The only thing I can think of would be some sort of square metal framed container securely affixed to one of those deli slicers. The slicer would have to be turned nearly horizontal in regards to the blade I would think. The thin sharp rotating blade should minimize juice production since it's slicing through rather than being pushed across some sort of sharp blade. I'm sure there are commercially available machines manufactured for this purpose. A lot of those companies advertise their machines on youtube.
Maybe a peek at a manufactured one would give you some ideas for a homebrew machine.

Thank you appleseed!
I know a guy who uses a deli slicer for real home drying very thin potato chips like slices. The drying then goes real fast but I can't see it slicing 5 gal. bucket in 2 min.

Yes, a very thin blade is needed for not making too much juice.

I checked the apples on the tarp tonight after a good day drying, ..so far it doesn't look good,..still a sticky mess, [must be sweet] the temperature is going down and cloudy tomorrow, not much wind. My back up plan is to fold the tarp up both sides and make a tunnel, then with propane heater and forced air/blower push some warm air over.

I was thinking the metal frame would be like a square bucket holding many apples. Of course, with this method they would not all be sliced horizontally, but rather randomly.

OK..now I get it, that might work, good idea! I'm pondering with the idea of a home build, a very thin blade, perhaps more rectangular with 2 cutting edges running at high speed,.[I can make my own] mounted on a motor, the apples put into a similar device,..[plastic pipe] about 5 inch in diameter, say 6 foot long, laying on pick nick table, a 3 foot section in front cut open on top for putting apples in, then with long plunger push into the cutter.

I know, high speed is NOT ideal for NOT making juice but I need to go fast in this application,.. when pushing with plunger and not making large chips. I might be able to rig up something very cheap and small scale, just to see what it does.

With your idea, the big money is for the automatic industrial slicer but one can walk away after loading it,..and minimal juice making!

I'm in no hurry,..thoughts for down the road. Also, a drying devise would be nice too, [for 50 gallon]. Will find out how this heater an blower works tomorrow afternoon,... if I can have a half day off, only using things I have on hand for now.

I just built an apple press and don't yet have a grinder, so I was looking into how to reduce some crab apples I have into pressable pommace to use to test the press. I have about 8-9 gallons of Whitney crabs and will probably end up spending considerable time running them through our food processor, either with the slicer or coarse shredder blade. I searched on "large food processors" and found the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth 14 cup food processor and wonder if using that with the slicer blade might do what you want fairly quickly and inexpensively. Holds nearly a gallon, and if your apples aren't huge they might just drop in. Admitedly, we're talking one at a time, but it might go pretty fast. Slicing cucumbers with our standard sized processor doesn't generate too much juice. Probably related to the sharpness of the blade.

Chuck

Actually, I thought about just buying a food processor blade and hooking that up to a motor over a big bucket and feeding the apples through a pipe, but turns out I have limited mechanical ability. Anyone know of a source for slicer (for Konrads's use) or shredder (for my use) blades, something like over-sized food processor blades?

Chuck

" but turns out I have limited mechanical ability."

lol...Chuck

About a decade ago I bought the biggest garbage disposal grinder in the economy line from a local hardware store. It grinds apples perfectly for cider pressing. The only issue is when some apples are bigger than the inlet throat. They have to be quartered. Luckily, most of the apples I use are medium size and go through without any pre-processing.

When I was a youngster, my grandmother dried apples every year on an enclosed sun porch. With fans and lots of air movement, and turning them every couple days...I think one to two weeks were required to be dried enough to not mold in storage.

Goodness, but they made the best apple pies...better than fresh apples. Not so watery...

Chuck,...like Rockfarmer said, garbage disposal grinder works good for grinding when you do pressing. Don Jellman, spelling?..who used to be here was sold on it!..Just make sure to get a heavy duty one, they can overheat on continues use.

I couldn't get out until tonight to make a tunnel for blower with heat.
It wasn't a bad day, still fairly warm, apples looked better, so far looking not too bad. Night temp are down and moisture is high, heaving the heater and blower on for a while should help. Sometimes I pull the tarp over and cover it for the night,..on my
pulp from juicing.

I don't feel good running it at night, if the little generator runs out of gas, [I don't know how long it runs on one tank] no blower going, the heat can burn my tarp..I'll got out
about mid night to shut everything down.

Here the tunnel with propane heater, blower not showing is behind.
The blower keeps the tunnel/tarp up pretty good, supported in the middle with only two chairs. In front, where the heater is, I tied the tarp upward to a post, so heater is well away from it.

Side shot..

On the left is air exit, put some wood on top for less/slower air exit.

Konrad you need a machine like the one in the link below. There is a video on the page. The link is from the parent company and the seller closest is http://www.westcoastmachinerycorp.com . chuck60 how many apples do you have? You might consider a washing machine if you are looking for a cheap way to juice them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj9z7NbO9mk or if you want a fast way to shred them for juicing consider this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4NKNNfHW4E

Here is a link that might be useful: cutter machine

This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Wed, Sep 24, 14 at 5:39

Konrad for drying apples this is a pretty good way to go

Here is a link that might be useful: solar dryer

Konrad,

I am trying to mainly use my apples for people-type animals, but then I don't have the amounts you are dealing with. I have about 30 trees, but most are not yet bearing, so this year I guess I have maybe a total of 15 bushels or so. I did give the pommace from my last squeezing to a friend with horses and he said they enjoyed the new food.

I forwarded that washing machine link to a couple of friends who are also making cider this year. I bet my top-loading high efficiency machine would do a number on apples, with its very high spin speed, but I do bet SWMBO would veto that idea. I also have seen those apple scratter plans and have lined up a friend who does wood turning to help with the cylinder if I can come up with suitable wood. I guess I am a bit old fashioned and would prefer to pulp the apples and press them rather than send them through the washer!

So, Kondar, what animals are you planning to give that guormet feast to??

Chuck

ClarkinKS
Nice machine,..too fancy for animal food and doesn't cut thin slices.
I want to dry at least 20 gal. in one shot,..not something this solar dryer can handle.

Chuck
organic dried apples have a market, been selling for people with pet donkeys. There are lots of other pet animals who would love this treat! Now, I need to get chickens and put them on a apple diet over winter! lol

Hey Konrad, how's your arm? I'm thinking a frame with piano wire stretched tight. You stand back and do a fastball right through it making perfectly even slices. Or maybe some kind of hinged pusher frame if you throw curves.

Chuck

Now you're talking!..Using a pumpkin cannon. lol.

Tonight I bagged the apples in burlap.

Little bundles for better ventilation,..could have been another day out but a cold front is coming with rain, I'll monitor these bundles for mold, if need be I can put them out again,..think they're OK.

Looks like your home made wind tunnel did pretty good. Next time you might want to build a mini hoop tunnel with pvc pipe. It would be rigid and also light enough to move easily. It would also be fairly weather tight. If you put the slices on wire mesh under the tunnel and the assembly was in fairly full sun I bet they would dry pretty quickly.

Chuck

Yes...actually, I only had the heater and tunnel up for about 5 hours,..it didn't do much, didn't have enough heat. Was lucky for good day temperature, dry humidity and no rain.

If no sun, perhaps 1/4 amount of apples but it would go fast, in a slow tumbling barrel with heat and blower,..perhaps a old propane close dryer.

Just finished a low cost greenhouse for drying apples at the orchard, mostly with rebar since I still had some.

One bend only, 5/8" rebar

On the right side about a foot in the ground, the left side going into the drilled pressure treated 2/4. A little pre-load/upward bend when putting into the 2/4 hole.
The 2/4 pounded a little into the ground.

Looking in from door side, [not in yet] and open on bottom in the back for air flow. In two days of warm weather the apple were just about dry. Apple slices on old mosquito window screens.

Rebar covered with old gardenhose, greenhouse plastic I still had some from about 30 years ago when building one at home..plastic lasted this long but should be redone.

This is the slicer, built mostly from scraps around the shop.