On my way down the marquetry rabbit hole I decided I needed a press to use when gluing the finished marquetry onto the substrate. I looked around a bit for one of those antique book presses, but they were just too expensive. I've always wanted a book press (maybe bookbinding is in my future), so I decided to make one using a screw I picked up at an estate sale last year.
Beside the wooden frame there were a few metal parts I had to buy or make. Most of these are shown below, minus the rod and T-connector for the handle.
This is the final result. The woods are oak and walnut. I had a 10/4 piece of red oak left over from my workbench. It had been taking up space in the shop for many years, but I finally put it to use. The construction uses wedged through tenons anddove condor tails. The size of the gluing area is about 11" x 18", which is more than enough for most of the projects I have planned.
Beside the wooden frame there were a few metal parts I had to buy or make. Most of these are shown below, minus the rod and T-connector for the handle.
- Pressure plate from 1/4" steel. This helps distribute the force out from the threaded rod.
- Screws for pressure plate to cross block.
- Bolts for connecting the cross block to the main platen.
- Two sets of thrust bearings to transfer the force and reduce wear on the pressure plate while turning the screw.
- Stop collar made from hex bolt to hold the plate and bearings onto the rod.
- Threaded nut for the rod. The threaded rod was one end of the bar from a set of weights. It came with a couple of screws that would have originally held the weights from sliding.
- Screws for attaching the nut.
This is the final result. The woods are oak and walnut. I had a 10/4 piece of red oak left over from my workbench. It had been taking up space in the shop for many years, but I finally put it to use. The construction uses wedged through tenons and
