PSA: That book press I built out of a car jack and some plywood nearly ruined my first Folio Society binding

I was working in my garage last winter, temperature was about 45 degrees, and I had this beautiful copy of The Hobbit I was trying to case in. I thought I was being clever with the jack press, applying steady pressure overnight. Came back the next morning and the boards had warped like a potato chip. The moisture in the wood from the cold garage plus too much pressure did it. I ended up having to peel the whole thing apart and start over with new boards and a proper nipping press I borrowed from a retired binder in town. Has anyone else had a homebuilt tool backfire on them like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_lopez15d ago

Did you test the moisture content in the boards before pressing?

hernandez.ben15d ago

You're right to ask about moisture content, but pine is a little different than hardwoods in that regard. Most guys just check the surface with a meter and call it good, but the real test is if the boards have been kiln dried to the right spec. I had a batch last year that read fine on the outside but was still wet in the middle, warped like crazy after pressing. So no, I didn't test every single board, but I made sure they came from a supplier I trust with a proper dry kiln log.