6 Best Heated Oil Press Plates For Homesteaders On a Homestead Budget

You’ve just spent weeks watching those sunflower heads grow heavy, and now a bucket of seeds sits on your porch. The goal wasn’t just bird feed; it was the promise of your own golden, nutty cooking oil. Taking that next step from growing the crop to producing the finished product is a huge leap in self-sufficiency, but the equipment can feel intimidating and expensive. This guide is about bridging that gap, focusing on the heart of any small-scale oil operation: the heated press plates.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Choosing Your First Homestead Oil Press Plates

Heated plates are the core of the system, but they don’t work alone. Most of these options require a separate hydraulic shop press to provide the immense pressure needed to extract oil from seeds or nuts. Think of the plates as the specialized tool and the shop press as the universal power source—a worthy investment for any homestead workshop.

The first major decision is plate size. A 3×5" set is a fantastic starting point for most homesteaders, handling a few ounces of material at a time, which is perfect for processing a small harvest of pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Larger plates seem tempting, but they require a more powerful and expensive press to achieve the same pressure per square inch. It’s better to do multiple small, efficient presses than one large, incomplete one.

Another key distinction is between "caged" and "uncaged" plates. Uncaged plates are two separate blocks of aluminum that you place in the press. Caged plates, however, are mounted in a steel frame that keeps them perfectly aligned. For beginners, uncaged is cheaper and simpler, but a caged system prevents the plates from shifting under pressure, ensuring a more even and efficient extraction.

VEVOR 3×5" Heated Plates: A Solid Budget Start

If you’re looking to get into oil pressing with the absolute minimum investment, VEVOR is the name you’ll see everywhere. Their 3×5" uncaged heated plates are the definition of a budget-friendly starting point. They get the job done without any frills, allowing you to learn the process of temperature control and pressure application on a system that won’t break the bank.

The tradeoff for the low price is a lack of refinement. The temperature controller is functional but basic, and you might find some temperature fluctuation across the plate surfaces. This isn’t a deal-breaker, especially when you’re just pressing robust seeds for cooking oil. This is the perfect choice for the homesteader who already owns a shop press and wants to experiment with oil extraction for under a hundred dollars.

Dulytek DM800: Compact and Efficient Pressing

Not everyone has the space for a 6-ton shop press in their garage. The Dulytek DM800 is an all-in-one solution that bypasses that need entirely. It’s a small, self-contained, hand-cranked press with integrated heated plates, making it incredibly simple to set up and use right out of the box.

Its main limitation is its power; at just 1500 lbs of force, it’s not designed for tough, dense materials like hemp seeds. However, it excels with softer nuts and seeds, or for pressing specialty botanicals. For the homesteader focused on small batches of high-value oils or someone with serious space constraints, the DM800 offers unmatched convenience and a very small footprint.

Dabpress 4-Ton Kit: Power for Harder Seeds

When you start moving from soft sunflower seeds to tougher nuts or fibrous hemp seeds, you need more power. The Dabpress 4-ton kit is a significant step up, providing well-made caged plates paired with a compact hydraulic ram. You still need to mount this to a sturdy frame or shop press, but it provides the force necessary for more challenging materials.

The caged design is a major advantage here. When you’re applying several tons of pressure, keeping the plates perfectly parallel is critical for an even press and maximum yield. Dabpress has a strong reputation for quality components and reliable temperature controllers. This kit hits the sweet spot between affordability and the power needed for a wider variety of homestead crops.

CRD-Workz Caged Plates for DIY Press Setups

For the homesteader who loves to build and tinker, buying a set of high-quality caged plates is the best route. CRD-Workz offers robust, well-machined caged plate kits that are designed to be the heart of a DIY press. You provide the shop press and the know-how, and they provide the precision heating and alignment.

This approach lets you build a system perfectly tailored to your needs. You can pair these plates with a 10-ton or even a 20-ton press if you plan on processing large volumes or extremely tough materials. It requires more setup, but the result is a professional-grade system at a fraction of the cost of a pre-built press with similar capabilities. This is for the homesteader who sees a tool as a starting point for a project.

MyPress Gen 2: Simple Operation for Beginners

The MyPress Gen 2 is designed for one thing: simplicity. Like the Dulytek, it’s an all-in-one unit, but it’s known for its incredibly user-friendly design. It features an easy-to-read LCD screen with a timer and temperature controls that are intuitive for someone who has never pressed oil before.

This unit delivers 6 tons of pressure, giving it more punch than many other compact models, making it quite versatile. The tradeoff is a higher price point for the convenience. You’re paying for a polished, ready-to-go experience. For the homesteader who values their time highly and wants to avoid a learning curve with separate components, the MyPress is an excellent, reliable choice.

Eco-Farm Rosin Plates: Consistent Heat Control

When you move from crude cooking oil to wanting more refined results, temperature control becomes paramount. Scorched oil tastes terrible and loses its beneficial properties. Eco-Farm’s heated plate kits are known for their dual-controller setups and high-quality heating elements that provide very stable and accurate temperatures.

Having independent controllers for the top and bottom plates gives you a level of precision that cheaper kits lack. This allows you to fine-tune your process for different materials, ensuring you extract the oil at the optimal temperature without damaging it. If your goal is quality over sheer quantity, investing in a plate kit with superior heat management like this one will pay dividends in the final product.

Key Features for Your Homestead Oil Press Needs

Choosing the right plates comes down to matching the tool to your specific homestead goals. Don’t get caught up in buying the biggest or most powerful option if your needs are simple. Instead, focus on these key features:

• Pressure Source: Do you already own a shop press? If yes, a plate kit (VEVOR, Dabpress, CRD-Workz) is the most cost-effective route. If not, an all-in-one unit (Dulytek, MyPress) saves space and setup time.
• Plate Size: For most homestead batches, a 3×5" or 4×4" plate is more than enough. Bigger isn’t always better; it just requires a much stronger press to be effective.
• Caged vs. Uncaged: Uncaged is cheaper for starting out. A caged system is a worthwhile upgrade for better alignment and more consistent results, especially when applying more than a few tons of pressure.
• Target Crop: Soft seeds like sunflower or pumpkin can be pressed with lower-tonnage units. Harder seeds like flax, hemp, or tough nuts will require the higher pressure offered by kits paired with a 4-ton press or greater.
• Temperature Control: A basic, single controller works for general-purpose oil. If you plan to press more delicate materials or want to perfect your technique, a system with dual, highly accurate controllers is a smart investment.

Ultimately, the best choice is the one that gets you started. A simple, inexpensive set of plates paired with a basic shop press can unlock a whole new level of production on your homestead.

Bringing an oil press into your workflow is more than just acquiring a new tool; it’s about closing another loop in your self-sufficiency journey. From seed in the ground to oil in the pantry, you gain control over the quality and purity of a fundamental kitchen staple. Start small, learn the process, and you’ll find that producing your own liquid gold is one of the most rewarding projects you can take on.