Visited a bindery in Portland that still uses a 1950s nipping press

I dropped by this old shop called Powell's Bindery off Burnside last week and noticed something wild. They're still running a nipping press from like 1957, the kind most places replaced with hydraulic units decades ago. The guy there told me they only repaired it twice in 65 years, and it still presses a book block flatter than any new machine I've seen for under $2,000. It made me wonder if we're overcomplicating things with all this modern gear when the old stuff just works better. Anyone else find a vintage tool that puts new equipment to shame?

2 comments

2 Comments

blake_bell291mo ago

Man, that story about Powell's Bindery really hits home for me. My grandpa had an old Delta table saw from the 50s that he passed down to me, and I swear it cuts cleaner than most new stuff on the market. It's been dropped, banged up, and barely touched in terms of maintenance, yet it still fires up with one pull. It's like they built things with a different mindset back then, not planning for planned obsolescence. Sorry, that got a little ranty, but your experience just reminded me of that feeling.

west.henry1mo ago

Used to be skeptical of old machinery myself until I watched that nipping press work a book block and saw the result firsthand... quiet and smooth, not a single squeak or rattle. Made me realize sometimes the simple design just does the job better than all the fancy upgrades they pack into new gear. Kind of makes you wonder what else we're over-engineering these days.