APPLE CHOPPER IN ACTION 2

In the years since this video was posted the apple chopper has evolved into a very efficient system, although it may not be considered the safest way to process apples. I recommend viewing my other chopper videos to see the evolution of the chopper to it's current and likely final version. Particularly this video • 2018 PROBABLY MY FINAL... which shows the evolution of them and this video • APPLE PROCESSING 25 JU... which shows the timed run and pressing of the apples.

[@thomasgargano8813]

It may be 8 years later but iam glad I seen this video. This will help me cope with price of the cider,it’s about $7.00 a gal. So by making your own ciders…. It’s should be cheaper. Thanks….👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🍺🍺🍺☮️☮️☮️💕

[@GoofyThingsIDo]

Thank you. The various versions of this chopper has probably saved me thousands of dollars over the years. I am very good at scrounging so have very little money invested. I also get free apples every year. This year I picked 1,400 Lbs of apples (not all used for cider) and pressed 69 gallons of juice/sweet cider. That earliest version wasn't the most efficient but it got the job done and had several thousand Lbs of apples run through it before it was replaced by a better more efficient version.

[@Alprofight]

Thanks for the idea, i was looking for some trick like this because now as i speak here in canada if you want to buy a cheap apple or fruit crusher now, many places are out of stock!!!! was wondering some easy fix/built for it.

[@GoofyThingsIDo]

Thank you. A lot of people seem to find themselves in the same spot this time of year, I know I did when I found myself with 800 lbs of apples to process in one weekend, that's how the whole idea started, Back when I began working on this design several people were trying the paint mixer in a bucket with mixed results, occasionally even catastrophic when the mixer broke through the side of the bucket. By moving the mixer on the shaft and drilling a hole to keep it centered made the whole thing much safer and more efficient. It's also a whole lot of fun to use. I do have a word of caution if using a drill to drive it. Faster is better and corded drills tend to overheat if used too long which is something to be aware of. I feel it's necessary to mention that while this original design worked well and was quick and relatively cheap to make the design has evolved greatly over the years to be much more efficient and faster but takes more time, effort and planning.

[@clementsobotka3585]

Amazing gizmo. If you have any DIY advice, it would be fascinating. Also here's an inspired idea- Do you think if you took a double-paddled cement mixing drill, and a stainless steel can would work? I would like to replicate yours, but so much of it is beyond me- like- How to attach blades to the shaft, What type of motor, How to attach the shaft to the motor?, How to make blades?, is there any way to get around welding etc...?

[@GoofyThingsIDo]

I'll try to answer everything. If I miss anything let me know. Maybe I'll try to put together a video explaining it. At the time I made this I was fortunate enough to find a bunch of large paint mixers in the discount bin at my local Lowe's so I wound up buying 4 to make this. From the factory the blades are held onto a 1/2" octagonal shaft with a roll pin in a hole drilled through the shaft. I used a punch to drive out the roll pins and cut the bottom ends off of them so I could slide them up the shaft. I also cut the blades in half to separate the top and bottom. I used a bandsaw to do this but a hack saw, dremel tool, cut off wheel chucked into a drill or any number of other things could have done the job. I then ran a tap inside the holes in the blades where the roll pins had been and secured the blades to the shaft using some screws as set screws to secure them to the shaft. I didn't drill new holes in the shaft the set screw just tightens against the shaft. I have had some of them back out or loosen up and all that happens is it gets a little noisy and maybe the loose blade drops to meet the tight blades but they can't go anywhere because of the one below it and continue to turn because the shaft is octagonal. The latest (and I must say best) version uses stainless steel blades attached to a 1/2 inch diameter stainless steel length of all thread rod and are secured with nuts. I've used blades made out of aluminum as well with no problems and know someone who has made them out of plastic (I believe nylon) and they worked fine. I've tested many methods to drive the various versions of choppers I've built from cheap power drills, air drill, cordless drills and various motors. Speed is very important. I have a vintage 800 RPM arm breaker half inch drill that has enough torque to do the job but is far too slow. I believe the blades need to spin at least 1,200 RPM to do a good job so a 1,700ish RPM motor is an ideal speed. Too fast can also be a problem. One day I found an old air compressor that had been dumped on the side of the road with a good 3 H.P. motor on it, which I thought would be ideal but it turned out to spin at over 3,000 RPM and the apples wouldn't drop down to get chopped, they just sort of floated on top. So I figure 1,200 to 2,000 RPM. Now there are other issues with driving with drills. Corded drills tend to get hot, limiting the amount of time you can use them. Cordless drills actually worked quite well but are limited by battery life. A high speed air drill worked exceptionally well but got incredibly cold. This all got me to the point of thinking about electric motors. My first motor was found cheap at a local auction. That was the 1/3 H.P. that I used for several years and is still functional today although is was somewhat under powered for the job and would jam if you fed apples in too fast. It had a 1/2" diameter shaft so attaching it to the 1/2" paint mixer shaft was simply a matter of finding a couple inches of 1/2" hydraulic hose to use as a coupling and securing with some hose clamps. The current version uses a 3/4 H.P. motor taken from a broken Hrabor Freight paint sprayer but it had a 5/8" shaft which I used a file to turn down to 1/2". I think even this is slightly under powered. I also have a 2nd 3/4 H.P motor put back in case that one ever fails that I found in a bin of scrap metal. I'm a bit of a scrounger like that. There are any number of places motors turn up cheap or for free. In truth I think the hydraulic hose might be a bit of overkill and a lot of things could potentially be used, like 1/2" fuel line or even a piece of garden hose or maybe even something rigid like a piece of copper tubing with a split in it, although alignment might be more critical with a rigid attachment. A flexible piece allows for more imbalance or slight misalignment.

[@LitoGeorge]

And if four were excellent, why not eight? Hilarious-but great design!

[@GoofyThingsIDo]

Thank you. I would like to mention that during the processing of something like 2,000 lbs of apples with that blade configuration I did have one or two blade failures but it made little difference to the operation.

[@stevioAda]

Just use a garden shredder

[@GoofyThingsIDo]

Garden shredders have some issues, cost being one of them but sometimes larger apples need to be cut up and feed speed is rather limited and I don't trust the bearings to not contaminate the pulp. My goal with the choppers has been to make something fast, simple, cheap and capable of handling up to 1,000 lbs of apple per hour. With the numerous revisions over the years my chopper has become capable of handling up to 3,000 lbs of apples of all size per hour without having to do anything to them besides push them in as fast as I can.

[@louis-charlespilon9366]

@@GoofyThingsIDo incredible low tech idea. Thanks for sharing!

[@cidermeister9440]

@@GoofyThingsIDo top effort, and you had lots of fun in the process I'm sure.

[@GoofyThingsIDo]

@@louis-charlespilon9366 Thank you, what can I say I'm a low tech kind of person.

[@GoofyThingsIDo]

@@cidermeister9440 Thank you, I did have a lot of fun in the process and in redesigning it in the years since, not to mention all the cider it and the various incarnations have made. It's also been very entertaining for many other people. I often have a line of people wanting a turn at using my chopper, just because it is so much fun.

[@envisionCAM]

Are you worried about cyanide poisoning?

[@GoofyThingsIDo]

The short answer to that is no. The long answer is first I don't use apples that have been treated with pesticides or any chemicals. Where I live I can get as many free apples as I can pick from people's yards. Second the seeds from apples need to be digested to really be a danger and it takes a lot of them...but because some of the apples I pick are small I could potentially wind up with enough seeds per gallon to be a problem. This is one of the reasons I don't like the garbage disposal method of grinding apples, they grind up the seeds as well. Third I've read that if the seeds are ground or broken it can add bitterness to the juice and I don't want that. Fortunately all the chopper designs I've built so far leave the seeds whole so it isn't a problem.

[@envisionCAM]

@@GoofyThingsIDo Apple seeds contain amygdalin, a substance that produces cyanide through the process of digestion. Relying on the idea that a machine with fast moving blades won't cut into the seeds seems a little overly optimistic. Maybe you should consider making a machine that cores them first to eliminate the risk. You seem like a creative person that executes well to get things done.

[@GoofyThingsIDo]

​@@envisionCAM Maybe it seems optimistic or counter intuitive that a machine with fast moving blades wouldn't break the seeds but it doesn't. That may be because the blades aren't all that sharp but in the beginning I did a lot of checking to verify there weren't any broken seeds as well as whenever I've made a modification. I also frequently check samples. If you watch closely you can even see the seeds flying to the sides of the buckets at the apples are chopped. Over the years I've searched entire buckets of pomace and never found a single broken seed. The other thing is the seeds are not being consumed only the juice so very little amygdalin would wind up in the juice even if the seeds were broken. I believe my juice contains less than any commercially produced juice. Even if it did break seeds it takes a lot of seeds to be a problem. Perhaps someone could come up with some sort of coring machine but I just don't feel the need plus given the volume and huge range in sizes of apples I process it's not something I feel the need to pursue at this time.