Why does nobody talk about using phone books for pressing?

I was at a garage sale last weekend and saw a stack of old phone books for free. Grabbed them on a whim, and now I use them as pressing boards for smaller books. They are way cheaper than buying proper boards, especially for the size. I just stack a few on top of a freshly glued spine and it works great. Has anyone else tried this trick or found another cheap pressing tool?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant.felix18d ago

Man, that's such a smart reuse of something people just toss. It kinda reminds me of how we overlook simple tools that are already sitting around us. Like, I've started using old cast iron skillets as book weights for bigger projects - they're heavy and stable, perfect for pressing. People spend money on fancy gear when a kitchen cabinet or garage shelf has stuff that works just as good. It's like we're trained to think we need the official thing, but half the time the cheap hack is actually better.

stellanelson18d ago

And honestly, I'm living proof that you don't need the expensive stuff - I once tried to use a stack of old National Geographics as a book press and let's just say my project ended up with more dents than a golf ball (don't ask). The cast iron skillet idea is genius though, I'm totally stealing that for my next binding project. It's wild how we all have these perfect tools hiding in plain sight, like that old encyclopedia set my grandma used to keep potted plants on - they'd make amazing weights if you stacked them right. I think part of the problem is we get so focused on the hobby itself that we forget to look around our own homes with fresh eyes, you know? But once you start seeing a heavy pot or a stack of old books as potential tools, it's like the whole world becomes a workshop.

alicehernandez18d ago

grant.felix, I really appreciate what you said about overlooking simple tools. That's exactly how I feel about these phone books. It's funny how we get trained to think we need the expensive stuff when the cheap option works just as well. Your cast iron skillet idea is genius too. I have a big one sitting in my cupboard that would work perfectly for pressing larger books. I think it's because we see these things every day and just don't connect them to our hobbies. But once you start thinking that way, it opens up so many possibilities.