May was an extremely active month with ideas for a new book and the completion of a couple of editions for recent orders. After four years on the road, having access to a workbench even in a tiny-winy studio is great. Space is still at a premium, and after selling most of my STUFF back in 2017, I need to re-examine what is needed to work productively?
In the mid-1990’s, I allowed myself time to figure out if I enjoyed the making of artists’ books before spending extensively on equipment. Bigger equipment, (like a Jacques Shear, or a guillotine), was never in the cards. Through the years, I purchased more and more tools as I developed my production of artists’ books.
While living in Utah, having a spacious studio was fantastic. With the help of my brother Henri, the top of my workbench was designed to cut binders board manually. A small bindery in Salt Lake City used to cut boards of 20 in x 12 inches for me, which made cutting easier on my workbench, but inventory is getting low!
© 2021 Louise Levergneux. I still have the same system, and it consists of a cutting mat, a ruler screwed in on the right for alignment, and an aluminum angle bar at the bottom.
© 2021 Louise Levergneux. A Logan straight handheld cutter with a carpenter’s square is what I utilize for the making of book covers and boxes. It’s doable, but it takes longer and more effort to manage squaring.
A Kutrimmer 1058 tabletop — (not sure if it’s the best for boards) — was repeatedly on my list of investments. In 2016 I was close to owning one, but then our lifestyle changed. As for a guillotine, I have always been fortunate to borrow one. Has anyone tried the guillotines below?
Guillotine Desktop Stack Paper Cutter COME-5770EZ - 17" Cutting Width
TEXALAN 17'' Blade A3 Heavy Duty Guillotine Paper Cutter A3-17'' Paper Cutter Black
© 2021 Louise Levergneux. This list represents some of my basic tools of the trade at the moment.
Awl, hole punchers, stylus; bone folder; brushes (flat, bridled paste, various sizes); carpenter’s square; divider; knives (Olfa, X-acto), razor blades, cutting mat; Logan straight handheld mat cutter; measuring and precision tools; right-angle brackets; rotary cutter; rulers (stainless steel, Incra, rule set in 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" strips); triangles (Sage magic triangle, aluminum); scissors; squares (machinist, T, corner); long stapler; tape/adhesive (3M, PVA); weights. Other tools not picture here are: press (still in Canada); sand papers; thread and needles.
© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Binders boards; book cloth (not shown); numerous types of paper, depending on the publications at hand; wastepaper.
© 2021 El Libro. Glueing remains a significant part of binding. Do you have tricks to manage adhesives? I found this glueing compass from El Libro Rojo on Etsy but the shipping cost from Barcelona, Spain ($26.72) was expensive.
Are there any glueing compass sold in Canada or the US? Maybe you have invented one!
© 2021 iBookBindingStore. Some other interesting small tools made with a 3D printer from iBookBindingStore on Etsy seemed very useful. It might be time for a new gig for corner cutting. Their box making tools were equally fascinating.
Completing the inventory of my tools triggered research on artists and their studio set-up. I found an article by Transient Books “Bookbinding Tools: The Good, the Great, and the Beautiful” from 2015 describing their studio tools.
You are probably all familiar with Jeff Peachey who designs, makes, and sells tools for bookbinders, conservators, and leatherworkers. Jeff’s tools were exquisite and I’m certain they are outstanding to work with.
I would love to hear about your tools and equipment. Where do you purchase your tools? Where or how do you cut your binders board? How creative are you with finding interesting objects for weights, or do you prefer store bought?
If one does not have the means for bigger equipment, there’s always the opportunity to rent or borrow. The artists’ book community is a friendly and helpful group. More on this in the upcoming month.
Have a great productive month of June!