What type of press did Leonardo da Vinci design for squeezing grapes and olives?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a screw press for applying strong, controlled pressure.

A screw press uses the mechanical advantage of a threaded screw to push a pressing plate downward. Leonardo’s engineering drawings include presses associated with agricultural processing, including the extraction of liquids from materials such as grapes or olives. Turning the screw converts rotational motion into a powerful linear force.

The same principle had much older roots. Ancient and medieval presses already used screws, so Leonardo did not invent the screw press itself. His contribution was to study, refine, and document mechanical arrangements with careful attention to frames, threads, pressure, and operation.

A screw press differs from a hydraulic press, which uses fluid pressure, and from a rolling press, which squeezes material between rollers. Leonardo’s sketches often combine practical workshop machinery with experimental improvements, making it important to distinguish a design study from a proven commercial invention. His drawings remain valuable evidence of Renaissance engineering thinking and the use of simple machines to multiply human force.