Homemade Bookbinding Equipment
Large bookbinding equipment for the home hobbyist.
Introduction
While many of the smaller bookbinding tools—such as bone folders, glue, and needles—are easy to find, larger equipment is not. For example, a 75lb cast iron press isn’t something you can simply buy on Amazon. However, it is something you can make yourself.
In this post, I’ll go over two essential bookbinding tools that I built with my dad, sharing both the process and practical considerations for each.
Nipping Press
The nipping press is the backbone of any bookbinding operation. If you want to buy a nipping press, your options are: absolute junk on Amazon, a $500-$1000 antique on eBay, or hemorrhaging money on a $300-$2000 modern press.
Commercial Options
If you do decide to go the commercial route, here are a few options I find attractive:
- Olive and Oak Brunel Press - $2200
- Schmedt Steel Press - $1500
- Schmedt Double Screw Press with Binding Boards ~$350
Building Your Own
My press is a ~100 year old design that my dad ran across in one of DAS Bookbinding’s excellent videos. The basics are essentially one board, some feet, and a clamp. You should be able to follow his video as a build guide.
The central clamp defines the capacity of the press. Since pressure will be exerted from the center of the clamp, the clamp’s throat depth dictates 1/2 the width of the largest book you can press.
For my press, we special-ordered a Jorgensen 12in 1200lb bar clamp with a 5in throat. Most hardware store clamps are only 3in, which is not deep enough. Jorgensen actually sells 7in and 9in clamps as well, but 5in is actually a pretty good size for most books.
Our version is a bit more robust than what’s demonstrated in DAS’s tutorial. Instead of using a single board, we laminated two boards together, creating a straighter and stronger plate that is less likely to warp over time. We also added a 1.5x1.5in floating caul made of stiffer oak to the top to distribute the pressure more evenly.
The press plates on mine are two laminated 0.75 inch sheets, for a total thickness of 1.5 inches and a surface of 15.75x11.75 inches. However, since the clamp extends into the workspace, the actual usable pressing area is 15.75x9.5 inches. The press can accommodate a stack up to 8.5 inches high.
It’s large enough to press any regular-sized books and about 3/4 of my extra-large coffee table books.
If you want to build a more traditional screw design, there are several excellent videos out there, such as Uri Tuchman’s and Darbin Orvar’s. Here’s an alternate version that uses a dual post design. I’d recommend avoiding the four-post designs, as they’re fiddly and cumbersome to use.
Darbin has building plans available, and if I ever build a second press, I would probably go with a slight modification of Darbin’s design.
Finishing Press
A finishing press is essential for sanding the pages, applying gold leaf or paint to the edges, and forming the bands.
Commercial Options
- Olive and Oak - $350
- Schmedt Press and Binding bars - $350
Building Your Own
For a very simple finishing press tutorial, check out Ingenius Designs’ $25 finishing press. For a more advanced design that includes a cutting plough, see Darbin Orvar’s plans.
here is mine in use
My finishing press was built for me by my dad, with primary jaws made of ash. The jaws are 3.75 inches tall, with 15 inches between the screws, and a maximum opening of 2 inches. However, the bolts aren’t captive, so they can be easily replaced with longer ones to increase the opening size if needed.
The hand wheels were a budget-friendly $15 from Amazon but were initially oversized for the screws. I built them up with metal tape and used them for several projects, though eventually that setup failed. I later spent an hour in the shop machining proper fittings, which I will detail in a separate post.
Final Thoughts
If you have $700 burning a hole in your pocket, I don’t think you can go wrong with the Schmedt presses. However, for most people, $100 and a weekend in the shop will yield two custom-made presses that are perfectly suited to your bookbinding needs.