Now put on the front and screw the boards together with the handles. Turn the press over so as to have the edges that are level uppermost, and then with a broad-set saw cut notches about 1/4 in. deep at intervals of about 2 in. apart right across the two boards, as shown at the bottom of Fig. 13. The lying press itself is complete, but for convenience is attached to a support which serves as a guide to keep the books perfectly level while arranging them for binding. To make the support, procure a piece of board about 3/4 in. thick and 14 in. by 12. in, and a piece of 1 in. board 14 in. by 8 in., and screw them together at right angles by their longer edges. The press is supported on the larger piece, the 14 in. by 8-in. piece standing upright on edge. On top of the back board of the press is laid a piece of wood 5 in. by 14 in. by 1 1/2 in., and this is screwed to the upright back of the support to form a continuation of the back board of the press.

It has been remarked that a press must have a good support if required to work with convenience. So many things are done with this appliance-pressing, cutting, backing, screwing-out, screwing-in, etc.-that as it is not very heavy it is always shifting on the table or bench, and thus causing trouble. To remedy all these inconveniences, one method is to make a combined press and box. In a box from 2 ft. 6 in. to 3 ft. long, 2 ft. wide, and 2 ft. deep, fix two pieces of beech wood (5 in. by 4 in.) A and B (Fig. 15, ) of the same length as the inside measurement of box. The wood must be planed straight and squared up; bore holes for the screws c, say 1 1/4 in. diameter. Inside the box, on ends, nail two bars of wood D (as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 15), 5 in. from top, so that the front and back pieces of the press, when placed on them, will come level with the top of the box. Obtain iron screws and nuts to fit, say 1 in. or 1 ¼ in. diameter, of the shape shown at c, and on the nuts have tails with two holes for screw-nails to fasten into the press bar cutting a hole in the wood so that the nut may be inserted flat.

The plough is the implement by which ordinarily the edges of well-bound books are cut. The plough consists of a couple of wooden cheeks, which can be brought together or drawn apart by rotating the handle and screw. To the bottom of the right cheek is fixed a plough knife, which is a blade of well-tempered steel secured to the under surface of the right hand cheek of the plough by a screwed bolt and nut. Fig. 12 shows the plough as it lies ready for use in the cutting press. The book is carefully screwed up in the press, and the edges of the book are cut by sliding the plough forwards and backwards. The guiding groove on the plough is on the left-hand side of the press. On the right-hand side of the plough is a handle that turns the screw by which the knife is pushed laterally across the edges of the book every time the plough is thrust forward. Plough knifes are shown at A and B, Fig. 12,

Lying Press