Shock and awe as these words register in your mind. Its a project. I was wondering if there are any better or closer pictures of the vandercook ball bearing proof press or a manual that is in pdf format. Or someone like the geniuses of Fritz Klinke or Paul Moxon could run me through the seemingly easy enough way the press is put together. Where is the track that it runs on, what is the depth, how big is the roller, how does it slide so easily. I want to build my own, please help me.
Home
A proof press resource
Home-made presses have been discussed at length on BriarPress. Despite the encouragement you will find there, as far as I can tell only three styles of press have been made with any success: wooden platen handpresses based on historical designs, platens based on hydraulic jacks like an arbor press, and rolling pin presses based on the galley press.
Some have suggested that proof presses can be made out of stock parts like granite surface plates, but I see the cylinder as one of the greatest challenges. That’s why a simple tube filled with cement is about as good as anyone has shown so far. Using weight and gravity is much simpler than trying to hold down the cylinder with impression bearings.
People have also been creative adding frisket-and-tympan assemblies to gripperless presses like the Poco.