It's quite easy to find a starter flower press online, but if you're looking to up your pressing game, learning how to make your own is a great way to get just what you need, without breaking the bank.
My first flower press was 15cm x 15cm and gave me 4 layers to press flowers in. This was perfect for a beginner to easily try out a few samples and get the pressing bug.
Progressing on to an A4 press was the next step when I wanted to press larger volumes of flowers, but when I outgrew that too, I found very few larger options available (and fewer still at a price I was able to pay). When it's all about volume and practicality, get DIYing.
Flower presses are a fairly simple construction, so even an inexperienced DIY'er like me can make something which does a great job. Using tools you may already have in the garage (and the help of a willing assistant) you can create good quality, strong flower presses to your exact requirements that will produce amazing results.
What you'll need to make a large DIY Flower Press
Sheet of MDF (12mm thick is ideal)
A long ruler or tape measure & pencil
A saw (a hand saw is fine but an electric jigsaw worked really well)
Saw horses & clamps
Drill with drill bits for wood (use a drill bit 1 or 2 sizes larger than the diameter of your bolts for an easy fit)
Nuts, bolts (as long as you can find) & washers
Wingnuts
Here's the 'How To'
Step 1
Measure the MDF sheet, decide the size of your presses and draw lines where you're going to saw.
I used a standard sheet of MDF, which measured 600mm x 1200mm and 12mm thick.
To prevent any waste from the MDF, I decided to create 3 presses in total
1 press which was 600mm x 300mm (Great for long stems)
2 measuring 300mm x 300mm (Perfect fit for A4 sheets)
For this you need to cut the following:
2 pieces measuring 600mm x 300mm
4 pieces measuring 300mm x 300mm
Remember: you'll need 2 pieces of MDF for each press, one for the base and one for the lid.
Step 2
Saw the piece of MDF into 2 pieces measuring 600mm x 600mm.
Satefy first - Before you start sawing, make sure you assess the safety of what you're about to do. I used saw horses, clamps and a handy assistant to ensure everything was stable and secure, and took it very carefully. If in doubt, seek professional assistance.
To create the large press you simply need to cut one of the 600mm x 600mm in half, to create 2 pieces measuring 300mm x 600mm.
Step 3
Saw the second 600mm x 600mm piece of MDF into 4 equally sized pieces measuring 300mm x 300mm each.
Step 4
Drill 4 holes in each of the 300mm x 300mm pieces. The photo shows 6 holes but with hindsight that was unnecessary, one in each corner is plenty.
The larger press (300mm x 600mm) works well with 6 holes.
Mark on the MDF where you are going to drill, ensuring that there will be sufficient space between the holes to sit a piece of A4 paper. This will ensure your blotting paper will have the room it needs to lie flat.
To ensure the holes line up accurately, I drilled holes in one piece then laid that on top of a second piece, clamped them together and used the first piece as a guide.
Step 5
Clean off any dust from drilling and you're ready to attach the bolts.
In each of the four corners of the base piece of MDF, pop a bolt in from underneath so the screw thread is pointing upwards. Add a nut onto each bolt and tighten it down against the base.
This should hold the bolt in place nice and securely.
You now have 2 flower presses which will hold A4 sheets, and 1 extra large press for those beautiful long stemmed specimens.
Step 6
You're ready to load your press with layers of cardboard, blotting paper and of course plenty of gorgeous flowers.
When your press is full, add the lid on top, put a washer over each bolt and tighten down firmly with wingnuts.
Happy Pressing!!
Start learning how to successfully press flowers with my blog on daffodil pressing.
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