Sick of woodworking??

Well, for what it is worth, one of MY favorite books on the subject is Edith Diehl's "Bookbinding, Its Background and Technique". It is available from Dover Books for not TOO much money, and, is a pretty useful and comprehensive text. Kind of dense...but...a LOT of info. here is one source...

And of course...Amazon

Regards Dave Mundt

Reply to
Dave Mundt
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On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 01:06:14 +0100, Andy Dingley calmly ranted:

I've found both at the local library and ordered them. I found a repair book as well. Cheaper still, wot?

Got a gallery online yet? I'd like to see them.

I actually got out into the shop today and got the motor lined up on the lathe. Dave Fleming had sent a long dense rod of mahogany or teak to me and I turned it into 3 marlinspikes.

And the #6 came in. It's a corrugated bottom, my first and last. It cleaned up fairly nicely but will need both tote and knob to be replaced. Both had been glued back together with gawd knows what. Bondo and spackle, I think.

I also glued some jarrah on the bottom of my Knight shoulder plane and cut it to fit, then waxed it. The brass strips had given up the ghost. I'm hoping the yellow glue holds better on the ebony than the epoxy did with the brass. I cleaned it with lacquer thinner just prior to gluing, and it appears to be nice and tight right now.

And I got some more mortices cut in the carving bench legs for the stiffeners. By Allah, I'll get that bench done this year if it kills me. Buddha knows, it's taken long enough. ;)

(No cracks about a certain bow saur, peanut gallery fans.)

Reply to
Larry Jaques

It seems typical that bookbinding books are either basic craft-hobby books, or _very_ dense. I've seen metallurgy texts that were an easier read than most on bookbinding.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 05:51:24 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@esper.com (Dave Mundt) calmly ranted:

I made the mistake of asking the reference lady at the local library (while I was there) instead of sitting down and checking the index myself. She came up with nothing (a 3 page in-house book repair sheet which she printed out for me), I found THIRTY FREAKIN' SIX books on the subject in the index and just ordered

8 to scan or peruse.

Thanks. I usually try the library first, then buy if the book is a "keeper." Ebay has been really good for cheap prices on books lately.

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Reply to
Larry Jaques

Most of the easily available bookbinding books that aren't craft soft of things are reprints, often from around the turn of the 20th century. They expect a lot of equipment and some stuff, such as supplies, that aren't as easily available today.

The other problem with traditional bookbinding texts is that the goal of those bookbinders was to put the book together so it could be taken apart and rebound in a couple of hundred years. That not only complicated the process, it meant they deliberately limited themselves to tried and true materials and techniques.

Diehl's book is a fascinating read and includes a lot of examples of classic bindings, history of bookbinding and a discussion of 'current' issues (such as an inexpensive but serviceable library binding). However for practicality, I'd go with Lewis' "Basic Bookbinding."

--RC

Reply to
Rick Cook

I'd disagree with that, compared to today's practice.

Craft bookbinding (i.e. no more than a handful of each title, done by individual craftspeople not machines) today is even more of a high-end specialisation. 100 years ago (or even 50) there was a large trade in simply putting books together. These days craft bookbinding is pretty rare at any level and owing to the cost of it, it's even more restricted to just the most valuable of books. Who can pay ten times the cost of a book to bind it, especially when it's still in print ?

One bookbinder I work with has a horror of all case binding as cheap and shoddy work, fit only for lending libraries - all spines should be sewn onto cords. As the books I work with when with him are typically

400 years old, he's taking a rather narrow view, but understandable.
Reply to
Andy Dingley

It depends on what you're trying to do. If you're dealing with valuable antique books, these practices may well be justified, but most of us aren't. Most amateur bookbinders want to produce a good-looking binding that will wear well and that's about all.

Under those circumstances, and lacking the tools and skills of the turn-of-the-century bookbinder, it makes sense to use more modern materials and different methods. (I tend to agree with your friend about case bindings, btw, but that has at least as much to do with liking the look and feel of cord-sewn books as their greater durability.)

And there are a lot of reasons for binding books by hand besides the conventional ones. I know someone who has carefully and lovingly rebound an entire set cheap, perfect-bound paperbacks in signature bindings between fine leather covers ornamented with iron reinforcements. Of course the books in question are John Norman's Gor novels.

--RC (who bound his first book -- a cheap paperback poetry collection at 14 and still has it.)

Reply to
Rick Cook

Reply to
Mark L.

That's interesting how people are different. Of course 35 would be too many for me but I just spent the evening with SWMBO trying to convince her that I need to have 3 projects at any one time. My rational is this. If I'm in the finishing stages of a project and I'm tired of the sanding and finishing or I just get impatient, I can go to another project and work on that stage. By having 3 projects at any time I will have a beginning, middle and end stage project. Right now I have a flag display case that got the last glue up last night and needs sanding and finishing, a jewelry box that has some rough cuts and is just about mid way and I just started the plannign and budgeting for a cabinet for the bathroom. When I get home tonight I can either sand wood, cut wood, or buy wood for my next project. YMMV

Reply to
Ron

I work the same way. Especially if one project is intricate and you need a mental and/or physical break from something.

At times I have a dozen things I'd like to start but can't decide what is next. Ed

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

A real good way to do it and avoid burnout. Unfortunately my line of not quite finished projects is getting unwieldy. I also mix in some general carpentry projects, electrical work, plumbing repair and shop furniture construction. Never get bored, just need more time to get stuff done.

Tim Douglass

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Reply to
Tim Douglass

I tend to have 3 or 4 projects going at a time, but they're usually very different from each other... a book stand for the wife, a shelf for the garage, etc... Which one I work on is usually dependant on what mood I'm in and whether I feel like routing, dado'ing, sanding, etc..

Mac

Reply to
mac davis

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