A simple book press.

A couple of weeks ago, with the assistance of my friend Ralph, I built a simple book press using the instructions at TJ's (TJ Book Arts) web site.




Here, I'm using a brick as a weight because I was feeling too lazy to run the wing nuts all the way down. I'm pondering making some pressing boards to reduce the distance the nuts have to be tightened when pressing thinner pieces.

I also made a couple of modifications:



Since Ralph has a full woodworking shop, we drilled out the hole a little larger on the top of the base and used a nut to retain the screws - fewer potential loose bits and pieces roaming around the bindery is always a Good Thing.



I also added little stick-on feet (available at any hardware store) to prevent the bolt heads from scratching up the workbench.