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["Robert Walton" <waltonrp AT gmail.com>]

I'm in my second milking season of making cheese. Couldn't afford a
press last year and tried just putting a rock over the cheese in the
mold. It usually made a crooked cheese until it fell off. This year I
am more serious about the cheese making. I decided that buying a press
would be very unhomesteaderlike of me so shook off those thoughts and
got to work.

I did buy a 4' 1/2 dowel and cut it in 4 pieces. Took a slice off a
maple that I was making into firewood. Drilled 4 holes in a square and
stuck the dowels in. Then took a board larger than the square of the
dowels and transferred the dowel pattern on to it and drilled the
holes.

Cheese goes in the store bought mold, that sits on the bottom piece.
The follower goes in the mold and the top piece on next. I just sit a
rock or rocks (flat is nice) on top and cheese gets pressed. It's
working pretty well. I pie plate goes under the cheese with a drain
fashioned to keep the wood from getting soaked in whey.

I saw some similar on the Internet, so cannot take credit. But I'm a
happy camper to save $50 to $150 for a cheese press.

I've seen some instructions to bind the sides of cheese with a towel
in order to hold it in a round when pressing. I suspect that this
would be the way to go if you don't have a mold. Also would probably
make some more interesting shapes.

I'm making some killer feta, mozzarella. With the press I've done
italian type hard cheeses so far this year. Once in a while a make a
soft chevre type cheese, but that really does not float my boat. I
intend to make some cheddar type cheeses here soon..

Rob - Va