Gave jury-rigged pressing boards a shot and my spines came out uneven

I had an old set of pressing boards that were slightly warped from moisture and I figured they'd still work fine for my small projects. So last Saturday I pressed a batch of five books I'd just finished casing in. Two of them came out with spines that are noticeably crooked, like a quarter inch off. I used to think the glue and the press did all the work but now I see the boards matter just as much. So I dropped $40 on a new flat pair from a local woodworker here in Austin. Has anyone else had a batch ruined by gear you thought was still good?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_dixon671mo ago

Yeah I used to be the same way, thought as long as the press was solid the boards were just there to spread the pressure. But after my last batch of journals came out looking like a staircase on the spine I had to admit I was wrong. Wound up ordering some fresh boards and it made a huge difference.

henry_moore551mo ago

That "staircase on the spine" line hit home. A buddy of mine runs a small bindery out of his garage and he swore by the same thing. He thought his old boards were fine, just cheap MDF. Then he tried to do a run of hardcover sketchbooks and the spines all warped like a roller coaster. He finally swapped to some good birch ply and it flattened everything right out. Seeing his face when he pulled the first perfect book out of the press was enough to convince me.