# Tortilla Press



## chopsaw (Jun 8, 2020)

xray
  inspired me to make some homemade corn tortilla's after looking thru his post on Jerk Shrimp tacos . My gosh they were good , and a huge difference in the meal . I have had real deal Mexican food and these reminded me of that . 
So I started looking at a press . Not bad money for the cast iron , I saw some made out of wood ,,,, so I looked to see what I had in the shop . 
Found enough scrap to glue up what I needed . 
Glued up Walnut , maple and some cherry .






Basic idea ,





Roughed out the parts , just doing this out of my head .





End result , 









Put some anti-slip feet on the bottom . Keeps it from rocking too .










I put a store bought tortilla in it , put the top on and installed the hinges . 
Didn't know if I needed a small gap or not , but can't hurt .
Figured the tortilla was the perfect " shim " .
Have not used it yet , hope it works .





Thanks for lookin , and Thanks for the inspiration 

 xray


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## old sarge (Jun 8, 2020)

Nicely done!


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## mosparky (Jun 8, 2020)

Nice Job ! I stated to design one but just kept making it bigger and more bullet-proof. Building it meant sticking around work after hrs. The way my boss has been lately, 5 o'clock and I'm out, Decided I can buy a cast iron one cheaper than I can build it, and it won't take up as much real estate.


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## Sowsage (Jun 8, 2020)

Very nice work and nice addition to the list if toys! Will we be seeing a taco post soon? Hint hint......


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## desertlites (Jun 8, 2020)

Not only a woodworker but been making my tortillas for a long time. Job well done


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## Brokenhandle (Jun 8, 2020)

Oh no, I think I seen that post on homemade tortillas,  and now this...looks very good by the way! Gonna have to get more pages for the to do list...cuz have a feeling homemade is way better than store bought.  

Ryan 
P. S.  A big thank you for the pizza dough recipe,  made some up a few days ago and calzones and pizza last night were perfect!


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## chopsaw (Jun 8, 2020)

old sarge said:


> Nicely done!


Thanks for the comment . 



mosparky said:


> Nice Job !


Thanks . This was  made from  scrap I had from some pipe leg tables I made and a couple carving boards .


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## GaryHibbert (Jun 9, 2020)

You gotta love the casual way the pro's just slap something together off the top of their head and it ends up looking better than store bought.  
Very nice work.
Gary


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## civilsmoker (Jun 9, 2020)

That’s Awesome!


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## forktender (Jun 9, 2020)

Have you used it yet?
All the Mexican joints around here glue a nickle in each corner to make the perfect thickness every time.
I'm wondering if the pressure block should be moved to the center rather than having it at the end. Every one I've seen has been in the center of the press, I'm guessing to spread out the load.
But hey if it works, it works. Nice project!!! and there is nothing like fresh homemade tortillas...YUM!!!


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## gmc2003 (Jun 9, 2020)

Nicely done Chop, a true work of functional art.

Point for sure
Chris


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## tx smoker (Jun 9, 2020)

Wow. Beautiful job!! We eat a lot of torts around here and now you have the cogs turning for a wood working project. Work been slow so this may have to go into the list of projects. Thanks for the idea and inspiration. Now I gotta go see what I have on hand as far as wood goes....

Robert


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## xray (Jun 9, 2020)

That looks awesome Chop! Your tortilla press came out very nice, beautiful handy work.

As much as I’d like to make one, it was stated above that it is cheaper for me to buy one instead of buying the materials. It’s awesome that you have that hardwood on hand. My grandfather was a woodworker and had his own shop. This is something I’d be able to show him and we’d bang it out in an afternoon.

Did you get to test it out yet?


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## Steve H (Jun 9, 2020)

Mighty fine piece of work!


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## sawhorseray (Jun 9, 2020)

That's quite a project, nice piece of work Rich! I'd bet fresh warm home made tortillas would bring tacos and burritos to a whole new level of goodness. Take it for a ride! RAY


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## chopsaw (Jun 9, 2020)

Sowsage said:


> Very nice work and nice addition to the list if toys! Will we be seeing a taco post soon? Hint hint......


Thanks bud . Yeah ,,, could be some tacos in the plan .



desertlites said:


> Not only a woodworker but been making my tortillas for a long time. Job well done


Thanks for the comment .


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## chopsaw (Jun 9, 2020)

Brokenhandle said:


> I think I seen that post on homemade tortillas, and now this...looks very good by the way


Thanks for the comments . Get some Masa Horina next time you go shopping .
Try it out . 


Brokenhandle said:


> A big thank you for the pizza dough recipe,


Happy you like it . I mixed some up Sunday . In the fridge waiting and ready to use .


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## Smokin' in AZ (Jun 9, 2020)

Nice job, and great idea Rich!

LIKE!

John


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## chopsaw (Jun 9, 2020)

GaryHibbert said:


> Very nice work.


Thank you Gary . Having the room , and tools set up for use makes a big difference . 



civilsmoker said:


> That’s Awesome!


Thank you sir . 



forktender said:


> I'm wondering if the pressure block should be moved to the center rather than having it at the end. Every one I've seen has been in the center of the press,


Never seen one that put pressure in the middle . The energy flows from the hinge to the handle . You get more leverage with pressure on the edge , and it also stops the movement . Keeps the pressure between the hinge and the handle the same .


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## Bearcarver (Jun 9, 2020)

Beautiful Workmanship!!!
I never saw a Tortilla Press before, but I've done a lot of Cherry woodworking before.
Hell, I've never eaten a Tortilla before, but I've done a lot of eating before! LOL
Nice Job Rich---Love it !!---You made it look easy!!

Bear


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## chopsaw (Jun 9, 2020)

gmc2003 said:


> Nicely done Chop


Thanks Chris . Appreciate the comment .



tx smoker said:


> Now I gotta go see what I have on hand as far as wood goes....


Thanks for looking Robert . If you put something together post it up . 



xray said:


> That looks awesome Chop!


Thanks !  You could put one together cheaper than you think . Cast iron one is about 20 bucks .


Steve H said:


> Mighty fine piece of work!


Thanks Steve . Helps me keep my sanity 



sawhorseray said:


> That's quite a project, nice piece of work Rich! I'd bet fresh warm home made tortillas would bring tacos and burritos to a whole new level of goodness.


They sure do . Good stuff . Thanks for the comments .


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## chopsaw (Jun 10, 2020)

Smokin' in AZ said:


> Nice job, and great idea Rich!


Thanks John . Appreciate the comment .



Bearcarver said:


> -You made it look easy!!


Thanks bud . Yup finally got it set up where I turn the light on and go to work . I enjoy being in the workshop , my favorite place . 
Thanks for lookin .


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## chopsaw (Jun 10, 2020)

Took it for test run yesterday . Worked pretty good . Takes more pressure than you think . Also a bit of a learning curve on the moisture content for the masa . 
Anyway ,,, things I would do different in case anyone is interested 
I left a small gap at the hinge side . I don't think it's needed , 
I also think the angle of the handle needs to be increased . I set this up to be level when closed / bottomed out . Needs just a slight incline I think .


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## flatbroke (Jun 10, 2020)

Nice job!


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## xray (Jun 10, 2020)

Very nice Chop, I would say you have a success on your hands. The torts look pretty good from here. 

As more the moisture content, I seem to always add a bit more water to mine than what the bag calls for. Then I let them sit for a few minutes under a wet paper towel.

 I only need 6 for most of my purposes but I prepare 12 according to the package. It takes a tortilla or two to sacrifice. The first ones are never as pretty towards the end. On my electric stove, the burner set to 7 seems to be my sweet spot for cooking them.


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## chopsaw (Jun 11, 2020)

flatbroke said:


> Nice job!


Thanks bud .



xray said:


> As more the moisture content,


Yeah , I let it sit 20 minutes or so per the directions . Did some like that , but started adding water to see what I liked best . Seems like you get the moisture right , they slide in the cast iron like a air hockey puck . All were moist and no cracks or breaks . 
I want to make a couple more presses , just because .


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