Fruit press

The cylinder and/or piston in a traditional cider press is designed to allow the juice to escape while retaining the solid matter.

This is achieved through a controlled gap or a semi-permeable surface, where the pressure exerted by the piston forces the juice out of the crushed apples or pears, leaving the solids behind.

The only difference being that in earlier versions of the press horses were used to power the machine.

Imagine a circular trough made of wood connected to two wooden millstones like those used in a windmill, but fixed differently.

When they are judged to be sufficiently crushed, that is to say, enough for all the juice to be extracted from them, the apples are removed with a wooden spade and put into a large vat nearby.

Larger orchardists may prefer to have their own presses because it saves on fees, or because it reduces cartage.

Orchardists of any size may believe their own sanitation practices to be superior to that of community mills, as some patrons of community mills may make cider from low quality fruit (windfall apples, or apples with worms).