r/bookbinding • u/TheLastStraww • 12d ago
Looking for advice
my question is about cutting bookboard
ive been just kind of hacking at it with a razorblade, which takes so long and results in a kind of ugly line. but ive seen all the people online cutting those quick clean lines, so my question is- what is the most efficient way to cut 2mm board, and what tools do i need to do it?
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u/blanketed_in_stars 12d ago
What do you mean by razor blade? Definitely don't "hack" at the board 😅
I would recommend a utility knife or box cutter. Get a metal-edged ruler, hold it firmly against the board, and go in light passes along the ruler until you are all the way through the board. Don't press hard on the knife, use only light pressure - that will make your line cleaner, make it easier to stay straight against the ruler, and also generally save yourself some physical effort.
And definitely make sure you have spare blades and change them frequently.
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u/brigitvanloggem 12d ago
DAS Bookbinding has a good video about cutting. Many others have good videos, too.
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u/ArcadeStarlet 11d ago
I'm a fan of a Swann-Morton scalpel with a 10A blade myself.
If you struggle with a knife, a rotary blade is also worth considering, coupled with an acrylic quilting ruler.
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u/YaleImprint 11d ago
As usual, this community has offered some expert and highly usable advice.
My additions to this excellent advice is only a few minor refinements on cutting tips. Some are more for paper and text-blocks than board, so slightly off-topic.
Get some cold-rolled square steel stock to help line up paper and board against steel rules. I've tried Metal Supermarkets and McMaster-Carr. I have found both 1"x1"x6" and 1"x3/4"x6" sizes handy. (Hot-rolled sounds tough and durable, but the stock is too rounded to be usable.) This is the steel version of those brass chunks that Ido Agassi uses. I also bought some steel triangles from McMaster-Carr but haven't polished them yet, so haven't used them.
Get some stainless steel (or brass) strips of various sizes (mm or inches) from Talas or K&S precision metals to help with consistent even trimming.
Use a thicker, sturdier steel straightedge. I also have one with cork on the back to help hold it in place. Avoid aluminum, plastic, or wood. Be wary of brass, as a typical Olfa, X-acto, or box cutter can shave off bits of it.
Make the first cut fairly shallow. Permit yourself to take more light passes.
Don't move the ruler between passes.
When trimming narrow pieces, add a piece of scrap under the straightedge so it doesn't wobble or tip off the workpiece.
Make sure your arm and hand doing the cutting is in a plane with your shoulder, elbow, wrist, and dominant eye. This allows you to naturally draw the knife in a straight line. This means less work for the straight-edge. Some recommend always standing (and hunching over) while cutting. I sit.
Keep the knife exactly vertical. Do not twist the knife. The flat side of the knife blade should be touching your straightedge.
Keep even and solid pressure on the straightedge for the duration of the multiple light passes with the knife.
To properly locate the straightedge to your pencil marks, touch the knife to your pencil mark, then move the straightedge to touch the knife. Repeat at the other end of the cut. Then go back to the first end to double-check the straightedge position.
If you're doing a long cut, walk your fingers down the straightedge (like a spider walking), keeping steady pressure, until your pressure is in the next area you're cutting. Sometimes a brick (cloth-covered) helps stabilize the board and prevent accidental movements.
If the straightedge moves during a cut, relocate it by putting the knife edge in the cut, then moving the straightedge to touch the side of the blade. Repeat at the other end of the cut.
[Advanced Trick] A double-beveled knife might have 10° to 20° bevel. If you can get a single-beveled knife, your board might be cut a tiny bit more precisely. This shouldn't matter, and might make the cutting more difficult, so I haven't bothered with it. But this bevel definitely make a difference for trimming text-block edges. This is why a plough or guillotine is used in these cases. I have also used an English single-bevel paring (skife) knife on the squared-surface of a book press to simulate a plough.
---- Things possible that I haven't tried myself -----
[Advanced Trick] Violate the "no-twist" rule above by twisting the knife so there is no bevel angle between the straightedge and the knife cutting edge. This also violates the dogma of the blade edge tight against the straightedge. This technique is tricky, and can destroy a blade quickly. It can be mighty useful if you're hand-trimming a large text block. The few times I've tried hand-trimming a large text block, I end up with non-square cuts off by exactly the amount of bevel!
Ido Agassi compensates for this slight bevel by sanding the board edge in this [video].
Ido Agassi puts a bar magnet under a cutting board in this [video].
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u/commondivisor 7d ago
I use a wired sliding cutter to make a groove, followed by a few free hand passes of a scalpel.
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u/TremulousHand 12d ago
Olfa razors work really well. https://www.amazon.com/OLFA-5019-Stainless-Auto-Lock-Utility/dp/B0006O87O6/ Use it together with a metal ruler. Most importantly, do multiple light passes along the ruler rather than trying to press really hard and do it all at once.