Homemade cheese and cider press

Step 2 Getting started

I started by cutting out notches for the top timbers to set into. To keep the press steady, I used these top timbers to act as braces. I calculated how high I'd want the scissors jack to be placed and how much room I would need to fit the apple-mash box underneath it.

To make the notches, I just cut lines with the circular saw and used the chisel to knock them out. I soon learned just how hard oak is.