Preparation

• Make something scrumptious.apples image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  The heart of an apple mill is a large, wooden drum, as nearly round as you can make it. It should be about 10 inches in diameter when you're done. By applying several coats of olive oil to the drum of your apple mill, letting it soak into the wood between applications, you can protect the wood from the effects of being splashed with acidic apple juice.
  
  

Making the Drum

• If you start out with two pieces of wood, cut a channel down the centers before assembling them. Otherwise you will need to drill the center hole. In either case, the channel should accommodate a 5/8-inch diameter brass rod.
  
  For a cutting surface, countersink wood screws into the surface of the drum at a 20- to 30-degree angle, so one side of the screw is sticking out from the drum's surface. The screws should be placed evenly all the way around the drum. Two-inch centers for the screws will work fine, or more tightly spaced screws will result in a finer grind.
  Contain the mess by building a simple box around the wheel; the sides can be straight or flared outward toward the top, with about ¼ inch of clearances at the base. Holes for the shaft should be lined them with brass or nylon bushings. The rod runs through the center of the drum, and the bushings in the frame will serve as the drive axle.
  
  

Power Up

• A pulley and a small, variable-speed electric motor, or a portable power drill can be used to turn the drum of your apple mill. Place the whole contraption on top of a 5-gallon plastic bucket to collect the apple pulp.
  
  The exact size of the mill is up to you, as long as it has a big enough hopper to put the apples through and enough screws in the drum. The basic design can be scaled up or down, according to the supply of apples you're anticipating.