Whizbang Cider

Welcome to the most remarkably efficient, surprisingly simple, and downright affordable home cidermaking system ever devised!

2010-09-05T12:09:00.001-07:00

Updated: 8 February 2012

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"We also recommend the book Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Apple Grinder and Cider Press by Herrick Kimball."

Mother Earth News magazine

October/November 2010

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....Now AVAILABLE....

Professional-Grade Whizbang Cider Pressing Fabric
Click Here For Details
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You're going to find a wealth of homemade sweet-cider inspiration on this web site. Don't leave without checking out the Whizbang Cider Photo Gallery and my My Newest Whizbang Cidermaking Technique. Pictures tell the story better than words. Now, let me introduce you Whizbang Cider...

I suspect you are familiar with old-style cidermaking equipment consisting of a hand-crank apple grinder and a press with a big Acme screw that is turned down in order to put the squeeze to the ground-up apples. Such tools have been the home cidermaking standard for over a hundred years. And there are cider press companies that still sell (for a hefty price tag) grinders and presses patterned after the old tools. That old-style cidermaking equipment will get the job done but it does not get the job done easily or efficiently. Not at all.

After using old-style cidermaking equipment over the years to make my own fresh-squeezed sweet apple cider, I came to the conclusion that there had to be a better way. Which is to say, there had to be an easier way, and a more productive way, and a less expensive way.

And so it was that I set out on a personal quest to develop my own cidermaking equipment. I wanted a grinder and press that was easy to build with basic handyman tools and skills, relatively inexpensive, and very efficient. It took me four cider seasons of tinkering and testing before I finally had something I was satisfied with. My goal was achieved in the fall of 2008. I couldn't be more pleased with the results. That's why I call it Whizbang cidermaking. "Whizbang" is a dictionary word that means "conspicuous for speed, excellence, or startling effect." Yup, the name fits.

Then I set to work putting my grinder and press designs into plan form so that you, your family, and your friends could experience the sheer joy that comes with making gallons and gallons of pure, sweet, wholesome apple cider. My 46-page plan book provides complete, easy to understand directions. It was published in March of 2009, then updated and reprinted in June of 2010. The cost of the book is only $21.95 (first class postage paid). You can see the book and read about it at this link:

Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Apple Grinder & Cider Press.

I invite you to investigate the wealth of Whizbang Cider information found at this site. Just click on the links that are down the right side of this page. More information will be added in the days ahead.

Best Whizbang Whishes,

Herrick Kimball
The Deliberate Agrarian

P.S. Have you seen the Whizbang Garden Cart plan book? Click HERE to learn about this incredibly useful homestead tool. And I'll tell you how to Save Money if you buy a garden cart plan book along with the Whizbang Cider plan book.

Here's How I MakeApple Cider Vinegar

2010-09-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about making your own sweet apple cider is that you can use some of it to make your own apple cider vinegar. It so happens that cider vinegar is very easy to make, as you’re about to see.

The picture above shows three one-gallon jars of homemade apple cider up on a shelf in the back entryway of our house.The jars have been there a few days and you can see that a layer of sediment has formed on the bottoms.

Here is a picture of a single one of those jars right after filling it with cider. You can see that I have tied a piece of porous nylon curtain material over the top of the jar. You need some porosity so the naturally-occurring airborne organisms that start fermentation can get in there. And the widemouth jar is also good for this purpose. It is better than, say, a one gallon glass jar with a small cap.

For this batch of cider vinegar, my wife, Marlene, added two tablespoons of vinegar from the previous year’s vinegar fermentation. But even without adding this “starter” the vinegar will make itself. We have made it several times without any starter. Introducing some live active culture just helps get the process going faster.

The picture above shows the vinegar a month after the previous pictures. Biological activity has caused the cider to froth up as evidenced by the dirtied cloth. Hmmm.... let's take a look underneath:

Oh! Wow! That's nasty looking! That pile of "crud" (that's the best word I have to describe it) you see in the picture is soft and dry and floating on the liquid. Around the perimeter of the floating crud mass is a clear, gelatinous formation, which I would say is the developing vinegar "mother." The jar smells like wine.

Two Months Later...

The above picture of our cider-vinegar-in-the-making (approximately two months old) shows that a gelatinous “mother “has formed very nicely on top of the cider. This is biological progress. There is a faint vinegar aroma to the jar, but the liquid has not clarified. Remember, I have done nothing to "make" the vinegar—just watch nature take its course.

Six Months Later...

The picture above shows what the three jars looked like look after being up on the shelf for six months. I suspect the vinegar has been done for some time, but I wasn’t in any hurry to check it. Only when it became noticeable that the liquid was evaporating off did I think I better tend to getting it out and into sealed jars. Here is a look down into the jars:

The material floating on the top of the vinegar was not very appealing to look at. I set the jars, one at a time, up on a couple plastic pails and used a short length of vinyl hose to siphon the vinegar into canning jars. Suck on the end to get the vinegar flowing (and get a taste of the bitter goodness).

I filtered the vinegar through a coffee filter. But I don’t really think there was any need for this and will probably not do it again. It didn’t appear that the filter filtered anything out.

The bottom of the gallon jars had a fine, reddish sediment which we tried not to siphon up. The gelatinous layer that was on the top of the vinegar stayed together. It is best described as "slimy" and “placenta-like”

We ended up with almost two gallons of golden cider vinegar like this last picture shows.

That is POTENT vinegar—a product far more virile and good-for-you than the grocery store stuff. Marlene will use it primarily to make oil&vinegar salad dressings, three-bean salads, and in chicken barbecue sauce. Sometimes Marlene will put a teaspoon of the vinegar in a glass of cold water and drink it. It’s supposed to be good for what ails you. (I've written in years past here of the amazing curative powers of "real" homemade cider vinegar. You can read about it here.)

Whizbang Makes Cider Easy!Whizbang Makes Cider Fun!

2009-01-15T15:46:00.009-08:00

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Welcome to the most remarkably efficient, surprisingly simple, and downright affordable home cidermaking system ever devised!

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Click Here

to Go to the new Homepage of this web site

Other Homemade Grinders and Presses on the Internet

2009-01-15T15:46:00.007-08:00

My Whizbang cidermaking system is not the only way to make cider. And I don't claim it is superior to all other cidermaking approaches (but it sure is superior to most I've seen). Therefore, in the interest of good cidermaking disclosure, I want to introduce you to as many other homemade cidermaking ideas as I can, and that is why I'm providing you with the following internet links. I encourage you to see and read about how these other folks are making their own cider. In the end, you may decide not to build a Whizbang Apple Grinder & Cider Press, or you may come up with some sort of a Whizbang hybrid system. That's okay. The important thing is that, one way or the other, you make your own cider! I welcome the addition of other such links (please send them to hckimball@bci.net and I will get them posted here).

Positron Cider 2005
These folks resurrected an old apple grinder and press to make cider in 2005. Of particular interest to me is the picture of the pressed pomace. It is a very coarse grind. Also, I found this observation insightful: “...some types of apple, like Foxwhelp, unleashed a veritable river of juice when pressed while some types only reluctantly produced a miserly trickle.”

Positron Cider 2006
The same people as in the previous essay made cider again in 2006. They utilized a garbage disposal as an apple grinder. To keep the grinder from overheating, they ran compressed air into the motor (if you have compressed air, that would be cheaper and easier than my Whizbang approach). They also made their own screw press and instead of a pressing tub, they used the rack & cloth approach. Check out the picture at the link showing the rack & cloth tilting out of alignment as the pressure is put to it. I like the rack & cloth idea but that’s the same problem I had when I once made a small rack & cloth press.

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Don Yellman of Great Falls, Virginia posted the following excerpts in an internet fruit forum. Perhaps Don is the man who "invented" the idea of using a food waste disposal to grind apples:

"For the past five years I have used a kitchen garbage disposal mounted in a small table to grind my apples. This is not a traditional method. Our forefathers and foremothers did not have garbage disposals. However, it works beautifully. The apples go through there like greased lightning, and the pomace is smooth and eminently pressable. Apples do have to be cut at least in half to fit the throat of the disposal, but I find that the speed of grinding and improved juice yield more than compensates for this inconvenience. The disposal is quite an inexpensive system to build, and you can grind 20 bu./day with no problem. More if you are in a hurry and have some help. I have never seen a better system for the small-scale cidermaker."

"The difference between a garbage disposal and any type of toothed grinder is that the disposal produces slurry, with the juice cells already broken up, while a toothed grinder produces chunks. Even a well-engineered toothed grinder like Claude's will turn out chunks, although they might be smaller chunks. A garbage disposal is essentially a miniature hammermill. Slurry will always give you a higher juice yield."

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You will like this Pedal Powered Apple Grinder

And here's More About The Pedal Powered Apple Grinder

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This rack and cloth press looks like it might be better than most. Check out all the cider jugs in the background. (By the way, the Whizbang cider press design will accomodate a rack & cloth "cheese" like is shown in the picture)
Pete & Ben's Rack & Cloth Press

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Speaking of rack & cloth presses, be sure to check out Ray's Homemade Cider Press over in the UK. That link has a lot of very good information. For example, Ray uses sheer curtain material as a fabric filter. That's a great idea! And when I see his built-up cheeses, I'm tempted to try the rack & cloth approach again. Ray started with no racks (as the photo below shows) and now uses HDPE racks. Very nice.

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This guy built a “killer apple grinder” using a garbage disposal. He mounted the disposal in the bottom of a large stainless steel bowl. Very clever.
Killer Apple Grinder

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Apple Grinders are "scratters" in the UK. Here is a link telling how to make a Homemade Scratter

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Here’s a good discussion about homemade apple grinders:
Apple Grinder Discussion

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This fellow made his own apple grinder and cider press with an investment of only $18. Check out the results: $18 Cidermaking System

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Home preparation of Juices, Wines and Cider From The Canadian Dept. of Agriculture (1975)

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This takes the cake.... An apple juicer made with 50 table saw blades. It shoots the mash into a centrifugal juice extractor. I like the idea of using a centrifuge with the very finely ground mash that comes out of the garbage disposal grinder. And check out the cherry juice this man made!
Amazing Saw Blade Apple Grinder

Links to Homebrew Suppliers

2009-01-15T15:46:00.005-08:00

As a rule, I don't drink alcoholic beverages. But I make an exception when it comes to hard cider. An occasional glass of homemade hard cider is a very pleasurable experience, indeed. I have a rural neighbor who delights in making and bottling (and drinking) hard cider, and it is quite good. I once experimented with a single gallon of sweet cider, letting it ferment until hard, and the result was surprisingly agreeable. If you would like to learn more about making your own hard cider and you would like to obtain the needed equipment, I recommend you check out the suppliers below. These businesses also happen to sell my Whizbang Cider plan book. Click the name above the logo to go to the web site.

Northern Brewer.com

Homebrew Heaven

The Red Salamander

If you are a homebrew supplier and would like to be listed on this page, all you have to do is sell the Whizbang Cider plan book. I offer significant wholesale discounts to resellers on orders as small as five copies. For details, please e-mail Herrick Kimball at hckimball@bci.net

Rack-and-Cloth-in-TubCider Pressing (a better way to git 'er done)

2009-01-15T15:46:00.003-08:00

In the first printing of my Whizbang Cider plan book (and in this online photo-essay) I tell how to press cider by lining the wood-slat pressing tub with a pressing-cloth bag, then filling the bag with layers of apple mash separated by pressing discs. That technique certainly works, but it does not work nearly as well as the technique I'm going to show and tell you about here.

This "new" technique is something I discovered after first printing the plan book. So those of you who have first-printing copies may not be aware of this. And those with second printing copies of the book will find what follows is discussed in the back, on pages 44 to 46.

I also want to make it clear that the following method for pressing cider with the Whizbang press is the only one I recommend if you are using a wood-slat tub made with the HDPE tub hoops that I sell.

Rack-and-Cloth-in-Tub

Cider Pressing

It so happens that the traditional approach to pressing cider is to make a stack consisting of several layers of cloth-wrapped apple mash separated by hard racks (typically made of wood slats). Such a stack is known as a "cheese" or a "rack-and-cloth" press. Pressure is applied to the cheese and the juice flows. Most commercial cider presses employ some form of rack-and-cloth press.

To my knowledge, there are no home-scale cider presses on the market that utilize this old-style pressing technique. The reason they don't use it is because assembling the cheese requires some skill. If not made just so—especially with a small press—the cheese will tilt out of alignment as the pressure is put to it. I know this because I experimented with cheese pressing years back and I soon concluded that it was not efficient or practical for small cider presses. But, I now know that I came to that conclusion much too soon.

I revisited the rack-and-cloth approach after a very discouraging cidermaking session. The apples I was using were not suited to making cider. I don't mean their flavor was bad. I mean the apples themselves, once ground to a mash, did not press out like I had always experienced in the past. The apples (of an unknown variety) would not release much juice, no matter how much pressure I put to them. And in the process of putting far more hydraulic-jack pressure to the tub of mash than I had ever used before, I actually stretched the HDPE hoops (You can read about it HERE).

So I was forced to rethink my cider-pressing technique. And, after some further experimentation, I came to the realization that a traditional rack-and-cloth cheese, if made properly, inside the pressing tub, not only works just fine, it actually works better (Far better!) than just filling the tub with a mass of mash and putting pressure to it.

Beyond that, rack-and-cloth pressing with the Whizbang press does not require a drain rack in the bottom of the drain pan. It also doesn't require that you purchase a pressing bag (as I'll explain shortly) And it solves the problem of too much pressure on the HDPE tub hoops. Virtually no pressure is put on the hoops when pressing a cheese as I'm about to show you.

As far as I know, my new/old rack-and-cloth-in-tub pressing technique is something unique in the world of tub pressing—no other home-scale cider press out there recommends this approach. But they should (and I'll bet they will once word gets out).

That said, if you happen to own one of those tub presses, it behooves you to make some pressing discs (the equivalent of racks) and say good-bye to cidermaking inefficiency.

The Cloth

Instead of a single fruit-pressing bag you will need several pieces of pressing cloth for rack-and-cloth-in-tub pressing. You can use inexpensive sheer-nylon curtain fabric for your cloth. The picture above shows pressing-bag fabric on the bottom. The pink colored fabric above it is nylon sheer-curtain fabric that I paid two dollars a yard for at a local fabric store. Above the pink material is a piece of white sheer-curtain fabric that my wife, Marlene, bought at a yard sale years ago.

Some people have told me that they can't find sheer nylon fabric that is strong enough for cider pressing at a fabric store. Not all sheer fabric is as strong as you need. So you should try tearing it by hand while you're in the store. If it tears easily, don't buy it.

The other option is to buy squares of pressing fabric from me here at Whizbang. After a lengthy search I found a supplier of professional-quality fruit pressing fabric. It is food-grade material and very strong. The fabric is similar in appearance to the pressing bag fabric in the picture above. But instead of an expensive bag with a bottom seam, you'll only need squares of the pressing cloth. 30" by 30" squares will do the job....Click Here For Details

Make A Mash Form

My approach to making the cloth-wrapped layers of the cheese is to lay a 30” by 30” piece of pressing fabric over a form, then pour the apple mash into the form, and simply tie it together with a piece of string. I will show you lots of pictures of this shortly, but first I’ll tell you how to make the form out of a common 5-gallon plastic pail.

The picture above shows how I marked the pail for cutting. The Sharpie marker is resting on two pieces of scrap 2x4 lumber, which are resting on my workbench. Simply bring the pail up to the marker and spin it around. The line will be a touch over 3” high. Cut on the line with a jigsaw. Sand away any roughness. The resulting form is perfectly sized for making “apple mash bags” for the Whizbang cheese.

Use The Form To Make Mash Bags

The above picture shows the mash form inside a large bowl. In this next picture I have placed a filter cloth (in this instance I'm using sheer nylon fabric) over the form and am pouring apple mash in.

Next, I have gathered the fabric together and am tying it with a piece of string.

Build The "Cheese"

The first bag of mash goes into the bottom of the tub, as shown in this next photo.

Please note that this first bag of mash (the bottom of the cheese stack) is placed directly on the bottom of the bottom pan—I have not used a drain rack (as shown in the book and other Whizbang cidermaking essays on the internet). I see no need for the rack with the cheese. When pressing a tub full of mash, the rack helps the juice drain out of the large mass, but it isn’t necessary with individual bags of mash.

A round HDPE pressing plate is placed on the bag of mash. This plate is now a Whizbang rack plate in the rack-and-cloth structure.

Then I made another bag of mash...

In the above picture I filled the form right to the rim and weighed it. I found the form holds about nine pounds of ground apples. Again, I gathered the material and tied it off with a piece of string. Notice in this next picture how juicy the mash is in the form. It’s a beautiful thing.

Another round rack plate was placed on top of the bag. For these photos I pressed only half a bushel of apples and had only enough mash left to make a smaller third bag. After that was in place I put the Whizbang pressure plate on top.

Put The Squeeze To It!

The 2-1/3 bags of mash did not fill up the Whizbang tub. With four pressing plates (the number I recommend in the book and sell elsewhere on this site) the wood-slat pressing tub will accommodate five mash bags, amounting to a bushel of apples. Here's a picture of the sweet cider flowing under 6-ton-hydraulic-jack pressure.

The cider ran out of the mash bags very quickly. More quickly than is the case when pressing a fabric-lined tub full of mash, even with the pressure plates layered in the mash. In no time flat the cheese with its individual cloth-wrapped bags of mash was pressurized to the point that very little cider flowed any more. As for the wood-slat tub, it had so little pressure on it that I could spin it around with the cheese fully pressurized. Then I released pressure and removed the tub.

As you can see in the above picture, the two mash bags flattened right out. The fabric suffered no harm. The string tie held nicely. I removed the string and opened up the bag.

That “pomace” (the proper term for squeezed out mash) is really dry, and that is the desired goal. Here is another picture of the pomace cake in the bottom bag and some of the crumbly-textured pomace.

As for yield, the half bushel of apples produced 1-1/2 gallons of sweet cider.

The Sweet Conclusion

Clearly, rack-and-cloth-in-tub cider pressing is superior to any other pressing technique that I am aware of.

If you make the form-from-a-plastic-pail that I showed in the picture above, you can make mash bags very easily and lay up a cheese very quickly. No real skill is required. Is it as quick as just pouring a mass of apple mash into the tub? No. It might take you ten minutes to build a cheese, but the end results are worth the effort.

If you were pressing a lot of cider and had lots of help, you could have a person making mash bags ahead so they were all ready. Then, as soon as one cheese is pressed, it would take no time at all to build the next one.

If you have questions or comments about this essay or Whizbang cidermaking in general, I encourage you to go to the Yahoo discussion group, Whizbang Cider Makers. And, of course, you can get to everything related to Whizbang Cidermaking by going to www.WhizbangCider.com.

Whizbang Cider Press Parts

2009-01-15T15:46:00.001-08:00

"Thought I'd let you know the package arrived a few minutes ago. I opened it up and was instantly impressed: there is no way we could make anything of this quality, or as easy to keep clean and sanitary, as these items are--and we're pretty handy people. ..... These are well worth it for anyone who is serious about cider-making, I can see that already."

—From "Joan in the Virginia Mountains"

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If you want some help with making your Whizbang cider press, you’ve come the right place. I make and sell some (but not all) of the parts you need. Specifically, I sell HDPE (food-grade plastic) tub hoop kits, HDPE pressing discs, and HDPE pressure plates. I also have HDPE grinder tops (at bottom of this page). The bottom pans I now sell are heavy duty stainless steel. I have professional-grade cider pressing fabric too!

Most people are going to want to purchase the HDPE tub hoops, so I will provide details on the two tub hoop options first. Then, further down this page, I will provide full details about the other parts. You can use the PayPal buttons provided here for ordering. Or simply send a check or money order to: Planet Whizbang, P.O. Box 1117, Moravia, N.Y. 13118

Whizbang Cider Press Tub Hoop Kit

1/8” thick HDPE plastic is an excellent material for making your cider press tub hoops. The material is strong, will not rust, and is considered safe for food contact. The hoop kit I’m selling here (pictured above) makes assembly of your pressing tub very easy. That’s because I’ve gone to the trouble of cutting the two HDPE hoops and two cleat pieces (as shown on pages 36-38 of my plan book) to precise length. Then I’ve made all the screw holes in each hoop and cleat right where they need to be. And I’ve also included all the stainless steel panhead screws you need to attach the hoops to the tub staves.

Note: Please be aware that the hoop length and hole spacing tolerances are plus or minus 1/16”, which is precise enough for the purpose of making your pressing tub.

Also, before purchasing this kit, be sure to read the aforementioned new cidermaking approach discussed at this link: Rack-And-Cloth-In-Tub Cider Pressing. Rack-and-cloth pressing is the only technique I recommend when using HDPE tub hoops.

AVAILABILITY: In stock & ready to ship
PRICE: $24.95 (this price includes Priority Mail shipping)

HDPE Hoop Material With Screws

For those of you who want to do more of the work yourself and save a few bucks, I offer “raw” HDPE hoop material and stainless steel panhead screws. The hoop and cleat material is longer than needed, so you have to measure and cut it to precise length. Then you mark out placement of the 60 screw holes and drill them with a 1/8” drill bit. Instructions for the measuring and drilling are provided on page 36 of my plan book, and I also include some additional helpful instructions with the hoop material.

AVAILABILITY: In stock & ready to ship
PRICE: $19.95 (this price includes Priority Mail shipping)

Here's a picture of what the HDPE hoops I sell here look like on a completed pressing tub:

Whizbang Cider Pressing Fabric

The Whizbang press is ideally suited to rack-and-cloth pressing and, in fact, I believe rack-and-cloth pressing is the hands-down best way to squeeze the juice out of apple mash. That being the case, I do not sell pressing bags. Instead, I sell 30" by 30" squares of professional-quality pressing fabric. The picture above shows one of the squares being used with a form to make a cloth-wrapped bag for rack-and-cloth pressing. You can learn more about the fabric I sell AT THIS LINK.

You can also purchase the material at that link. or, you can click and buy right here...

Availability: In stock & ready to ship
Price: As indicated in the drop-down options below

5/8" by 5/8" Shaft Coupler

On page 23 of the Whizbang cider plan book I recommend that you purchase a 5/8” by 5/8” shaft coupler to make the Whizbang apple grinder. This coupler serves to join the electric motor shaft to the shaft on your food disposal. You can buy one of these from Surplus Center in Lincoln, Nebraska for $7.95, but to ship the part to me here in NY costs an additional $10.77, which brings the cost to $18.72. On the other hand......

The shaft couplings I’m selling here have four set screws (instead of two like are on the ones from Surplus Center). I also include an allen wrench for tightening the screws and a piece of keystock, which will fit on the keyway of your motor shaft (Surplus Center does not include either of these items).

At $19.95 each, postage paid anywhere in the U.S., my Whizbang shaft coupler ends up costing you a couple bucks more, but you get more for the money.
Availability: In Stock & Ready To Ship
Price: $19.95 (postage paid anywhere in the U.S.)

About the Whizbang HDPE Pressing Parts I Sell

Wood, sealed with several layers of polyurethane finish, is an acceptable material for making the parts of your cider press that will be in contact with apple mash and cider. This is discussed on page 40 of the plan book. But HDPE plastic is an exceptional material for the job. I use these HDPE parts on my press.

The beauty of HDPE is that it is dense, homogenous, impervious to water, and is rated as “food safe.” Beyond that, the plastic is easy to clean and, because it’s white, you can see that it is truly clean when you wash it. HDPE is used to make everything from ballistic plates to restaurant cutting boards. HDPE will scuff a bit in normal use and it will scratch and dent if you abuse it, but such abuse is to be expected and it does not detract from the practical usefulness of the product.

The bottom line here is that HDPE cider press parts are made to last and will provide you with trouble-free service for the rest of your life.

The only real problem with HDPE is that it is far more expensive than wood. That probably explains why no other home-scale cider press on the market utilizes HDPE pressing components. But the basic Whizbang press design is so simple and inexpensive to make that you can outfit it with the top quality HDPE press parts I sell here and it will still cost you less money than one of those brand new conventional-style presses. What’s more, whether you realize it or not, the Whizbang press far exceeds any other home press on the market when it comes to easy, efficient cider production. Therefore, the Whizbang press, outfitted with HDPE pressing parts, is an exceptional value.

Another nice thing about these HDPE parts I sell is that they are all made and ready to use right out of the box. I save you the time and trouble of making the parts yourself. No mess, no fuss. Also, all prices here INCLUDE the cost of UPS shipping, anywhere in the “lower 48” US states. Or you could think of it like this: shipping is FREE. Now let me tell you about the parts. Keep in mind that individual parts are much more expensive than the “package deals,” which are listed further down this page.

Pressing Discs (Set of Four)

These pressing discs are 13-11/16” diameter with a finger hole, just like shown on page 42 of the plan book. They are 1/2” thick. The best way to utilize the pressing discs is with individual pressing bags, as shown in this Whizbang Cider photo essay.
AVAILABILITY: In stock & ready to ship
PRICE: $95.00 (this price includes UPS Ground shipping)

Pressure Plate

This pressure plate is a full 3/4” thick and the diameter matches that of the pressing discs. The curb, sized to accommodate your 2x6 pressing shaft, is assembled and attached to the pressing plate with stainless steel screws. All joints are sealed with a top-quality silicone sealant.
AVAILABILITY: In stock & ready to ship
PRICE: $70.00 (this price includes UPS Ground shipping)

NEW!

Stainless Steel Bottom Pan

I used to fabricate and sell HDPE bottom pans. They were far too time consuming for me to make so I have now switched to a stainless steel pan like you see here. I have these made by a metal fabricator and they are heavy duty 16-gauge stainless steel. Outside measurement is 17-1/2” x 17-1/2,” as the plan book specifies. The sides are bent up 1-1/2" and the corners are welded.

As you can see in the next picture (an upsidedown view of the pan), there is a spout welded to the drain hole. The spout is 1" outside diameter and 7/8" inside diameter. It is 3/4" long. The beauty of a spout, as opposed to just a hole, is that it prevents a slow trickle of cider from being drawn back under the pan by capillary action. And you can fit a hose on it if you want.

These are rugged pans, built for a lifetime of use. The only drawback to these new Whizbang stainless steel pans is that they're downright expensive. Whereas I was selling HDPE pans for $95 retail, I can't even buy these stainless steel pans wholesale for that price (as it is, when all my costs are figured in, I make $25 profit on each pan I sell). So, believe me, I understand if you pass on this item. But if you want the nicest Whizbang cider pressing pan available, this is it. And there is something to be said for buying top quality when it comes to heirloom homestead tools like this.

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AVAILABILITY: In Stock & Ready to Ship
PRICE: $155.00 (this price includes UPS Ground shipping)

Whizbang Cider Press Parts Package Deals

When you purchase cider press parts together, it costs me less to package and ship those parts. It’s also less work for me. So I can pass on some savings to you. Check out these package deals....
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Package Deal #1

The Whole Shebang

This package deal includes the pre-drilled HDPE tub hoops kit ($24.95 value), the HDPE pressure plate ($70.00value), the set of four HDPE pressing discs ($95.00 value), and the stainless steel bottom pan ($155.00 value). Purchased individually, these parts would cost you $344.95. But with this package deal, you’ll save $32.95.

AVAILABILITY: In Stock & ready to ship

PRICE: $312.00 (this price includes UPS Ground shipping)

Package Deal #2

This package deal includes the HDPE pressure plate ($70.00value), the set of four HDPE pressing discs ($95.00 value), and the bottom pan ($155.00 value). In other words, this package deal included everything that is in package deal #1 except the tub hoop kit. Purchased individually, these parts would cost you $320.00. But with this package deal, you’ll save $30.00

AVAILABILITY: In Stock & Ready to Ship

PRICE: $290.00 (this price includes UPS Ground shipping)

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Package Deal #3

This package deal includes the HDPE pressure plate ($70.00value) and the set of four HDPE pressing discs ($95.00 value). Purchased individually, these parts would cost you $165.00 But with this package deal, you’ll save $10.00.

AVAILABILITY: In stock & ready to ship

PRICE: $155.00 (this price includes UPS Ground shipping)

Grinder Tops

These grinder tops I'm selling here are 3/4" HDPE food-grade plastic. They measure 18" by 18" square (as called for in the plan book) and have a hole in the center for the disposal flange (the flange is not included with the top—you have to supply your own). The hole is 4" diameter with a 4-1/2" flange recess around the perimeter, as you can see in the pictures below.

AVAILABILITY: In stock & ready to ship
PRICE: $74.00 (this price includes UPS Ground shipping)

Whizbang Cider & Garden Cart Planbooks Special

2009-01-15T15:45:00.001-08:00

A homemade Whizbang Garden Cart is the ideal tool for many homestead tasks, including cidermaking. The garden cart will hold apples as well as it will potatoes....

You can learn more about the cart and the Whizbang cart plan book AT THIS LINK.

If you see the value of having a Whizbang Garden Cart when cidermaking season rolls around, I’ve got a special deal for you: The garden cart plan book typically sells for $14.95. But if you purchase a copy along with the Whizbang Cider book, I’ll sell it to you for only $7.00

So you’ll get both books (a $36.90 value) for $28.95. To take advantage of this Whizbang offer, just click the button below:

Note: You can also take advantage of this special by sending a check or money order for payment to Whizbang Books, P.O. Box 1117, Moravia, N.Y. 13118

Here's The Competition

2009-01-15T15:40:00.001-08:00

I’m willing to bet there is not a single cider press manufacturer out there that would want its customers to know about my Whizbang apple grinder and cider press plans. But I’m more than willing to provide links to them (I’ll even provide links to other cider press plans when I learn about them).

If you’re looking to make your own sweet cider, I encourage you to investigate all our options and compare all the features and benefits. In the end, you may opt not to build my Whizbang equipment and, instead, purchase ready-made equipment from one of these places. That’s okay. the important thing is that you make and enjoy your own fresh-pressed sweet cider!

Correll Cider Presses
Happy Valley Ranch
Jaffrey Cider Press
Pleasant Hill Cider Press

Kuffel Creek Cider Press Plans

Whizbang Cider Photo Gallery

2009-01-15T15:39:00.001-08:00

My 46-page planbook, Anyone Can Build A Whizbang Apple Grinder And Cider Press tells you exactly how to build the grinder and press shown in the pictures below. If you don't yet have a copy of the book, these pictures will provide you with an excellent idea of just how simple and practical the Whizbang cidermaking system is. For those who have the book with it's many illustrations, these pictures serve to bring the line drawings to life.

That is the Whizbang apple grinder, setting in my kitchen. The grinder is a souped-up food waste disposal (a.k.a., a garbage disposal) mounted in a convenient stand. Chapter Three of my planbook tells you everything you need to know to make the apple grinder. First, I tell you all about garbage disposals, how they work, which ones are best for making an apple grinder, how to save money buying one, and how to modify it to be a Whizbang apple grinder.

That's ground-up apple mash flowing out the grinder drain pipe. The Whizbang apple grinder turns apples into an exceptionally fine, juicy mash. The quality of the mash far exceeds what you'll get from any other home-scale apple grinder on the market. You would have to spend a small fortune on a commercial hammermill grinder like the big cidermaking operations use to get mash on par with what the Whizbang apple grinder turns out.

A bushel of apples (42 pounds) renders a pail of mash, like you see here. The mash comes out white but quickly oxidizes to a brown color.

Here we have washed apples on the kitchen table. The apples have been halved or quartered so they will fit down into the disposal opening. It takes only a few moments to slice the apples. And while I'm at it, I cut out any bad spots that I see. I'm real particular about the fruit I use to make cider. The apples needn't be picture perfect, but they need to be clean and free of rot and mold and worms. Note that the "apple corral" is on the grinder and it is full of apples. And notice too that the Whizbang press is right there in my kitchen. The press is lightweight and can be brought right into the kitchen for pressing on cold winter days.

My son is feeding apples into the grinder. He is using the "apple persuader" (page 13 in the book) to help jam the apples down into the grinding chamber. The Whizbang apple grinder will gobble down apples as fast as you can feed them into the grinding chamber. It doesn't overheat. It doesn't stall. It is an amazing machine.

Here's another view of the grinder and mash-filled buckets. You might be wondering how easily the grinder cleans out when you're done using it. Well, it cleans out quickly and easily, right there in the kitchen. No mess. No fuss. I tell you how on page 16 of my plan book.

Here's a view of the Whizbang cider press. This corresponds to the illustration and parts diagram on page 6 of the plan book. And chapter Four of the book tells exactly how to make the press frame. As you can see, the Whizbang press does not use an Acme screw to put pressure to the tub of mash. Instead, it employs a common automotive scissors jack and a 2x6 pressing shaft. This simple technology is superior to an Acme screw—it's faster and easier to use.

That white thing on top of the pressing tub is the "pressure plate." The square-shaped "curb" on the top is sized to accept the end of the 2x6 pressing shaft.

This picture shows the pressure plate on the pressing shaft and the shaft elevated above the tub. Two dowels in the shaft serve to hold it up out of the way.

Here's another view showing the pressure plate connected to the 2x6 pressing shaft. Observant book readers will notice that the curb is not screwed together as shown in the book. That's okay, just follow what the book says. Have you noticed how beautiful the wood-slat pressing tub is? Those are maple slats coated with polyurethane. The hoops are 1/8" HDPE plastic. Chapter Five in my plan book tells you exactly how to make a pressing tub like that. It's easy to do if someone shows you how. You can use common pine for the slats and save money. For those who want a little help with the project, I sell pre-drilled, HDPE hoops with stainless steel screws.

There is another view of the beautiful wood-hooped pressing tub. The tub sets on a drain rack inside the bottom pan. The bottom pan shown in these pictures is HDPE plastic. But you can make a drain pan out of pine and plywood and seal it with polyurethane. Notice that the drain pan slides ahead to allow easy filling of the tub. [Updated Info: you don't need a drain rack in the bottom of the pan if you use the rack-and-cloth-in-tub pressing technique shown and explained at This Link.]

This picture shows the polyester pressing bag from Lehman's Hardware. With such fine apple mash, the pressing bag is an absolute necessity. [Update: a pressing bag is not needed if you are using the rack-and-cloth-in-tub pressing technique]

There is a bucket of fresh mash (it hasn't even oxidized yet) ready to put into the pressing tub.

What you're looking at here is a "pressing disc" in the mash. These discs are discussed on page 8 of the plan book. They are layered up within the mash and help to distribute pressure more evenly, extract juice faster, and press the fine pulp more thoroughly. The pressing discs shown in these photos are made of HDPE plastic. They could just as well be plywood coated with polyurethane.

Do you see the cider in the collection pan? That's a lot of cider and pressure hasn't even been applied to the mash. That's the beauty of "Whizbanged" apple mash; the cider starts to pour out even before you put pressure to it, and such mash will render more cider than coarser mash from other grinders.

Here the pressing bag is pulled up and tied down tight to the mash. The one bushel of mash shown here barely fills the pressing tub half way. The Whizbang cider press will press two bushels of apples at a time. Cider yield is typically two to three gallons per bushel.

There you have the pressure plate and 2x6 pressing shaft down in place on the mash. It's ready to PRESS.

Since the tub is only half full of mash, the scissors jack needs to be blocked up to the top beam. This is easily and quickly done. The jack (which I got out of the trunk of my car) works fast and easy.

Wow. Look at the cider flow. It's a beautiful thing.

There you go. Just-squeezed apple cider. One of the most delicious and wholesome beverages on earth!

Once the mash is pressed, the tub is removed, and you have a pressing bag with pomace (pressed-out apple mash is called pomace).

Here's another view of the apple pomace. The pressing discs have done their work. The mash goes on the compost pile.

Well, here we are back slicing apples for the grinder. Note that the apples in the bowl are a little blemished. That's not a problem when it comes to making cider. I'll bet there are millions of bushels of less-than-perfect-but-still-good-for-cider apples that go to waste in America every year. Don't let such apples go to waste! Make cider. Gallons and gallons of it. It's easy to do and downright fun with the Whizbang cidermaking equipment that my plan book tells you how to make.

How many of those other apple grinders and cider presses on the market can be toted right into the kitchen on a bitter cold autumn (or winter) day? Though I typically press cider in my workshop or outside, I leave the grinder right in my kitchen until our supply of cider apples is gone for the season.

An automotive scissors jack puts one to two tons of pressure to the mash. That's enough to get the job done. But a little six-ton hydraulic bottle jack like shown here provides a nice excess with which to press cider.

And finally, here is another pressing tub option, which I discuss in my plan book. You can make a dandy one-bushel-capacity pressing tub out of a food-grade pail.

Whizbang Cider Pressing Fabric

2008-12-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

Whizbang cider pressing fabric being used to make a cloth-wrapped bag of mash for rack-and-cloth pressing in the Whizbang cider press

As I explain in This Essay I'm a firm believer that rack-and-cloth cider pressing is far superior to other cider pressing methods. That is, I suppose, why most all commercial cider operations use a rack-and-cloth system.

But, for some odd reason, my Whizbang cider press is the only home-scale press on the market that promotes the rack-and-cloth approach. I believe this will change in time as other cider press manufacturers are faced with the reality of their inefficient presses (inefficient when compared to the Whizbang).

All the other home press makers recommend a pressing bag when squeezing cider. But you don't need one of those pressing bags for rack-and-cloth Whizbang cider pressing. You need simple squares of a strong fabric.

Some sheer-curtain fabrics will do the job. Such material is often available in fabric stores for not much money. But many people have told me it isn't easy to find sheer-curtain material that is strong enough for pressing.

That being the case, I figured it would be a good idea to start selling top-quality, professional cider-pressing fabric— fabric that is specifically designed for the work of pressing cider. Fabric that you can depend on.

It was not easy but I eventually found a supplier and I am now offering the fabric in 30" by 30" squares, which is what you see in the picture at the top of this page. Here is a closer look at the fabric:

If you have seen the cider pressing bags that other cider press makers sell, you are familiar with this kind of fabric. Technically, it is a woven polyester.

I sent a pressing bag from Lehman's Hardware in Ohio to the textile factory where we now get this material. They analyzed it and presented me with several similar options. I settled on a fabric that is rated as stronger than what Lehman's uses to make their pressing bags.

This fabric is used in industry. It is made to last. And it also meets FDA requirements for food processing applications.

During my long and difficult search for a pressing fabric supplier, I found a commercial cider equipment company that sells 30" by 30" squares of fruit pressing fabric for $15 each, plus shipping! Wow—that's a LOT of money.

But I'm selling the same size squares for a LOT LESS than that. My Whizbang fabric squares will cost you as little as $5.00 each (depending on how many you buy—an online ordering button is below), and my price includes the cost of shipping.

The only difference between those $15 squares and mine is that my squares are not hemmed, as you can see in the picture above. To test the unhemmed material, my wife put several squares through 6 washer cycles (along with other wash she had to do). Unraveling was very minimal. It was so little that I don't forsee it as any problem at all.

I did a small pressing early in the season to test the fabric before offering it here. I really don't think I needed to test commercial quality fabric, but I wanted to anyway. That's when I took the picture at the top of this page. That picture shows the 30" by 30" square spread over a plastic-pail-bottom mash form (which I tell you about at This Essay) and then filled with apple mash from the amazing Whizbang apple grinder. Here's a picture of the fabric corners brought together before tying with string.

30" by 30" fabric is just right for the form size I tell you how to make (this information is also in the Whizbang Cider plan book).

Here is a picture of the bag formed when a string is used to tie the edges together:

Here is a closer look at how the bag is tied with a piece of cotton string (a 16" to 20" length will do nicely).

Then, of course, you place the bag onto the bottom of the pressing pan, lay a round pressing disc (a.k.a., pressing rack) on top, followed by another bag of mash, and another rack, and so on until the stack (traditionally referred to as a "cheese") is assembled . This is all shown and explained in more detail in the essay I've already given you a link to (but here is The Link again if you need it).

This next picture shows the same bag of mash pictured above after pressing. It has been flattened considerably and a lot of juice was squeezed out. I'm untying the string.

The fabric did a fine job of holding in the mash but letting out the juice. This next picture shows the pomace that remained. It had a moist-dry texture to it. Clearly, Rack-and-cloth pressing presses faster and extracts more juice for a given amount of mash than does any other cider pressing technique.

I rinsed the pressing fabric off in a bucket of water and it cleaned up much easier than some other pressing fabrics I've used (in the form of pressing bags).

I also hung some of the fabric on the clothes line and found it sprayed clean with the hose quite easily.

I sell the 30" by 30" pressing fabric in sets of five squares. Five is how many bags of mash you can press with four pressing discs (racks) and a pressure plate, as I sell and recommend in my plan book.

If you are planning to make a lot of cider and will have lots of help, I suggest you get more than five squares of fabric. That way, you can be pressing a cheese while your help is making bags for the next pressing. They can be made and stored in a plastic pail until you're ready to press them.

Availability: In stock & ready to ship

Shipping: US Postal Service First Class shipping is included in the following prices;