wine yeast, which causes natural fermentation.

Next, grapes are loaded into the basket. It is covered with a wooden shield on top. Using a lever or handle, a metal “pancake” is lowered onto a wooden shield. Under metal pressure, the juice formed from the grapes gradually enters the pan and, entering the hose, is drained into a receiving container.

After use, the grape press is disassembled, thoroughly washed and dried. These manipulations must be carried out after each use of the equipment. Otherwise, the wooden structural elements will rot.

After the summer struggle for the harvest, the autumn struggle with the harvest begins. A juice press is a device that can greatly simplify this task. It is used both in summer cottages and for industrial purposes. Has several configuration options. You can even create a simple device with your own hands. In different regions of Russia it is most often used when collecting apples, grapes, carrots, and other vegetables and fruits.

How does a juice press work?

The device has a mechanical control type. Comprises:

1. Baskets for loading vegetables or fruits. Depending on the model, it can be made of metal or wood.
2. Press. It descends into the basket and squeezes its contents.
3. A filter through which the squeezed product passes, leaving behind pulp, seeds, etc. It can be made of burlap and wooden grates.
4. The tray into which the finished product flows out. Made from different materials, including plastic.

If the juice press is operated manually, it requires a lot of effort to extract the juice. Especially when it comes to vegetables, herbaceous plants or hard fruits (). Therefore, it is better not to consider it as a gift for a woman. Only if you need a small volume for kitchen use.

How the device works:

1. Before starting work, the products from which it is planned to make juice are cut into small pieces (or crushed).
2. Place them in a basket, distributing them evenly over the entire plane (some devices use a special filter bag).
3. Gradually a press is lowered onto the basket, compressing the contents.
4. The drink is cleaned by passing through filters and ending up in the tray.

This principle is called the cold press method.

The press does not heat the products, thereby preserving all the beneficial substances that were provided by nature.

Advantages and disadvantages

What are the advantages of this type of food processing:

• all vitamins and minerals are preserved;
• the minimum amount of waste is only 5%;
• does not make noise when used;
• simple design, easy to repair if broken;
• long-term operation without wasting resources;
• is inexpensive;
• can be easily transported from place to place.

Minuses:

• if the volume of products is large, then spinning will require a lot of effort and time;
• you have to pre-process vegetables and fruits (for small models, in addition to cutting, you also need to peel the fruits and remove the seeds);
• You can’t get a lot of juice from one serving of the product.

Before choosing, you need to decide on the criteria by which you need to evaluate the device.

Types of control of juice presses

Manual presses require direct human participation in the spinning process. Automatic devices begin to operate after pressing a button. The latter include hydraulic or pneumatic presses. Their purpose is to process a large volume of products; they are most often used on farms where large harvests are harvested or in production workshops.

For an ordinary summer cottage, an automatic juice press is not suitable, since there is no large volume and the cost of the device is above average (about 500,000 rubles).

Types of presses

They differ in the type of mechanism and the nuances of device assembly. Mechanically controlled presses have a small production volume, up to 30 liters per hour. The units are simple, you can make them yourself. Well suited for use at home and in the country. The main structural element is a steel frame. It holds the device in place during use.

Manual screw press

This device is the simplest and very convenient. A screw press for squeezing juice has a simple design: it is driven by a screw. Under its influence, the piston lowers. Such units are inexpensive. The only negative is that they sometimes require considerable physical strength.

Hand press models are designed for approximately 2.5 liters of vegetables or fruits.

Juice jack press

It is easier to control than a screw. Fix the device on the floor and set it in motion using a jack. Physically, this is much simpler than tightening a screw. It can be used in the country, right on the street. A jacking press costs approximately 15,000 rubles and can produce up to 3 liters of juice per full load.

Pneumatic press

Works in automatic mode. It is set in motion by the action of compressed air, which is created by a compressor. It is advisable to use it on large farms, farms or on several plots. Capable of processing large quantities of vegetables and fruits. Its price is approximately 80-90000.

The pneumatic press produces up to 14 liters of finished juice in 1 cycle.

Hydraulic

Looks like a metal basket with holes. Inside there is a rubber bag into which water is supplied under pressure. The bag fills and presses on the raw materials that are in the basket. The juice flows through the holes into the lower reservoir.

There are mechanical, automatic and electric models. The device is set in motion by fluid pressure on the piston. And it is created using controls.

There are two types of hydraulic juice presses:

Due to the complex design of the hydraulic press, its price is higher than average. In private households it is used less often than screw.

Belt press for juice extraction

Used in factory production. Fully automatic, performs all functions independently. The machine is powered by electricity and produces directly pressed juice.

Combined

Here the screw and jack are tried on together. Initially, the juice is produced using a screw mechanism. Afterwards, the remains are pressed down with a jack. Effective in small garden plots, convenient and easy to use.

Differences by type of raw material

In most cases, juice presses are universal. You can squeeze any fruits and vegetables in them. Some models involve the creation of oil.

A special press is only suitable for a certain type of raw material. For example, it is used only for citrus fruits or berries. It is not recommended for use on hard products.

Before loading raw materials into a press of any type, it must be crushed. Otherwise, the device is in danger of breaking. A crusher is used for these purposes.

How to choose a juice press

For a home or a small company, a press with a volume of 3-5 liters is enough. There are special small devices with which you can prepare 1-2 glasses of juice. For a summer residence, when you need to roll up several cans of juice, use a screw or hydraulic press with a volume of 10-12 liters.

If you have a large garden, wine is produced, or a press is used for apples on a large farm, you need to take a volume of up to 30 liters. Automatic or semi-automatic control. Small industrial production will require the ability to squeeze up to 200 liters of juice per hour. A pneumatic juice press or an electric belt press is ideal here.

The harder the raw material, the more powerful the unit will be required. A screw press can be used to juice apples and grapes, but processing will take a long time. A hydraulic apparatus will produce more juice than a screw one.

To chop fruits and vegetables, special devices are used - choppers. Any press can process whole fruits and vegetables, but the quality will be much worse, so this is not recommended.

DIY juice press - video

At first I planned to purchase a 76 liter Italian basket press, but then I wanted to make a press myself. I started searching online for photos of antique grape basket presses to take a closer look at the design. Also, I carefully read wine blogs. As a result, in Denis Rudenko’s blog there is an article Wine press - from cave to hi-tec winery and on Vladimir Tsepelik’s Facebook I found what I was looking for. Then it's easier. We make a drawing, then draw in isometry and lay out the elements. Now you need to find where to buy dry oak and a workshop in which to process it. I was lucky - in the first woodworking shop where I went and where they sell dry oak, I met the owners. They turned out to be “garage winemakers”, and even specializing in the production of brandy, i.e. They make dry wine, then distill it into grape spirit and age it in oak barrels. Then we came to an agreement. I give them a huge THANK YOU! for your help.

1. it all starts with a drawing

2. fuganim - that is, we align two of the four sides


3. sawing


4. I do abs :-)


5. drawing


6. Resmus allows us to make the necessary parts of a given thickness the same


7. cut the dies for the basket


8. having lunch (away)


9. trim the parts to the size we need


10. trim


11. first result! now all these parts should take shape, they just need to be assembled according to the diagram


12. measure right angles


13. drill and tighten


14. Assembling the frame