That moment my book board was 2mm too short...

I was putting together a rebind of a old fantasy novel last Tuesday night, and everything was going smooth until I tried to fit the text block into the case. The boards were cut 2mm short on the bottom edge, so the book stuck out like a sore thumb. I had to peel off the entire spine cloth and redo the boards from scratch, which cost me about 3 hours. Has anyone else had a simple measuring mistake ruin an evening like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_lee2d ago

Wait, are you really saying book binding isn't as precise as brain surgery? I mean, sure, nobody's life is on the line here, but when you spend hours cutting and gluing and getting everything just right, a 2mm mistake feels like a total disaster. You put all that work into measuring your boards and the spine cloth, and then one little slip means you have to start over from scratch. It's not about saving lives, it's about not wanting to throw your book across the room after you've already done the hard part. I bet the person who cut that board felt pretty dumb, too.

the_lucas2d ago

@the_lee at least a 2mm mistake is cheaper than a 2mm brain surgery mistake

the_patricia2d ago

Oh come on, it's just a book binding not brain surgery.