This is an idea I've been toying with for around five years now. I've drawn and redrawn my plans a number of times, but never bothered to actually sit down and build the thing. I'm getting married in a few months, and it's time to start printing invitations. Given that I'll be printing a larger number of impressions than I normally do (and my own stubborn insistence that the invitations be neater than my normal work), I think it's time I finally build a press.

The more popular instrument for exerting the pressure of the press is currently a bottle jack. Alternately, I've seen veneer screw presses used. A bottle jack will rather effortlessly build up sufficient pressure, but it isn't without its drawbacks. A bottle jack requires some ingenuity in attaching it to the top brace of the press, and generally requires some bungie cords to raise the platen after the impression is made. A veneer screw is my preferred tool, but is not something I can source locally, and I'd rather get on with building while I'm still on holiday. So, I'm thinking I'll use a scissor jack. Harbor Freight has a scissor jack intended for levelling camping trailers. It has mounting holes on top and bottom, so I shouldn't have to come up with anything special to install it, and best of all, it's on sale this week.

The foot of the press will be a 2x4 doubled over in the middle with feet extending for support. The base will be a couple of sheets of plywood. Platen likewise will also be a couple of sheets of plywood cut just smaller than the base. For vertical supports, I'm debating between threaded rods and steel angles. Either should work just as well, so I'll probably go with whichever is cheaper. The top bar of the press will be three 2x4 boards - two standing and one laying under. I think this arrangement for the top bar will be my best bet for withstanding the pressure of the jack.