My book press was crushing my spines and I never noticed

I've been hand binding for about 5 years now, mostly repair work for local libraries. Last month a customer brought in a 1940s novel with a cracked hinge, and while I was rebacking it, I noticed the spine was completely flat, no shoulder at all. I realized my press had the boards set too tight, so it was squashing the sections flat before I even added the cover. I backed off the pressure and used a proper spine lining with a bit of give, and the difference was night and day. Anyone else had to relearn their press setup after thinking they had it right for ages?

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