Abstract: This disclosure relates to a rib-rolling mechanism for processing tobacco ribs and includes a pair of relatively rotatable rollers having peripheral surfaces defining therebetween a throat through which it is adapted to pass tobacco, the rollers having shafts, the shafts of the first of the rollers being journaled for rotation in fixed bearings and the shafts of the second of the rollers being journaled for rotation in movable bearings, a device for resiliently urging the second roller toward the first roller, the latter device including a rod connected to each of the movable bearings, a sleeve in external telescopic relationship to each of the rods, springs coupled between each of the sleeves and the second roller for urging the latter toward the first roller, and elements for axially shifting the rods to vary the force exerted by the springs in a direction to urge the second roller toward the first roller.