How to Make a Cider Press | Build One for Under $20

A new cider press costs around $300. That’s a steep price for a tool you use once a year unless you’re running an orchard. The good news is that a solid DIY cider press costs next to nothing if you already own a car jack. The most popular build uses reused materials, a simple frame, and a bottle jack to squeeze every drop from a 5-gallon batch of apples. Here is exactly how to build one, step by step, with two routes depending on whether you want a grinder integrated.

The Simple Hydraulic Bucket Press: What You Need

This build uses a 5-gallon bucket as the pressing basket, a car jack as the force, and a basic lumber frame to hold it all together. It handles about 5 gallons of apple pulp per batch and is the most common DIY design because the materials are easy to find and the steps are straightforward.

Before you start, gather these materials:

• Lumber: 2×6 boards (four 3-foot cuts and four 2-foot cuts), plus a 4×4 post for the center brace and 2×4 scraps for the top brace.
• Bucket: 5-gallon plastic bucket, food-grade safe.
• Press mechanism: Hydraulic car jack (bottle jack works best).
• Mesh: 5-gallon paint strainer bag or nylon homebrewing bag.
• Drainage: Old metal baking tray or aluminum tray with a hole cut for the cider to drain.
• Hardware: 4 long bolts, 4 nuts, 8 washers, deck screws, and industrial-strength zip ties.
• Press plate: Circular wood disk cut to match the bucket’s inner circumference.

This plan assumes you already have a car jack. If you need to buy one, a basic bottle jack costs $10–$15 at any hardware store, keeping the whole project well under $30 total.

Step-by-Step Build for the Bucket Press

This construction sequence follows the design from the well-known YouTube build that uses reused materials and a simple center platform.

Build the Top Brace

Cut a 4×4 post and two 2×4 scraps about 18 inches long. Assemble them into a brace at least 6 inches wide. This brace will hold the jack in place at the top of the frame.

Build the Center Platform

Construct a box roughly 18 inches by 24 inches using deck screws and scrap lumber. Add a plywood sheet on top to support the tray. Place a 4×4 post under the box center to resist the jack’s pressure. The platform attaches about 23 inches from the top of the frame.

Add Legs and Feet

Use pallet stringers or 2x4s for legs, cutting them about 4 feet tall. Attach 2x4s at the bottom as feet to prevent the press from tipping when the jack is under load.

Mount the Platform and Add Braces

Screw the center platform to the legs at the 23-inch mark. Add 2×4 braces underneath the platform to reinforce it against the downward force.

Install a Spacer Block

You need a spacer block between the jack and the press plate. This ensures the jack can compress the basket all the way to the bottom. Cut a block that sits between the jack and the wood disk.

Prepare the Drainage Tray

Cut a hole in the aluminum tray so the cider flows into a container below. The tray sits on the center platform, and the bucket with the mesh bag sits on the tray.

Assemble the Basket and Press

Line the 5-gallon bucket with the mesh bag, fill it with apple pulp, and place the circular wood disk on top. Insert the car jack between the top brace and the spacer block, then apply pressure slowly. The cider drains through the tray hole into a collection vessel.

The First 40-Percent Checkpoint: Key Cider Press Specs

Here is a quick-reference table of the essential dimensions and materials for the most common DIY build.

If you are ready to buy a press instead of building one, check out our tested roundup of the best cider presses for home use for a range of reliable models.

Building a Cider Press with an Integrated Grinder

If you want to grind apples as well as press them, Mother Earth News published a thorough DIY plan that integrates a hand-crank grinder into the frame. This build is more involved and requires basic metalworking, but it eliminates the separate step of mashing apples before pressing.

The grinder mechanism uses a bike crank and chain setup to spin a wooden drum with metal teeth. The teeth protrude about 1/4 inch to shred apples into a pulp that falls directly into the pressing basket below this integration. The original instructions call for cutting 48 small metal bars, bending them into L-shapes, and setting them into holes drilled in toothed wooden disks.

You will need a welded crank housing and a chain-and-sprocket setup from an old bicycle. Make sure to cut apples in halves or quarters before feeding them into the hopper. Whole apples roll and clog the grinder, so the prep step still saves time overall.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

These are the errors people make most often on their first build, based on community discussions and build guides.

• No center support under the platform. The jack exerts intense downward force. Without a 4×4 post directly under the center of the platform, the entire frame can crack or collapse. This is the single most common structural failure.
• No drainage hole in the tray. Cider has nowhere to go if the tray is intact. Cut a hole before you start pressing.
• Incorrect basket hole spacing. If you are drilling holes in a bucket instead of using a mesh bag, space them about 2 inches apart in a diamond pattern. Too few holes and the liquid has no exit.
• Pressing too fast. Apply pressure slowly with the bottle jack. Sudden overload can shift the frame or burst the bucket.
• Using non-food-grade materials. Ordinary plywood for the press plate can leach chemicals. Wrap it in a food-safe Ziplock bag if you cannot get food-grade lumber.
• Skipping the rest period. It is better if you let the pomace sit for a few minutes after grinding before pressing, as this yields more juice.

Cost Comparison: DIY Versus Store-Bought

If the integrated grinder seems like too much work, a simple bucket press still outperforms commercial presses for value. This table breaks down the comparison.

The Final Your Cider Press Checklist

These are the actions to take in order for a successful first press session.

1. Build the frame with the 4×4 center brace firmly in place.
2. Test the jack before adding apples to confirm the spacer block is the right height.
3. Line the bucket with the mesh bag and place the drainage tray on the platform.
4. Fill the bag with apple pulp — do not core the apples if using a mesh strainer, as the seeds add tannin depth to the cider.
5. Place the press plate on top, insert the jack, and apply pressure slowly.
6. Collect the cider in a clean container below the drainage hole. Press until the pulp compresses almost completely flat.

That is your press ready for use. One batch yields roughly a gallon of fresh cider from five pounds of apples, and the whole setup disassembles into a closet corner until next harvest.