A SIMPLE HAND-PRESS AND ACCESSORIES
Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. Fig. 4. Fig. 5. Fig. 6.
A composing-stick (Fig. 6) may be made from thin wood three inches wide and nine inches long, with a sliding jaw (as shown at A) made of thin wood and caught to the edge with a metal strip loose enough to permit the jaw to be easily moved back and forth.
The types, being first set up in the composing-stick, are then transferred to the chase, and clamped in with blocks of wood and quoins.
An Upright Press
The upright press (Fig. 7) is on the same principle as the flat-bed, but the chase is held in a vertical position, and the back against which it rests is braced to the base-board. This press can be made a little larger than the flat-bed, and will accommodate a chase measuring five by seven inches. At the rear of the sides of the base-board angular cuts must be made with a saw, and corresponding cuts should be made near the top of the upright board which supports the chase. With a sharp chisel cut the wood away between these cuts (Fig. 7). Cut the brace-pins also at each end (Fig. 8 A). A lap-joint is the result, and when fastened with glue and screws a firm anchorage and support is obtained for the upright board.
The pressure-plate is of wood one and one-fourth inches thick, and attached to the strip at the bottom of the upright or chase-board by means of stout iron hinges. Care must be taken when placing these hinges to arrange them so accurately that not a fraction of an inch difference is perceptible at either side or at the top or bottom. Otherwise, uneven pressure will give unsatisfactory results. A lever is made and attached to the pressure-plate as described for the flat-bed press, and a block may be fastened to the base-board for the lever to rest on, as shown in the drawing.