Chances are you've landed on this article because you're interested in putting together your own rosin press instead of buying from a brand name manufacturer. No problem, we've got you covered. In this article we'll go over everything you need to know to build your own rosin press as we discuss everything from the necessary equipment you need, breaking down the associated costs, looking at potential yields, and recommending complete builds to accommodate different budgets and price points. Let's begin, shall we?
Equipment Required
When it boils down to it, putting together your own rosin press is pretty simple since all you need are two things:
- A Shop press
- Rosin Plates and Heating Controller
That being said, not all shop presses and plates are created equal. You probably have a budget in mind on how much you'd like to spend putting together a rosin press; working with a higher budget means being able to buy higher quality equipment, which means longevity and possibly getting more use out of your press over the coming years. Fortunately, our years of experience and expertise in this industry having interacted with over hundreds of customer, speaking with people just like you puts us in a good position to recommend only the best equipment that "just works" while keeping a budget in mind.
Shop Press
The engine of your soon-to-be rosin press starts with a humble shop press. Keep in mind that these shop presses were meant to press bearings in the garage or shop once or twice a month, or maybe used just a couple of times a year. The common feedback we've heard among our customers is that while these shop presses are generally inexpensive, the quality of the steel on these aren't too good. There are of course higher quality shop presses available for higher prices (more on that later on).
When purchasing a shop press, most of them differ by capacity. The most common ones are 6-tons (12,000lbs), 10-tons (20,000lbs), 12-tons (24,000lbs), and 20-tons (40,000lbs). So, you'd want to ask yourself how much you intend to press and how much material you are working with on a consistent basis. Buying a higher capacity press means you're able to exert more force and squish more material.
However, the amount of material you can squish is relative to the size of your rosin plates. The larger the plates, the more material they can accommodate, the more costly they become—keep this in mind if you're trying to stay under a certain budget.
Recommended Shop Presses
By far the largest and most popular place to purchase a shop press is from
HarborFreight.com. Most of them can be had for under $300, and some even under $100. Here are the most popular shop presses used for DIY rosin presses:
| Capacity |
12-tons
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20-tons
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| Going Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Also, be sure to check out the coupon section of Harbor Freight's website since they have some deals like the one below where you can save some money when buying a shop press.
Aside from the well-known Harbor Freight, Amazon offers a surprising variety of quality shop presses. Their selection caters to both hobbyists and professionals. A prime example is the
VEVOR Hydraulic 12 Ton Shop Press. This robust press provides ample power for automotive and metalworking tasks and often sells for less than $200, including shipping.
Rosin Plates and Heating Controller
At the heart of your rosin press are the heating plates and the heating controller behind it. At the heart of your rosin press are the plates and the heating controller. When choosing plates, you need to factor in the amount of material that you wish to put through your rosin press. This is important because the size of the plates are directly correlated to the amount of material you can squeeze and put through your stress.
A heat plate kit setup consisting of top & bottom plates and a heat controller
Steel vs. Aluminum Plates
There's been an ongoing debate around this topic regarding plate material; whether stainless steel plates are better than aluminum plates. In summary, Aluminum's properties are far superior than stainless steel ones because not only do aluminum plates heat up faster, but they also don't hold heat nearly as long as stainless steel ones. This is good because it prevents the rosin from being burnt by sitting too long on the plates.
Recommended DIY Rosin Plates and Heating Controller Kits
While there's a plethora of companies manufacturing rosin plates and heating controllers, we've narrowed our choices down to the following plates & heating controller sets since feedback on them has been great while hitting our budget mark. As always, we're on the lookout for what's new and great, so you can rest assured we'll update this article and inform you of any new DIY kits that we scope out.
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Recommended DIY Rosin Press Builds
- Press
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12-Ton Vevor
- Plates
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Dulytek 3x4 Kit
- Total Cost: $408.99
If you're looking to add some serious capability to your workshop or expand into home-based DIY extracts, consider the winning combination of the VEVOR 12-ton shop press and the Dulytek 3" x 4" Retrofit Rosin Press Kit. The VEVOR press delivers a powerful 12 tons of force with a durable steel construction and adjustable worktable – all at a surprisingly affordable price. Pair it with Dulytek's rosin press kit, and you can easily transform your shop press into a tool for making high-quality solventless extracts. The kit features precise temperature control and durable aluminum plates. This combo is perfect for budget-minded DIY enthusiasts, small workshops, and anyone who wants quality equipment and the versatility to tackle everything from metalworking to making your own extracts.
Rosin Press Accessories
Now that you've built your rosin press, you can start pressing your material and start making luscious rosin, right?! Err... not quite, but we're almost there. There's just a few housekeeping things we'd like to go over before you go out and build your press so continue reading on...
Rosin Bags
Depending on your starting material, a rosin bag is recommended in order to keep plant material away from your rosin oil.
When pressing kief, dry sift, hash, and bubble hash, we recommend using a 36 micron bag. When pressing flower, trim, and shake, we recommend using a 90 micron or 115 micron bag. You will get the highest yield from a 115 micron rosin bag compared with a 90 micron rosin bag, but the 90 micron bags will give you more filtration and slightly higher quality product.
Pre-Press Molds
While pre-press molds don't necessarily help in maximizing yields (yields predominantly depend on strain/cure/humidity), pre-press molds pack & compress your material evenly so there are no gaps for rosin to sit & collect in between the gaps.
If you're interested in picking a pre-press mold up, check out our selection of pre-press molds
here.
Parchment Paper
It goes without saying that in order to press and collect rosin, you need parchment paper. Is there a particular brand better than others? In our experience the most accessible parchment paper while being fairly reliable and cheap is the Reynolds parchment paper.
If you're feeling fancy and want the kind of parchment paper that makes it a bit easier and faster to collect the rosin, then we recommend going with this heavy-duty parchment paper from Pure Pressure.
Collection Tools
Your best friend in collecting all the rosin you've just extracted & collected in your parchment paper. They're inexpensive. gets the job done, and can easily makes collecting rosin a breeze.
Hack: Use a cold surface: a piece of marble, ceramic tile, metal, stainless steel scraps or a similar material where you sandwich your newly pressed rosin with the parchment paper between these two surfaces to help keep the moisture away from your rosin as you put it in the freezer to cool down in order to make it easier to collect it using your tools.
How About Pre-Build Options?
Since this blog was initially written, the rosin community has seen incredible developments, including the widespread availability of purpose-built rosin presses. Brands like Dabpress have emerged, offering mass-produced units that deliver both quality and affordability. Due to rising costs of shop presses and other DIY components, purchasing a pre-built press can sometimes be as cost-effective, if not cheaper, than the DIY route.
Additionally, opting for a name-brand press comes with the benefits of warranties and customer support. If you run into issues or need replacement parts, having a dedicated support team can offer valuable peace of mind.
Here are some options for you to choose from:
| Rosin Press |
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|---|---|---|
| Plate Size | 2.5" x 2.5" | 3" x 5" |
| Squish Capacity | 2 Tons (4,000 lbs) | 4 Tons (8,000 lbs) |
| Material Capacity | 3.5 grams | 10 grams |
| Operation | Manual, Hydraulic Arm | Manual, Hydraulic Arm |
| Warranty | Lifetime | 1 year |
| Price | $420 | $369 |
Parting Thoughts
There are several ways to go about building a rosin press just as there are several ways to skin a cat. The examples we've laid out are only but a few examples. However, they are the more popular and cost-effective options based on our research and experience.
Have any questions? Feel free to contact us, and a member of our team would be happy to help you with your build.
Finally, for a complete A-Z guide on rosin, finding the optimum temperature and maximizing for the best yields, check out our Ultimate Rosin Press Guide here.
