Dropped $120 on a cheap book press and totally regret it

I bought one of those mini book presses off Amazon for like $120 thinking it'd be good enough for my little hobby projects. The wood split on the third use when I was pressing a text block for a poetry anthology I'm making. Now I'm looking at proper nipping presses that cost 4 times as much but probably won't fall apart. Anyone here had luck with a budget DIY option that actually holds up?

3 comments

3 Comments

laura_wilson14d ago

A buddy of mine made a solid one from two cutting boards and a clamp from the hardware store.

sanchez.ivan14d ago

$120 for a book press that split on the third use is rough. I used to think those cheap ones were fine too until my sister's broke the same way pressing a novel she was binding. @laura_wilson is onto something with the cutting board trick, I tried a version with two thick maple boards from a thrift store and a heavy duty clamp from the hardware store. It cost me like $25 total and it's been solid for over a year now, even with thicker text blocks.

dylan_ward14d ago

Not sure I agree about the cutting board thing honestly... I tried that setup with a pair of maple boards and a 6inch Irwin clamp and the boards bowed after a few months of use. The clamp just puts too much pressure in one spot. For a small poetry anthology it might be fine but you're already fixing one cheap solution.