Apple grinder/scratter questions.

[cavey]

For you cider makers: Have any of you built a scratter that utilizes the spinning wood or poly cylinder( mine will be electric motor - belt driven) with stainless steel screws to shred the apples?

Im getting close with my parts pieces acquisitions, to the point that Im about to commit to one style build. My question is did it shred the apples enough to make a good mash for pressing. Ive seen a few different styles now and some use a spinning disk like a food processor or the garbage disposal like feed and seem to just puree the apples. The spinning screws do shred the apples (i see in the vids varying degrees of this), I imagine its about how tight the hopper and screws are on the striking grinding area of the hopper - the gap the mash drops down through.

Just wonder if anyone here has any thoughts or experience on DIY grinders. Thanks

the images got flipped but as a edited note.... the top ones really seem to shred the apples to a sauce like mash ... My concern is the bottom still which is something like what i intend to make - will it shred enough... Chunks dont press out juice as well. Has anyone built one like below?

 

[cavey]

this is almost exactly what i intended to build but with an electric motor and more stainless steel instead of wood. Notice at the end how well it grinds up the apples - though not a puree like mash. Is the way it chunks up the apples enough to get a better press out of the mash to drive out the cider?

 

[Prof.Kent]

I have built a scratter. The 3/4 HP motor from an old table saw didn't last long. I'm upgrading to a 1 HP.
The SS screws work well as long as you keep the RPM up on the grinding cylinder.

Mine shredded OK, giving about 3-3.5 gallons per bushel. I plan on speeding up the RPM (changing pulley size) for a finer slaw.

 

[Prof.Kent]

Since I teach 3D Modeling, I modeled my design before building it. Not having the tools or skills for metal working, I built the scratter out of wood. If I did it again--and probably will someday --I'll use either metal or 1x boards instead of plywood. Plywood likes to warp, even when painted.
Hey, I'm an engineer, not a carpenter.

 

[cavey]

Prof K. did you buy your hdpe press boards online? Im either going to make them from oak strips or buy the hdpe boards and also intended to cut in or router drain grooves in them. I have a stripped down SS food warmer that is about 6 foot long and almost 2 foot wide with side walls and a threaded drain at one end that fits perfectly into my 50 ton shop press,,, it would be nice to have pneumatic controls but I will live with hand pumping it for now. The tray will work perfectly for pressing on and collecting the cider.

Im going to hold the ss screws minimally off the cylinder and have the motor and pulley set up for speed as well to hopefully insure a finer mash. I just wanted to make sure it will work good enough to produce the cider and not just make chunks that are hard to press.

Im going to use oak boards to make the cylinder and will just turn it down on the frame of the apple scratter as if it was a lathe. I dont own a lathe and was trying to figure out how or where to get a large oak cylinder turned and the thought just hit me once the shaft is on and I have it roughly cut I can just mount it in the pillow bushings and turn it down to the finished size.

 

[Prof.Kent]

Prof K. did you buy your hdpe press boards online? Im either going to make them from oak strips or buy the hdpe boards and also intended to cut in or router drain grooves in them. I have a stripped down SS food warmer that is about 6 foot long and almost 2 foot wide with side walls and a threaded drain at one end that fits perfectly into my 50 ton shop press,,, it would be nice to have pneumatic controls but I will live with hand pumping it for now. The tray will work perfectly for pressing on and collecting the cider.

Im going to hold the ss screws minimally off the cylinder and have the motor and pulley set up for speed as well to hopefully insure a finer mash. I just wanted to make sure it will work good enough to produce the cider and not just make chunks that are hard to press.

Im going to use oak boards to make the cylinder and will just turn it down on the frame of the apple scratter as if it was a lathe. I dont own a lathe and was trying to figure out how or where to get a large oak cylinder turned and the thought just hit me once the shaft is on and I have it roughly cut I can just mount it in the pillow bushings and turn it down to the finished size.

I was fortunate to have a HDPE manufacturer in the area so I could pick up the 4'x8' sheets locally. I though I'd need to cut drain grooves but the 20" boards drained well and grooves would have weakened the boards. Slaw came out as dry as I've seen in a $10K commercial press. You'll get some small chunks with the drum method when the last of the apple gets sucked through the drum, but nothing thicker than the screw head height off the drum. My heads are 1/4" high.
I used 2" thick oak from old church pews for the drum. My brother knew a guy who had a large wood lathe. A tall band saw could cut the block to a cylinder before you make it really round. I used a shorter bandsaw and cut the six 2"x12"dia pieces round first then glued them together, then rounded the drum out by running the scratter (without the screws!) and using sandpaper, starting at 50 grit. Use butcher block oil to seal the wood.

• 
• Howard Butcher Block Conditioner/Oil

 

[NE PA QDM]

My scratter was made based on the book “the new cider maker’s handbook.”
Old washing machine motor, wooden laminated wheel with SS strips bent into elbow shape as teeth. It really works well, I could not have been happier with the results.

 

[NE PA QDM]

 

[sandbur]

How do these systems work with various sizes of apples? I use apples from five inch size down to dolgo and Golden Hornet sizes of maybe less than an inch.

I have only made cider for two years, so I am a greenhorn. I was not getting acceptable yields from crabs with the grinder that came with the press. I tried making a spacer out of plywood, but turned to a garbage disposal for the crabs instead.


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[NE PA QDM]

Bur I haven’t run many small apples through my scratter but I know that my restored double tub grinder/press struggled with apples less than 1.5”. Both of my grinders handle big apples no problem at all. I haven’t found the answer yet for 1” size crabs aside from possibly just freeze, thaw, and press (you can skip the grinding after being fully frozen).

 

[Jhoss]

I built one, same as NE PA QDM. The Claude Jolicouer design. I've got a 3 gallon bucket on top for a hopper and I can virtually dump (slowly) from a bushel basket. It will grind a bushel in maybe 2 minutes if I was guessing.

 

[NE PA QDM]

It’s definitely impressive how quick you can get through a bushel with one of those things.