Pricing the parts on the internet an estimated cost for a 36 inch wide press with a gear drive would be 871.77. The only additional cost would be for shipping of parts and some welding and turning at a machine shop for the rollers. The 871.77 includes the roller materials, gears, bearings, side rails & frame etc . You would need to buy some Nuts and Bolts and threaded rod at a hardware store. If you can handle a hacksaw and an electric drill you can do most of the work your self. A machine shop can handle roller construction.

A comparison of Etching Press Prices on the internet for a press of the quality & size you will build from these plans ranges between $8,000. to 13,000. As you can see there is considerable room for big savings!

The above is for a gear drive press a chain drive will be slightly less

One of the great features of building your own press is that you can purchase parts as you can afford them and before you know it you will have a quality press at a fraction of the cost of a manufactured one!

I have built presses that have a 36 inch wide bed and I don't see why you couldn't build one larger say 48"

Press design one is a combination of wood & steel. Press design number two is 1/2 inch plate steel

It depends on the machine shop most can work from the pdf printouts

These are personal adaptations made by the various builders the plans lend themselves to be customized any way you like

I have made presses 24 inches wide there is no reason why you couldn't go even smaller

You could build a press like that by modifying the side rails. I built a prototype of that design using 1/2 inch plywood all you would need to do is substitute 1/2" steel for the plywood and you would have a press.

You can modify the plans to any size you like and with a little patience you will be amazed how easy it is

That's what the plans are for you can have the parts you need made for you at a machine shop!

There are two press designs both can be scaled to any size you want when you are building it

You can get blankets through an art supplies store that would sell printmaking materials ink etc

It's 1/2 inch plate steel

The download file is a slightly striped down version of the plans to keep the file size down. It has all the important stuff the rest can be found on my web site

I would suggest the CD-ROM

No problem you can add a motor anytime

Yes everything is on the one CD

The prices shown are Canadian funds and you can pay by credit card over my secure site or you can fax or mail your order

The cost is as listed on my site less what ever the exchange rate is (your credit card co will do that for you) the shipping is included in the price

Yes just email me a request along with the email address you originally used or your name or your order number if you have that

No it's for all versions of the press

1/2 inch plate steel

It depends on whether the horse is tired and stops for a rest it usually takes anywhere from one week to a week and a half

No I do both on my press just as it is

Non that I know of it might require a little experimenting though

You probably did some times I'm a bit slow I do everything by hand and sometimes my wife says I have to pay some attention to her so that's probably what I'm doing. Sometimes I'm a sleep it's always daytime somewhere in the world and I can't stay up 24 hrs a day anymore!

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You can use this press for relief printing I do woodcuts all the time

You can order the plans on my web site. This link will take you to our secure server where you can order the plans. Download Plans Or you can fax me your order 1-905-468-1852 will require credit card info- Card # - Expiry Date- Name of card holder we accept - Visa, Master Card & American Express. Fax Order Or you can order by snail mail:Doug Forsythe, P.O. Box 1465, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario, Canada, L0S 1J0 Please Provide: Ship To info: Credit Card Info or Money order $40.00(pc-mac format) + $5.00 shipping in Canadian Dollars.

There are two versions of the press on the CD. A hand driven version for the purist and a motorized version for the weak of shoulder. You can also customize the size to fit your needs.

You most certainly can! The press has been designed to have all of the components built by people that know what they are doing you just assemble it! Of course if you are handy you can get more involved and probably save yourself a little cash as well.

Most of the plans are drawn to scale to fit a standard letter size page 8.5 by 11 inches. The full scale plans are put on tiled 8.5 by 11 paper that can be taped together to form the full size plan sheet. Yes you can print them on your little inkjet!

Just released all new Mac/PC CD-ROM.Now you can use the CD version on both platforms Mac or PC! The Download version is in PDF format that can also be read on a PC or Mac

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about 1/4"

They don't have to be chrome plated just turned on a lath to remove any imperfections on the surface and made true. Remember there is a thick felt blanket between the plate and roller

You have the rollers constructed at the machine shop the plans are provided on the CD. you decide how wide you want them.You can have them made from steel or Stainless steel tubing about 6inches in diameter

Yes but you will have to find a source for them. I was originally going to install them but decided against them when I found I really didn't need them. Once you get acquainted with your new press I think you will find like I did that you will be able to adjust the pressure by feel and get what you want

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You can find that on my site I tried to keep the download small for people with a phone connection

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5/8 inches to fit the axles

Some times they have different part numbers you will have to match up the specifications as best as passable

The gear drive gives you a bit more torque but if you are strong like me that doesn't matter the chain drive works fine used one for about 15 years

If you are having difficulty finding a supplier for gears and bearings in your area you might find this site useful. Go to the Link below when the page opens you will see a link to your left links titled " Find a Distributor ...." this link will take you to a search page where you can type in your local phone area code and you will be presented with a list of suppliers in your area. Location maps may also be obtained by clicking the globe icon on the left of the suppliers name. I was able to locate the source I used for my parts in this manner! Emerson Page (click to go to this site!)

Shouldn't be a problem you might want to check your yellow pages

Here it is

It has two sprocket gears one large one small this gives you the torque required to move the plate through with a lot of pressure applied

No you will have to have them made at a machine shop using the plans

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Machine shops can be found in the yellow pages.

 

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If you have a bed already you can make the press to fit it no problem

You can make the press bed from a couple of materials. I use a sheet of Melamine which is a very hard hardboard that you can get at any building supply store. It has a baked on white surface that is easy to clean up and stands up well with repeated use if you are careful with your pressure adjustments. Or you can have a sheet of 1/2 inch steel ground and trued up much more expensive. A good machine shop can do this for you.

The size of the bed depends on what size plates you are going to pull. If you use the Melamine it comes in a 4' by 8' size and can be changed at any time to suite your needs.

You will want to make your bed a couple of feet longer than your longest Plate

You can make it as thick as you like anything over 3/4 inches is overkill though

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Yes all prices are In Canadian Funds if you use a credit card your credit card company will do the conversion for you.