How to Make a Cheese Press With a Pressure Gauge
- 1). Measure the bathroom scale. Add an extra 1 1/2 inches to this measurement, and draw marks at the center of each board this distance apart. These marks will be drilled for the threaded pipe, and must be aligned.
- 2). Drill holes through the smaller boards, and midway through the larger board. Drill the holes into the larger board wide and deep enough to accommodate both nuts and washers.
- 3). Insert the nuts and washers into the larger board, affixing them with beads of epoxy.
- 4). Work the threaded pipe through the nuts and washers in the larger board until they are firmly placed.
- 5). Thread additional nuts and washers roughly one-quarter of the way down the threaded pipes.
- 6). Place one of the smaller boards over these nuts, and place washers over it once finished.
- 7). Set the springs over each of the threaded pipes, and follow them with another set of washers.
- 8). Set the last board atop the springs and washers, and follow it with the last washers and the wing nuts, tightening them only slightly.
- 9). Drill holes into the PVC pipe, at roughly 1-inch intervals, through the bottom and up its sides. This will allow the water and whey to escape the cheese while it's pressed.
- 10
Place the wooden followers in the drilled PVC pipe atop the scale, and lift the middle wooden slat, sliding them both underneath. - 11
Screw the small piece of plastic on the side of the top board so that it hangs toward the second board. - 12
Press down on the top board, drawing lines on the plastic where it passes the top of the second board at 5 pounds, 8 pounds, 10 pounds and every 5 pounds thereafter until you have reached 40 pounds. This will serve as your pressure gauge.
