- Mechanical Advantage (MA) = Total Arm Length / Distance from Plunger to the Fixed Point in the back (fulcrum)
- Weight Applied = MA * Weight + (Weight of the Arm and Plunger)
You also need to work out the area of your follower. For a circular follower the formula for area = radius squared by Pi which is 22/7 or approx 3.14, your 6 inch diameter follower has a radius of 3 and an area of 3x3x3.14 = 28.26 square inches.
Using that number you can determine that if you want to press your cheese at 10 PSI you need to put (28.26 x 10) 283 lbs of weight on top of the follower. Conversely, if you decide to put only 100 lbs of weight on top of the follower you are pressing at ( 100 / 28.26) 3.54 PSI.
So you can see why people use a Dutch style press because the mechanical advantage of the press allows using a smaller weight. I would research the site for more discussion as trying to put 300 - 500 pounds on top of your follower can be unsafe as some members have attested. There is also discussion on the site about different ways to mold your cheese without requiring high PSI.
