An apparatus for the preparation of cheese, comprising a vertical tubular column for receiving and compacting cheese curd and a guillotine knife for cutting off curd blocks, wherein the guillotine knife in operation moves back and forth between an open position and a closed position, and wherein the guillotine knife is provided with guiding means which comprise two parallel girders which have mutually facing surfaces with guiding slots which receive the longitudinal edges of the guillotine knife, wherein the longitudinal edges of the guillotine knife are provided with plastic guide strips overlying the longitudinal edges, which guide strips are provided with a number of recesses bounded by intermediate sections and end sections, the recesses leaving parts of the longitudinal edges of the guillotine knife exposed, wherein the guide strips are arranged on the guillotine knife so as to be slidable back and forth in longitudinal direction over a predetermined distance, and wherein the outer surface of at least a number of the sections of the guide strips cooperates with the guiding slots for the longitudinal edges of the guillotine knife.
