Wine makers: how exactly does a floor corker work?!
Answers: also, should my corks be exactly the same diameter as the opening of the wine bottles prior to bottling, or slightly bigger? Is soaking the corks before bottling necessary?
A floor corker is used to place a cork in a bottle. You put the cork in a small opening and the bottle under it and pull down on a lever which squeezes the cork to a diamiter just a bit smaller then the bottle opening and a plunger pushes the cork into the bottle opening and when you pull the lever back to the up position it releases the cork which at the same time seals the bottle
you can get the low down on corks here
http://www.thebeveragepeople.com
never heard of a floor corker ...
all I've seen are similar to bench type drill press
BUT the have the equipment as well
J Rebel gave most of the information. You should not only soak the corks, you should keep them submerged in boiling water for a few minutes. This not only softens the cork, it helps to keep stray microorganisms out of your wine.
I agree with J Rebel and oikos... As far as size goes, the standard size is #9 corks, you can pick them up at any local or online homebrew shop. These are slightly larger than the opening, and allow for a good airtight seal.