23

23
A. 23 x 23 x
C. ll s x ll s
x
ll s ll s
B. l2 Dlameter
x
l2
5
l2
E. l6 x 20 x
l6
20
Plywood:
Note: Parts C and L can lnstead be made
out of the coated shelvlng lf deslred.
Four Color Screen Printing Press Plans.
from www.printingplans.com
Diculty: Intermediate
Creators: Michael Phipps and Dan Mitchell
Plans Prepared by: Michael Phipps on July 8th, 2008
See shirts printed on this press at http://phippsart.etsy.com
Thls four color, one statlon prlntlng press was deslgned and bullt by Mlchael Phlpps and Dan Mltchell. |t ls sturdy and very preclse and can be bullt
for less than $l50, whlch ls qulte a blt less than even the cheapest commerclal presses. ou can also add a second statlon to the press lf you deslre by
uslng the lnstructlons for the arm and dupllcatlng lt on a second slde. *Save time, gas and money and buy ALL the hardware in one package. Go
to www.printingplans.com and click on the buy hardware link.
Plan on a few days to nlsh the press as lt ls very lnvolved. |t ls recommended to have a second person help out as several steps could use one
person holdlng whlle the other person attaches.
A few notes before the maln lnstructlons: The sturdlness and preclslon of the press ls lmportant for the success of multl-color lmages, so lts
lmportant to be as accurate as posslble ln your measurements. |t ls also recommended that you use wood glue at each [olnt ln addltlon to screws so
that the press ls as stable as posslble. ou may also want to predrlll holes before puttlng ln the screws to avold spllttlng of the wood (use a blt thats
sllghtly smaller than the screw). Thls table ls deslgned for a slx foot tall person. To alter lt for someone of a dlnerent helght, ad[ust parts N and O
accordlngly.
Materials Needed:
|n the dlagram below youll nd the dlmenslons of all the lumber youll need. The partlcle board can be another type of wood as long as lt ls thlck.
The most lmportant thlng regardlng the thlckness of your wood ls that the sum of the wldth of pleces 8, P and the lazy susan turntable ls equal to
the sum of the thlckness of pleces | and U. Thls wlll help allgn everythlng so your screens noat [ust the perfect helght above your shlrts for on-contact
prlntlng. ou should be able to cut all your 2 x 4 pleces out of slx 8-foot lengths, so |d recommend buylng seven to be safe. They should all be good,
stralght pleces, but lt ls especlally lmportant to nd a perfectly stralght plece for parts T and U.
Note: Part D below ls not llsted ln the lnstructlons. |t ls a substltute for part K lf you choose not to buy a l x 4 and would prefer to use your exlstlng
plywood.
Tools Youll Need:
Power Drlll/Screwdrlver
wood and Metal 8lts
Mlter Saw
Table Saw or Clrcular Saw
Llectrlc Sander
workbench vlse or Drlll Press
ardstlck/Measurlng Tape
Pencll
Level
Square
Clamps
wood Glue
weldlng Glue (or tools/materlals for weldlng)
Paper or Card stock
D. 20 x 3 x
20
3.5
Note: Part D ls merely a substltute for part K lf
you dont want to buy a l x 4.
F. l2 x l2 x
l2
l2
G. l2 x l7 x s
H. 3 's x 4 s x s
I. 3 x l x s
l2
l7
M. 20 x 3 x l
K. 20 x 3 x
x 2 P. l7 x 3 x l
Q. 40 x 3 x l
O. 3l x 3 x l
V. 5 's and l 's x 3 x l
J. 9 x l x l
T. 8 ':- x 3 x l
W. 2 s x l s x l s
X. l x l
Particle Board*: 90 Angled Metal: Coated Shelving With Rounded Edge:
2 x 4s:
For the Stand: For the Turntable and Platen Arm:
N. 34 x 3 x l
`or other board type
Note: The rounded edge ls shown by the dotted llne Part | does not lnclude
any of the rounded edge
x 2
x 4
L. 23 x 3 x l x 2
x 2 S. 4 s x 3 x l x 2
x 4 x 4
x 2
x 2
x 8
x 8
Slde vlew
60
R-a/R-b. l7 s x 3 x l
Slde vlews
57
U. 33 x 3 x l
approx. l #
6
8
4
8
8
8
4
4
4
2
2
8
2
4
6
8
2
l
2 wood Screws (ou can use 2.5 for most of these, but youll need some 2 for the platen and other areas)
2.5 to 3 wood Screws (Use these for dlagonal screws ln parts v and O)
Metal C-Clamps, 2 x l (The rst dlmenslon ls the max. clamplng wldth, the second ls the depth)
Hlnges wlth hardware (screws), 3 wlde
Hook & Lye Turnbuckles, :-" x 4"
Sprlngs, s x 3 x .072 (Pesorte/Pessort brand has these exact measurements)
Lag Lye Screws, " x 3 "
Lag Lye Screws, :-" x l s or 2 ':-"
Hex Cap 8olts, " x l "
Hex Cap 8olts, " x l "
Hex Cap 8olts, s" x 6 or 7"
Carrlage 8olts, s" x 3
Hex Nuts, "
Hex Nuts, s"
washers, "
washers, s"
Pender washers (These need to be l dlameter)
wlngnuts, s"
Lazy Susan Turntable, 7 x 7 x l (Thls ls the only ltem ln thls llst you are not llkely to nd ln a regular hardware store. ou wlll need to go to a
woodworklng supply store as they stock these for rotatlng barstools. Dont sklmp on thls- lt needs to be sturdy and have no slop.)
1 x 4s:
Hardware Needed:
*Save time, gas and money and buy ALL this hardware in one package. Go to www.printingplans.com and click on the buy hardware link.
R-a
*
R-b
`The notches shown on parts P-a and P-b should be exactly ln the mlddle and as wlde as a 2 x 4, so that they wlll t lnto each other.
Making the table:
Step 1: Cut all your lumber, marklng each plece wlth the approprlate letter to make assembly easler. well start by assembllng the table ltself. Plrst, lay
down parts L and Q and attach the legs (part N) as shown (g. a). Make sure that your angles are perfectly square. where parts L extend past the legs,
use a plece of 2 x 4 to check that the blts that extend are exactly equal to the smaller wldth of the wood.
Step 2: Attach the thln sldes of parts M to part A as shown ln g. 2. Use only glue and clamps for now. Agaln uslng only clamps and glue, set parts A
and M on top of the two legs you bullt ln Step l, so that parts L and M form a square around the perlmeter of A. Thls ls shown from above ln g. c.
(Dotted llnes lndlcate parts beneath.) Once you feel comfortable wlth the t, Go ahead and screw parts L lnto M, and A lnto both L & M from the top.
g. a
l6 s l6 s
l l l l
L L
N N N
Q Q
Q Q
N
g. b
M
M
A
g. c
N
N
N
N
L L
M
M
A
Step 3: Now you have a standlng, albelt weak, table. Attach parts P to legs N as shown ln g. d. Do lt ln the front and back, both tlmes keeplng part P
nush to the outslde, as seen from above ln g. e. Note: Parts P act as a support beam and rests for a shelf (part E). |t can be lowered or ralsed to sult
your preference, and addltlonal shelves may be added lf deslred.
Step 4: Attach part O to the outslde of both sldes of the table (g. f). Make sure you orlent them as shown for maxlmum support. Now secure shelf E
onto crossbeams P to act as a shelf. Add part K to the back to help keep ltems from falllng on. ou are now nlshed wlth the table ltself. |t should be
plenty sturdy wlth no glve at all.
g. d
g. f (slde vlew)
g. g
Q Q
A
g. e
N
N
N
N
L L
M
M
M
P
P
P
L L
A
N
N
Q Q
7
N
Pront of Press
N
L
Q
O
A
E
K
Building the Platen Arm and Platen:
Step 5: The platen arm ls the board that extends from the table and on whlch a board (the platen) ls placed, over whlch shlrts are pulled and prlnted.
Plrst glue plece F ln the exact mlddle of the top of the table (plece A). Thls can be done by drawlng llnes from opposlte corners on plece A, (creatlng
an X). Now by matchlng the corners of board F onto the newly drawn X, youll get lt ln the mlddle (see g. g). Do not screw lt ln place at thls tlme-
use glue only.
Step 6: 8efore contlnulng wlth the press ltself, were golng to bulld the platen. The platen featured here ls for adult T-shlrts, so lf youre lnterested ln
prlntlng other types of ltems youll need to bulld other platens of dlnerent slzes. Thls deslgn ls such that you can use the platen sldeways for wlde
deslgns ln addltlon to uslng lt ln lts normal posltlon. |f that lt not of lnterest to you, feel free to slmpllfy the deslgn.
Uslng your drlll press or workbench vlse and drlll, create half-lnch holes ln the mlddle of the largest slde of 4 of your parts W. Por the remalnlng 4,
draw a llne 2 s ln from the end and drlll the holes ln the new mlddle (see g. h). Then attach them onto board G as shown ln g. l. Use a 2 x 4 to help
you space the wood so the platen wlll t snugly onto the platen arm when lts ready. Also make sure that the dlstance between the holes ln one
dlrectlon ls the exact same dlstance as the holes golng the other way (see g. j). oull denltely want to predrlll your holes before attachlng parts W
or youll have problems wlth spllttlng wood.
Step 7: Now that you have a nlshed platen, lets use lt to determlne where to drlll holes ln your platen arm (part U). Place the platen over the part U
(lt should t snuggly). The curved edge of the platen should be 3 from the end of the platen arm. Mark the holes, remove the platen, then drlll
half-lnch holes through the platen arm, maklng sure that they go stralght through. ou may also want to drlll a second set of holes 2 further ln (to
the left lf looklng at g. k) for greater nexlblllty when prlntlng.
Step 8: Now that the holes are drllled ln the platen arm, lets attach lt to the table. Use your two carrlage bolts wlth the approprlate washers and hex
nuts to attach lt and add four screws for added stablllty. See g l for placement. The dotted llnes lndlcate where to measure to lnsure your platen arm
ls stralght (before securlng). Attach part V as shown ln g. m so lts centered ln the mlddle of part U. Make sure the screws go lnto the table AND the
platen arm.
g. h
g. k
g. l g. [
Q
Q
A
W-a W-b
2 s
3
Pront of Press
F
W-a W-a
W-a W-a
=
Dlstance between holes ls equal from elther vlew
W-b
W-b
W-b
W-b
8ottom vlew of platen
Slde vlew of platen Pront vlew of platen
U
G
Building the Rotating Printing Press:
Step 9: Attach your Lazy Susan Turntable dlrectly ln the mlddle of part F uslng 4 of your l " hex cap bolts. Drlll holes dlrectly through parts F and A
to do thls and use hex nuts to secure them underneath. Fig. n shows thls as lf the top part of the turntable ls mlsslng, [ust so you can see the
orlentatlon of the hex cap bolts. Draw an X onto part 8 by dlvldlng lt ln half and ln half agaln. Make sure thls ls exactly ln the center. oull be uslng
thls later. Next glue both parts S back to back and attach the end of the resultlng block to the mlddle of part B. See g. o for two vlews of thls.
Step 10: our accuracy ln the followlng steps ls vltal to the success of your nlshed product, so measure carefully! Drlll holes ln each of your metal
brackets as shown ln g. p. Now use a larger blt equal to the slze of your screw heads and drlll ln each of your holes, so that when you screw the
bracket on, the screw heads wlll be nush. Attach each bracket to the end of a part T, maklng sure lts ln the exact mlddle from slde to slde. The bottom
of the bracket should extend below the wood about the thlckness of the hlnges (so that when the arm ls ln the down posltlon the bracket rests on
part I). (g. q). On the opposlte end of each part T, screw ln one of the hlnges so that the edge of the cyllndrlcal part of the hlnge ls nush wlth the
edge of board T. Use the screws that came wlth the hlnge. The hlnge should be faclng up, so that when you put ln the screws from the bottom lnto
the wood, lt wlll be through the wrong end. |n other words, the tapered part of the hole ls now between the hlnge and the wood, and the larger
part of the cyllndrlcal sectlon of the hlnge ls faclng up (gs. q & r).
g. m
g. l (top vlew)
Q
Q
A
F U
U
screws
g. n (top vlew)
g. p g. q
g. o
Q
Q
A
F
U
carrlage bolts
N
Pront of Press
N
L
Q
O
V
top vlew slde vlew
slde vlew
B
S S
B
J T
S S
Step 11: Now attach each arm (part T wlth addltlons) to four sldes of part B uslng the rest of the screws that came wlth the hlnges (g. s). Make sure
that length x ls the same for all arms. Uslng the X you drew onto part B ln step 9, measure ln l s from each slde and drlll a hole blg enough for
your :-" hex cap bolts.
Step 12: 8olt the plece you [ust bullt ln step ll to the lazy suzan turntable uslng " hex cap bolts from underneath and the approprlate nuts and
washers. Make sure all four arms reach the exact same spot on the platen arm (as shown ln g. t). ou can probably move the whole top part sllghtly
untll thls ls the case, and then tlghten the nuts. |f you cant seem to get each arm to the same spot on part U, tlghten the nuts when youve done the
best you can. ou stlll need to get the arms the same length, so mark the shortest one, remove part J from any arm that ls longer, and sand part T
untll lts the approprlate length. Now reattach any part J that was removed. Thls may seem llke a lot of extra work, but lt wlll be well worth lt once you
start prlntlng multl-color shlrts.
g. r (slde vlew)
g. s
top vlew
S S
B
g. t (top vlew)
Q
Q
A
F
U
T
screws
screws
length y
B T
T
T
T S S
B T
T
T
T S S
drlll hole
l s ln on
each slde
all arms should reach the exact
same spot on the platen arm
U
J
J
J J
Step 13: Twlst the top mechanlsm 45 to get lt out of the way (thls wlll become easler when we add the sprlngs so the arms wlll be out of the way).
Attach part I onto the platen arm (U) uslng a slngle screw (otherwlse lt would probably spllt). |t should be rlght where part J lands when you lay an
arm onto part U, or about 8 s ln from the lnner end of part U (see gs. u and v). Next attach parts H to the platen arm (part U) so that the curved
part of the board ls on top and faces ln, and so that parts H overhang s over the slde of part A. Make sure to predrlll holes for the screws (sllghtly
small than the screws) to make thls easler. See gs. u, v and w for dlnerent vlews of thls.
g. v
N
Pront of Press
N
L
Q
O
V
s overhang
Step 13 (continued): Fig. w shows boards H wlth the curved parts faclng ln. The reason for thls ls that as you lower an arm lnto place, the curved
edges wlll help lt fall easlly lnto place. Try dolng thls now to make sure there ls the correct wldth between the two parts H. The arm (T) should t vLP
snuggly, but stlll be able to go lnto place wlthout excesslve force. Pemember that when you have a screen connected to the arm lt wlll become even
easler to do thls because of leverage. Gettlng parts H to be the perfect dlstance apart was one of the most dlmcult parts of bulldlng my own press. At
rst lt was too tlght and requlred some ad[ustment. To make these ne ad[ustments, loosen the screws and use pleces of card stock as shlms ln
between parts H and U. Then retlghten the screws. Add more shlms as necessary untll you have the perfect wldth. |f you take the tlme to do thls,
youre press wlll be ultra-accurate.
Step 14: Now that youve secured the brackets (H), you can use them to hold each arm (T) ln place whlle you do the next step. On each arm, draw a
llne l :- ln from the outer edge of part T (see g. x). Uslng these as guldes, screw ln each of your " lag eye screws lnto parts T untll they only stlck
out about 2 from the board. Next screw ln your set of four smaller lag eye screws lnto part B, halfway between the bolts that are already on the
dotted llne and parts S. See g. x for the proper orlentatlon of the lag eye screws. Now gather all your sprlngs and turnbuckles. oure now golng to
connect one sprlng to the closed end of each turnbuckle. |f the ends of the sprlngs are closed lnstead of hooks, clamp one palr of vlse grlps onto the
end of a sprlng as lndlcated by the red bar ln g. y. Next use your other palr of vlse grlps and grasp the same end of the sprlng as lndlcated by the
blue bar. Now as you brlng the two palrs of vlse grlps together lt wlll wlden the openlng. Once the openlng ls wlde enough, remove the vlse grlps
and attach the sprlng to the eye end of the turnbuckle. Now use a slngle palr of vlse grlps to squeeze the openlngs on the end of the sprlngs closed.
Do thls to all 8 sets of sprlngs and turnbuckles (see g. ).
Plg. u (top vlew)
g. w (top vlew)
Q
Q
A
F
B
T
T
T
T
S
S
U
U
H
H
H H
H
U
I
I
8 s
g. x
g. y
top vlew
smaller lag eye screws
B T
T
T
T S S
Step 15: Now attach each of your turnbuckle/sprlng combos to the top rotatlng mechanlsm. The hooks wlll attach to the large lag eye screws at ends
of the arms, and the loose ends of the sprlngs wlll attach to the lag eye screws stlcklng out of the octagonal part B (two sprlngs per lag screw). oull
need to use the vlse grlps to attach the sprlngs as before. well ad[ust the tenslon of the turnbuckles later on. ou can push each arm down so lt
touches the table to keep lt out of the way whlle you work. Now take each of your C-clamps and drlll a hole ln the maln arm l up from the polnt
shown ln g. aa. |Clamp shown ls a 2.5 clamp. ou can use 2 clamps [ust as enectlvely.| Thls hole should be [ust sllghtly smaller than one of your
screw heads. After youve done thls to all elght, weld your l or l dlameter washers to the moblle part of the clamp as shown. weldlng glue wlll
work [ust ne. Put cardboard ln between the washer and the ad[acent part of the clamp to avold bondlng there. The purpose of these washers ls to
create a greater surface area on the clamp so as to avold dentlng your screen frames.
Step 16: |Important Note: g. bb shows how to place 2.5 clamps onto the press with altered parts X. You can use 2 clamps just as eectively by creating
parts X as show in the materials section (1 x 1), and then placing your clamps perpendicular to parts J instead of at an angle.| Once the weldlng glue
drles, and uslng gs. bb and cc as your gulde, screw your altered C-clamps through parts X lnto part T. (oull want to have parts X glued and
clamped to make thls easler.) The washers that you welded onto the C-clamps need to clear the slde of the vertlcal part of bracket J. The bottom of
the C-clamps should be welded (glued) underneath brackets J as shown ln g cc. Tlghten the clamps all the way whlle you work and whlle lt glues to
help hold them ln place. Not only wlll your C-clamps hold your screens rmly ln place, but they wlll also act as a place to rest your squeegees when
your screens are ln an uprlght posltlon.
g. z
g. bb
g. aa
g. cc
top vlew
top vlew
weld here
weld here
new hole
washer
screw
clamps
screw
cardboard
B T
T
T
T S S
l
T
X X
T
J
Step 17: Part R-a has a notch on the top, part R-b has a notch on the bottom. Glue part R-b onto part R-a so the notches lntersect, formlng an X.
Attach thls X onto the top of parts S so that lt ls centered, as shown ln gs. dd and ee.
g. dd
g. ee (slde vlew)
Step 18: Next attach shelf C onto the top so that the corners are each ln the mlddle of parts R (see g. ). Now sand on the corners protrudlng from
parts Q and U. Not only wlll thls save you some potentlal paln as you prlnt, but the smooth end of the platen arm wlll help shlrts sllde on more easlly.
20 x 24 frames work best wlth thls press. Attach a frame to each arm (one at a tlme) and place a squeegee on lt. Now that youve got lt at lts
operatlon welght, lts tlme to ad[ust the turnbuckles so lt wlll gently return back to the uprlght posltlon ln between pulls (lf released about half way
up). Por each arm, make sure you ad[ust the two turnbuckles equally untll you are happy wlth the tenslon. |f your press squeaks when the arms are
lowered, use a llttle wD40 on the lnsldes of parts H. Thats lt. oure done! Happy prlntlng!
g. n
g. gg
top vlew
slde vlew
vlew
B T
T
T
T S S R-a R-b
S S
B
R-a R-b
Q
Q
A
F
U B T
T
T
T S S C G
N N
L
Q
O
V
H
J
S S
R-a R-b
J
T
U
U