Cutting Board Accurately to Size and Square // Adventures in Bookbinding

[@vonantero9458]

I'd definitely order a DAS ruler! :)

[@DASBookbinding]

I'm sure the Toledo people are trying to find my agent right now! DAS

[@miaandersen8731]

Same. Right now I'm resorting to sanding the back of a shiny one. 😩

[@jaescala]

As you design the ideal ruler, one of my "needs" is a ruler that you hold in your left hand, has measurements flush to the end, like your machines ruler, but has the numbers right side up as I hold it with my left hand. I hope this becomes a reality! Thanks for your video!

[@user-nr5xf3gz2q]

Honestly. I need to build or buy one of those hard square block w/ cutting board you use here... that flat raised edge seems fantastic to use

[@АнтонМан-ч9к]

Best book biding videos in the hall Internet

[@JasperJanssen]

I got most of this just from observing it happening in other of your videos, but it’s good to have it all in one place.

[@nashvillain171]

*Woohoo! Friday with DAS Bookbinding!*

[@marcelomatos26]

Thais you ver much for your tutorials and tips. I am starting in the bookbinding world and your guides are very important to me!

[@johnmorrison8577]

I love my plastic square with the steel rule. They are really handy

[@DASBookbinding]

Great to hear from you John. Still doing some binding? I hope so! Take care, Darryn

[@johnmorrison8577]

@@DASBookbinding Very little I'm afraid. I got a new job so moving to a different County. Had to downsize yet again. No basement, no garage but I can turn one of the bedrooms into a small bindery once one of my daughters head of for University in the autumn. I miss my old set up from the previous house two years ago. I'm going to have to store my massive nipping press as well. The good news is I will only be 9 miles from Shepherds London Bindery in Woodborough once they start the courses again. I might be able to finish my London City & Guilds course in Bookbinding.

[@lollymindel2039]

Dear DAS I very much appreciate your attention to the details. I've been making journals for a year, I always learn more from your videos. You are the Master! Thank you.

[@graciouscompetentdwarfrabbit]

I'm over here taking a break of my suffering over a fluids assignment I've wasted over 8 hours working on and yet I'm still doing something wrong, but I'm happy, because now that you've told us, I finally know what that symbol @ 8:40 means...

[@carolineheycock7354]

Such good clear instructions from a true expert. Wonderful!

[@BlokhihKL]

СПАСИБО ЗА ВИДЕО. СОВСЕМ НЕ ПОНИМАЮ ПО АНГЛИЙСКИ, НО ВСЕ ТАК ПОНЯТНО И ОТЛИЧНО ПОКАЗАНО И РАССКАЗАНО.

[@PhysicsForge]

I found your channel while I was looking for a way to bind a Quantum Mechanics textbook(Le Bellac's book) that I very much like. It happens I'm also a experimental physicist at the end of my master's degree. Your channel is pure gold, my good sir!

[@bbdj2779]

Excellent lesson. So many great tips in there. Many thanks for taking the time to put this and all of the others together! Really appreciated.

[@vickypritchard1632]

I'm in for a set of DAS bookbinding tools!

[@thinkingahead6750]

I just enjoy watching this video. One thing you do, which I don't think you mention, is when holding the ruler, the pads of the fingers and thumb you are using are not wholly on the ruler but are partly on the board. This prevents the ruler from sliding about as you cut and thus staying true to the line.

[@MorganHBVB]

As an experimental physicist, I understand why you have switched to bookbinding. Perhaps I will do the same.

[@aeonstar5867]

I love watching you measure and cut, it's mesmerizing. Maybe someday I'll be able to do it as fast and easy as you do. Thanks for this!

[@starfieldofviolet]

Keep in mind, this video is sped up in a lot of places. He really isn't cutting super fast - so be careful!

[@jerscross9505]

Hugely informative as ever, thank you!

[@marcireale]

I’ve watched your videos over and over, and I try to emulate your working style. This one is very helpful to me. I am ordering Olfa knives very soon. And I abhor rulers with inches and centimeters on the same side! I would love to buy one that you designed.

[@miaandersen8731]

You're definitely a bookbinding influencer! 😊 Also manufacturing your dream rulers wouldn't be too hard. Seems like a pretty easy job for the right laser cutter. You're in Brissy aren't you? There's probably local businesses that will be able to do it!

[@DASBookbinding]

The fine high accuracy etching is harder than might be expected. I'll stick to easier and higher margin tools:) DAS

[@AlmaTheSojourner]

This was super helpful, I was cutting board for the first time today and as I was doing some searching your video came up, what a God send, thanks so much for the effort you put in.

[@GenWivern2]

Speaking as a cabinetmaker, this all seems eminently sensible to me, plus I have learned something which has subconsciously bothered me for 40-odd years. So it's an "f" for "finished", eh? Goodness! Thank you for that. :-) Incidentally, I have a liking for combination squares for making repetitious width measurements and wouldn't be without at least two of them.

[@DASBookbinding]

Well, that's what I remember Mr Roche telling us. It was a long time ago. DAS

[@dukestt5436]

My question was going to about the face mark and asking whether you were once a carpenter, but you answered it. Funny what you keep from school isn't. I have been watching your videos and I am about to embark on my first project, and like you, will be using the face mark. Thank you for sharing.

[@lisajarvis3820]

And I would be the first person to purchase your type of rulers

[@flatbrokefrank6482]

I agree with the ruler issue, each has good points but its rare that you find one to cover all bases - Stay safe

[@TheJemmaGrl]

Perfect instruction! Thank you!

[@ri0474]

Hello :) I have been practicing amateur bookbinding for two years and I have acquired equipment. I started taking classes last year, and I will be starting two new ones next year. Despite this, I come back to your videos, which I find very enriching. Recently, I made the Cutting Board, and even though I have a very good bookbinding shears (I dont know how to say it in english :P), I find it very practical. It's the kind of thing where you say to yourself: "Why didn't I do this before?" Thank you for your valuable advice and tips, which allow me to progress in my passion for bookbinding. Thanks ! :)

[@DASBookbinding]

You’re welcome

[@dimitris470]

I stopped my crappy ruler from sliding by covering the bottom side with masking tape (the blue nice one). It's soft enough to not scratch your materials and rough enough to eliminate most sliding. It's not perfect, but it was a big improvement. I might also try some cardboard or some cork at some point, but it's not such a big deal anymore.

[@jebsaekam]

I prefer the Olfa-L 18mm for no other reason than I like the feel in my hand.

[@rex0luscus]

I was literally just thinking "hey I wish Darryn would make a video about cutting boards." No joke! The ones on trimming book blocks without a guillotine/plough were so helpful. I love these videos where you go into detail about some little part of the process cuz that's often where I'm like "I don't...think I'm doing this right." (If you take requests for these, I've got one, though no pressure: a brief bit about types of paper, and how you choose paper?) Anyway thanks so much for all of these, I've been binging your channel - I always wanted to learn how to do this but it didn't seem accessible. Now my bedroom is full of bookbinding materials. :)

[@DASBookbinding]

Such a complex question! It is one the list, but a long way off I suspect. DAS

[@katyahum9826]

Love this one!

[@raisavaz]

There's this place based in the UK called Vintage Paper Co. They had a ruler thing going on. You might like it. They ship internationally but their prices are on the higher side.

[@DASBookbinding]

I must have missed it:( DAS

[@RafaelToscano]

That’s my biggest problem at the moment. I feel my board cuts are not good. I will try to improve it on the next project

[@vasuhardeo1418]

Really useful info. thanks.

[@lisajarvis3820]

Thank You ~ much appreciated!!

[@TheHihocandycane]

Thank you, very helpful! Would you consider making a video on gluing book cloth and paper onto board? Between this and cutting board accurately is where all my troubles lie 😅

[@DASBookbinding]

Have a look at the video I did on preventing boards warping. I glue lots of things together in that. Good luck! DAS

[@patbateman69420]

DAS would probably cringe that I do this, but I mix the PVA with school glue. It makes the glue not dry as quickly. I've been having good experience with it. They mix the PVA with paste for this purpose as well if I recall. But I don't want to do that.

[@d_e_z_1]

Another great video, Das! Would love to see a tutorial on Swiss Binding some time, there doesn't seem to be any great resources online that I've been able to find.

[@DASBookbinding]

Sorry, I'm sure I'll never know enough about the Swiss binding tradition to be able to do that. I'm sure they share a lot with French and German binders. There is a store www.atelier-mombelli.ch that sells some things I'd give a tooth for. Tschuss, DAS

[@carlpeberdy9086]

Thanks for that - as always, lots of good information conveyed in a clear and concise way. One question about ruler grip - have you or anyone you know of deliberately roughened the surface of a steel rule, either with sand paper or stones, and if so, were the results any good?

[@DASBookbinding]

I don't think I could deliberately rough up an expensive ruler. The ones I use work well without. DAS

[@carlpeberdy9086]

@@DASBookbinding I know what you mean when altering tools - I have mixed feelings, half of me thinks that they are sacred and not to be profaned, and half of me takes an anarchist's delight in destroying the old order! Although on a practical level I was thinking more of improving a cheap ruler - there really is no point in spending more for something that doesn't do what you want it to.

[@henrygonzalez2783]

dude tysm

[@dalepres1]

Another great video and I really appreciate your time and effort, along with your willingness, to share them. I have a question off-topic to this video but I'm only little more off topic here as in others. I've seen some videos about hollow back (I think it is called) spines, some made with a bent or curved bit of board or paper, others made with a paper tube - like craft paper rolled into a tube. I'm not sure what those different spine or binding types are so now I can't find any videos or articles on the topics; I just don't seem to have the right search terms. Have you made videos on those spine types? Or can you help me with search terms? Thank you.

[@DASBookbinding]

The hollow back is part of an overall binding. It's not standalone or a defining feature of a binding. The series on the rounded and backed cased binding has a hollow back (no tube) while the full leather binding has a tube which is how the hollow back is formed. To understand the hollow back you first need to understand how a book opens. Tom Conroy has written a good article on this (available on the internet, but can't find it right now - search Tom Conroy and bookbinding and spine or something). The majority of the modern style bindings I have videos on have hollow spines formed as part of the binding process. A few use tubes, usually boards attached bindings compared to cased bindings. I've noticed workshops emphasising the use of tubes (the so-called Oxford hollow) in a gimmicky way to get people interested in their courses I guess. In some cases the use of a tube seemed inappropriate and thus misleading for learner binders. Anyway.....

[@ann-mariemeurs952]

I'm struggling to find supplies in Australia. I don't know what type of board or cloth or bond to get but I'm hoping to find supplies at bunnings? I live in Mt Isa and that's the biggest store we have

[@DASBookbinding]

I have a video on making the bench hook and in the description it has a materials list, which can all be obtained at Bunnings. I make and sell these and I buy all the materials at Bunnings. I must drive the staff crazy as every time I go I sort through the square wood and take all the straight pieces. I sell board and paper and if you send me an email I can let you know where to get cloth. [e-mail]

[@ann-mariemeurs952]

Thank you so much!!!

[@r.s.1348]

Great video. What is the difference between a paper cutting blade and a board cutting blade? Can the same machine be used for both applications?

[@DASBookbinding]

A board shear blade has a very high bevel angle while a paper guillotine blade has a low bevel angle. Like the difference between an axe and a sushi knife. You can cut a few sheets of paper with a board shear, but it isn't the cleanest of cuts unless your blade is very fresh. You can't trim the edge of a book or cut a ream of paper with a board shear. You can cut board with a guillotine but the bade will go blunt very quickly and then you can't cut paper and they are expensive to get sharpened. Hope that makes sense. DAS

[@creatrixcorvusarts876]

Thank you SO much for this video! Its great information. I’m definitely asking for a bench hook to be made for my birthday! I suppose my problem is in measuring……somehow I manage to make the foe edge too deep, and since I usually cover with book cloth before adding the cove to the text block, it just has to stay that way. So how do I measure a rounded spine book for the correct cover size?

[@DASBookbinding]

I show how I do this in a few videos, especially the rounded and backed cased book series. These were some of my very early videos, so I can't bring myself to watch them anymore. I put the boards in place and wrap a strip of paper around the spine and mark the important points such as the edges of the board, shoulders, and width of cloth if it isn't a full covering style. Hope this helps. Darryn

[@kateh4030]

Thanks for another helpful video. Do you have any advice for a left-handed person with regard to the square? The ones I can easily get here in South Africa all seem to be beveled on what for a right handed person is the top. If I flip it over in order to cut left handed, the square is no longer fully flat on the surface and can rock. I resorted to a heavy metal carpenter's square, but that has a rounded edge, which brings its own difficulties. I will replace my heavy Stanley knife with an Olfa following your clear and compelling explanation of why the thinner blade is better. We all gain immense benefit from your scientific rigor.

[@DASBookbinding]

I forgot to check while I was in the bindery, but the Staedtler squares I use I'm fairly sure can just be rotated count-clockwise 90 deg. Good luck! DAS

[@CascaydAzgard]

#DASBookbinding How thick is the thicker Toldeo ruler (more than 1mm?)? Also is it a "satin" finish?

[@linaasp5750]

Very useful video, thank you! I am thinking of getting the Olfa cutter, would you say the SVR-2 or the original SVR-1 model is best?

[@DASBookbinding]

SVR-2 locks a bit more solidly. I have both on the bench and can’t tell them apart in daily use. One clicks a bit louder. The SVR-1 is much easier to find.

[@linaasp5750]

@@DASBookbinding Thank you! The SVR-2 is more readily available here so I guess it'll be that one then.

[@janisearuta2296]

I'm not sure which pack of blades in the video is the "standard" blade. Is it the AB-10B or the ABB-10B. I can't find any Olfa blade (for the SVR-1) online described as "standard". Thank you so much!

[@DASBookbinding]

AB-10B www.olfaproducts.com/olfa-ab-10b-steel-replacement-blades-10pk.html Darryn

[@emanuel1.168]

What do you think about using a small tabletop board cutter instead of this method? Very affordable ones that can cut through 3mm of paper are easily available in my country.

[@DASBookbinding]

I forgot to talk about different blades on board cutters and guillotines! I find it takes as long to set up a board cutter for accurate cuts as to cut by hand for a single book. I will use the board cutter if I'm making 6 books the same size. Yep, there is no technical reason why you can't use a board cutter. But it has to be a board cutter not a paper guillotine. Board will blunt a guillotine blade very fast and since they are so expensive to get sharpened - and there is nothing worse than a blunt guillotine blade - I wouldn't do it. There are some bindings where you trim the board with the block, and if I know I'm going to be doing a few of these with the guillotine I'll try and do it roughly when I'm planning to get it sharpened. DAS

[@69Buddha]

I think I recall seeing you use one board to mark the second? Do I remember that right?

[@DASBookbinding]

Yes. I usually take the measurement for the second board from the first, rather than using the ruler. Much less likely to make a mistake this way, unless the first board was wrong! DAS

[@dbaber07]

Do you do the same with you paper for you txt block if u dint have a guillotine i buy sketch book paper from art stor in bulk and its never square so my signatures are never square

[@DASBookbinding]

Maybe a very thin book. Cutting a text block with a knife and ruler is very difficult. I have some videos on the subject. Check them out if you're interested.

[@stevehowe9677]

I'm curious about your razor vs guillotine comment, can you elaborate?

[@DASBookbinding]

I think you mean board cutter versus paper guillotine. A paper guillotine uses a very low angle blade and is an anvil cutter - it cuts into a soft surface - usually a piece of plastic called the cutter stick. The low angle blade is extremely sharp and will blunten quickly cutting board. While a board cutter blade has a very high bevel angle which takes the abuse of cutting board better and cuts in a bypass action, like scissors. Hope that makes sense. DAS

[@stevehowe9677]

That does make sense, thanks for your reply!

[@boubker4082]

👍🏻

[@jasmint903]

'the cheap plastic ones from the hobby store just won't cut it' I see what you did there LOL get it... they won't cut it... hehehehehe