rolling machine
A bookbinding machine at one time used to flatten
and consolidate the sections of a book before
sewing. It consists essentially of two iron
cylinders, each of which is about a foot in
diameter. The distance between the rolls can be
adjusted by means of a screw. The sections are
gathered into packets of anywhere from two to four
and placed between tin plates. The number to be
rolled at a time depends on the thickness of the
sections. The "book" of sections is then passed
between the rollers and removed by the workman
turning the crank. Before the invention of the
rolling machine (in 1827), which was the first
machine to be used in the craft of bookbinding,
sections were compressed by pounding them with
heavy beating hammers. Not all books were suitable
for rolling, e.g., old books with a heavy type
impression and deep corrugations across the type
area; therefore the hammer continued to be used
during the remainder of the 19th century, although
its use diminished steadily. The modern
counterpart of the rolling machine is the BUNDLING PRESS . (83 , 203 , 236 )
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