One of my dear YouTube subscribers contacted me regarding the use of a saw to create sewing holes on the spine. Somehow, someone else has risen similar questions as his before, so I thought I should as well share my answers to his questions here, in case someone out there is also wondering about the same thing.
NOTE: The "Q", the questions, are the exact phases given to me, - copy/paste-ed on purpose.
NOTE: The "Q", the questions, are the exact phases given to me, - copy/paste-ed on purpose.
Q: Why do you saw-cut the holes for stitching so deep?
A: It isn't deep. It might appear to be deeper than that of an awl due to the visible incision of the outer sheet of a signature. - The saw cuts through to the inner most layer of sheet in a signature, while the awl would pock through to it. So, the depth of the hole is basically the same in both cases.
Q: Doesn't that (deeper outer-layer incisions) affect the pages inside?
A: No. But, you don't want the incision to be too radical (especially for a normal size book), or the glue might get inside the pages and the holes might become too visible when the book is opened. (ugly!) So, it's very important not to put too many sheets in a signature, (relative to the size of your book.) and important to consider the weight of the paper you are using, and that each sheet of folded paper is tightly jogged to the fold, so to minimize any unnecessary depth of incisions. Also, do make sure to check how deep you need to saw to get to the inner sheet before you start sawing, or the incisions on the outer layers of sheets could become unnecessarily too deep.
Q: I've been stabbing holes in my signatures but the sawing looks so much easier.
A: Needless to say, no professional bookbinder would poke holes one by one by hand, simply because it's time consuming and it isn't precise, (etc). Also, sawing by a saw allows each hole to have a minute width (of which depends on the width of the saw teeth) so that the thread wouldn't catch the paper around it. And, the width of the holes is necessary for various cord-sewing.
Q: Could you use a knife instead of a saw?
A: Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you just create simple cuts by a scalpel or an Exacto knife (etc.), the hole is too tightly closed and doesn't have a comfortable opening to accommodate the thread, causing an excess "flare" of paper inside the pages (like the look of a flower.) as the needle and thread are going through it. So, if you really need to use a knife, make each incision in a slight "V" shape. - Make an incision in a slight angle, and trim the other in an angle. (The second diagram on the graphic. It's hard to see, but incisions are cut in V shape.) But, I wouldn't recommend using a knife because of its inconsistency of lines, depth and cleanliness, as well as the time it takes to do it perfectly. In conclusion, there's no need to use a knife unless you have no choice but to use it. :-)
Thank you so much for such an in-dpeth reply
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. :-)
DeleteI do the following thing: jog all my folded pages so that the folded parts are flush straight, i tighten them in my job backer and saw in very finely through them all. This way all papers are either finely pierced or just nipped by the saw, either way the needle goes through easily. Only then i take the folded-n-cut pages and arrange them in signatures. The cuts are minimal, they re all cut the same depth, there s no paper flaring and the end result is clean and crist. :D
ReplyDeleteYup, you are right. Thank you for the additional info, Mihai. :-) He contacted me after watching my video, so he should be able to figure it out. I think he could use a vice to replace a lying press or job backer because I don't think he has those specialized equipment. Every man should have a vice in his garage. :-)
DeleteI live in an apartment building and we have no garages! Ok, so I have a bookbinding workshop in a studio 4 flats above, but I m still poor and struggling! :D I used to dream of a garage, though I have no car, nor driver s license. You may ask why? Well, if I don t have a garage, I can t afford a car, why should I bother?
ReplyDeleteBTW, punching holes through papers might look well in a workshop or in an instructional video, but if you have 50 or 60 books to do, you ll go mad. Sawing is the way to go.
There is a thing called a *spiral saw blade* which is used to cut ceramic tile. It's a stiff, wire, sawblade and can be used with or without a saw frame. The cool thing: it's the exact width of medium linen cord, so you can saw a half-round groove in a spine and you cord will sink right into it. They're about $6.00 and available at a hardware store.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's cool. I might as well go get it. ;-)
DeleteIt's actually a Kobalt brand 6" in rod saw blade. A Google search should bring that up...I didn't want to post a link to a chain hardware store and junk up a blog. Price: $2.98.
DeleteThanks for posting. With all credits, I'm reproducing it on my blog www.cavezan.blogspot.com. It's a very intersting matters and there's a lot of discussions about it. Again, thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your explanation but also for telling me WHY you do it. So many books just don't do that. They expect you to follow them blindly. Thanks from a novice bookbinder in France.
ReplyDeleteyou're welcome. ;-)
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