A fellow artist talked me into attending an estate sale, that had bookbinding tools, one rainy weekday a few years ago. When we arrived early in the morning, the line into the home was an hour wait time. But it was worth it. The inhabitants who had lived there were very craft oriented. As I was walking into the living room which was set up as a checkout station, I saw a gentleman buying the plough unit to a Dryad Leicester Combination Press. Even though I was disappointed not to score the plough unit, I hopefully scanned the house for the other part of the Dryad Press and found it buried under several other handmade presses in a backyard shed. I immediately snatched it up when I saw it going for a mere $60. I picked up 6 wood carving tools for around $10 and a pair of pressing boards with the metal edge for about $2. The Dryad is a combination Plough and Finishing Press. Made of heavy beech, it is an absolute workhorse for bookbinding as it can be used for so many binding functions. Continue reading Bookbindng Tool Adaptors
