DIY Network

Wooden Books Build a beautiful book. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-610

Michele Beschen loves books – cookbooks, how-to books, novels, kids' books – but handmade books have a special place in her heart. She combines her passion for crafting with her love of books when she shows how to create a handmade book with a wooden cover. B. Original and make a few today as gifts or for yourself.

There's no limit to these books...

Whether you make them fancy...

Or simply funky.

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Wooden Books

Materials:

1/4" plywood
table saw or hand saw
safety glasses
sandpaper
raw canvas
Gesso or primer
2 small hand clamps
drill press or hand drill with 11/64" wood bit
2" wide strip of leather, 18" long
upholstery tacks
hammer
(3) #8 machine screws with nuts
awl

• This project can be made in any dimensions desired. Michele Beschen’s wooden book measured 14" by 18".
  

  	Figure A
  	Figure B

• Use a table saw or hand saw to cut four pieces of 1/4" plywood. To make a book the same dimensions as Michele Beschen’s, cut these pieces:
  • Back cover, 14" by 18"

  • Front cover, 12-1/2" by 18"

  • 2 spine pieces, 1-1/2" by 18"

  Safety Alert: Always wear safety glasses and use caution when using a power saw, drill or any other power tool.

• Determine the material for the book’s pages. Use regular paper, craft paper, raw canvas, cotton cloth or duck cloth.

• Trace the back cover to create a template for the pages, then use the template to cut the number of pages desired (figure A).

• If using cloth or canvas for the pages, prime all surfaces of each page with Gesso or primer and let dry. The primed pages will be ready for drawing, writing or painting either before or after the book is bound (figure B).

• Align the pages flush with the spine edge of the back cover piece.

• Place the 2 slat pieces on top of the pages, lining them up with the spine edge. Use hand clamps to hold the pieces together (figure C).
  

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  	Figure E
  	Figure F
  	Figure G

• Wearing safety glasses, drill three holes along the spine with an 11/64" drill bit (figure D). Drill one hole in the center of the top slat piece; the others go 2" from each end.

• Remove the clamps and slats.

• Insert one slat between the pages, about halfway through the stack. Place the other slat on top of the stack
  (figure E).

• Position the top cover over the pages and center the leather strip over the seam between the cover and slat pieces. The strip should cover the pre-drilled holes in the slat.

• Attach the leather to the front cover with a line of decorative upholstery tacks (figure F). If the tack points protrude to the other side of the wood, use a hammer to bend and embed the points in the wood.

• Check the positioning of the leather strip over the slats and use an awl to punch a hole through the leather over the pre-drilled holes.

• Insert a #8 machine screw through each hole from the front (figure G). Install a nut on each screw at the back of the book and tighten. The length of the screws will depend on the thickness of the book; choose screws that won’t stick out too far from the spine.

• Dress up the book with paint, wood-burning or collage techniques. For added stability at the seam, use some contact cement to attach the leather to the front cover.