clamshell press vs. Swing away

[Paul]

hi. As you know my press when to the heat press heaven and i hope its rest in peace.

My question is if i but another press like clamshell type will i be able to press wooden plaques? Iam big fan of swing away press but i can get clamshell cheaper

[Andrew]

All depends on the advertised clearance of the press surface I would think. Swing aways usually have better clearance but it still might be enough.

[Jimbo]

I have a Jarin clam press that can take items of up to around 1 inch thick, I always think the swing aways add more work by having to swing it out and back again.

[NASH]

when i`m doing mdf plaques on my clamshell i place a 10mm dowel underneath the the paque and that way when i close the press the heat plate is in full contact with the plaque

[Paul]

thats help a ,ot. its simply means you can press thicker stuff too with no problem must collect some money now

[Kaz]

Jimbo

And with a clam shell you burn your fingers

Wish I had a swing away as not much left of my fingers now, lol

[Paul]

I just had a lok on this press on ebay:

any one know whats the max thicknest i would be able to press?

[2manymugz]

The one i've just sold was pretty much the same as this and I printed wooden plaques on it with no problems, just adjusted the pressure accordingly. If you do buy a clam shell type press though, mind those knuckles!! lol.