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Dave’s Press (completed)

Here’s a view of the completed printing press after assembly, glue-up and sanding. Looks pretty good, right? Just like Gutenberg.

Dave\'s Press, Wide View

I tried cutting my first handcut dovetails on this project - the stresses on the frame seemed to beg for the full treatment, but as it was my first time, they were pretty sloppy.

Dave\'s Press, Crappy Dovetail

I ended up reinforcing the joints with 1/2 inch through pegs.

Dave\'s Press, Crappy Dovetail No. 2, pegged

I had another craptastic realization when sanding - the wood I thought was maple that I used for the top and side braces was actually basswood. I got a load of misc. wood on Craigslist and guess I didn’t sort it very well. Rough, they look very similar, but the weight really should have clued me in. Hopefully, it will still be strong enough to withstand the press’ forces.



3 Responses to “Dave’s Press (completed)”

  1. Gabe Says:

    November 29th, 2005 at 5:26 pm
    Visit Gabe

    I like your press, nice job with the dovetail work. Have you tested it out yet? The handcrank looks familiar, where did you get it?

  2. Dave Says:

    November 29th, 2005 at 9:13 pm
    Visit Dave

    It’s a “veneer press.” I got mine at Woodcraft, but this looks about the same.

  3. Jessy Says:

    January 19th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
    Visit Jessy

    so you have a extensive passion for art. awesome