Bought a $150 book press off Etsy and it warped my first project

Thought I was saving money compared to a real nipping press, but the wood wasn't even flat. Had to trash a whole leatherbound journal. Anyone else get burned by cheap bookbinding tools online?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler_fox4116d ago

Yeah I gotta disagree here. A $150 book press from Etsy is already a fairly pricey tool, I wouldn't call that "saving money" territory. A lot of times people grab the cheapest thing they can find and then blame the whole market when it lets em down. You gotta check the wood quality and actually look at reviews before buying, especially with smaller makers on Etsy. Also, a warped project usually happens when you clamp too tight too fast, not just cause the press is uneven.

david_hayes15d ago

Whoa, hold on! I think a $150 press for bookbinding is actually a steal when you consider what you'd pay for a proper one from a specialty shop, and for someone just starting out that price point makes it way more doable than dropping $400. And sure, clamping too fast can mess things up but a press that's uneven from the start is fighting against you no matter how careful you are.