Started marking spine widths with a simple cardboard template instead of measuring each time

I noticed a few people at the guild meeting last month kept messing up their book cloth cuts. They were measuring each book over and over with a ruler and still coming out off by a few millimeters. I use this trick where I cut a strip of cardboard to the exact spine width plus 10mm for the hinge and just wrap it around to mark the cloth. It takes maybe 30 seconds once you have the template and I haven't had a misaligned spine piece in 6 months. Has anyone else found a faster way to mark cloth without all the measuring?

3 comments

3 Comments

wilson.kelly12h ago

Is it though? I mean you're making templates for each different spine width, that's still measuring and cutting. How many different book sizes are you even working with in a typical month? Most people I know only do like 3 or 4 standard sizes and each one takes maybe a minute with a ruler. I dunno, losing a few millimeters here and there never really ruined a binding for me. But maybe my standards are just lower than yours.

terry_jones4h agoMost Upvoted

@rileyp49 ever had a cloth pattern slip mid-trace?

rileyp496h ago

Real talk - that cardboard template trick works because it removes the variable of your own hand. Your hand shakes a little, you measure twice, you still get drift. The template won't drift. Stick with it. If you're cutting multiple books of the same size, trace the template onto a piece of scrap book cloth instead. That gives you a reusable pattern that flexes better than cardboard. Had a guy in my shop do that for years. He'd cut one master pattern per size and just trace it in pencil. Quick rinse with a damp rag and it's gone. Saves you from remeasuring the same spine width a dozen times. Only downside is you need to store those patterns flat but a magazine folder works fine.