An apparatus (79) for setting the nip gap between first and second rollers (30, 32) includes nip control blocks (83) movably mounted adjacent the front edges (150) of the end plates (151a, 151b) between which one of the rollers (32) is journaled. In the preferred form, each of the control blocks (83) are threadably received on a shaft (138) and include a slide surface (142) which slides on a shoe (134) mounted on the end plates (151a, 151b) and include an opposite, abutment surface (144) at a minor acute angle to the slide surface (142) and the movement direction of the control blocks (83). Contact surfaces (164) are articulately mounted to the end plates (51a, 51b) between which the other of the rollers (30) is journaled. In the preferred form, the contact surfaces (164) are formed on a thrust knuckle (160) having a semi-spherical surface (162) slideably received in a semi-spherical depression (156) of a thrust socket (154) secured in a recess (146) in the front edges (150) of the end plates (51a, 51b). The rollers (30, 32) are pivotally mounted relative to each other by pivotally mounting the end plates (51a, 51b) of the first roller (30) relative to the end plates (151a, 151b) of the other roller (32). The thrust knuckles (160) and sockets (154) allow rotary motion of the contact surfaces (164) relative to the end plates (51a, 51b) to flushly abut with the abutment surfaces (144) of the nip control blocks (83) independent of the movement position of the nip control blocks (83) and of the pivot position of the rollers (30, 32) relative to each other.