Wood cover sketch book

[oscarl48]

Something a little different for me. I found a lot of examples on the web but they all seemed small (6x4 seemed the most popular).

This is a prototype design for a wood cover sketch book using standard size 11x8.5 32lbs 100% cotton paper. It uses wooden hinges and screw rivets as the binding. I added the leather to soften the feel and look of the book.

The good: It works. The hinges allow the book to open 180 degrees. The screw rivets allow paper to be swapped when the pages are all drawn on.

The bad: Needs to be a bit bigger. Next prototype I'll shift the hinges further out to the edge. The binding location needs to be changed. The paper stands up a bit too much so next time I'll attach it to the back cover so it lays flat.

[Geomoo1]

That's one fine looking sketch book, Oscar. If you loaded it with photo pages from the hobby store it would make a beautiful photo album as well.

[mikemi]

Very nice design oscar. Keep up the good work.

Mike

[aokweld101]

oscar, nice looking sketch book I like your hinges..I have seen another sketch book that had leather shoe laces as the bindery I think both concepts are as good as it gets..

[sunmiztres]

That is a very neat idea. Great job.

[zan29]

Oscar that is amazing!

[RogerB]

Great looking book. It would make a great keepsake for family scrapbook or photo album

[oscarl48]

Thanks all for the kind words. Just a prototype design. Still has some maturing to do but gave me some good ideas.

I was inspired by the necronomicon Halloween design I made. I was more surprised that there is a niche market for that kind of stuff.

[oscarl48]

Prototype design number 2. Still not quite there yet but I finished it anyway because it just looks cool.

The wooden hinges are being my bane. There are several techniques I can try next to make sure the hinges are dead on. Probably mean I have to design and build a custom jig.

[Dale]

I agree very cool!

[ktjwilliams]

Cool stuff ... Would make a great photo album..

[oscarl48]

Thanks. Something like this could be made into a photo album or diary. Mine is a sketch book. :)

Still have to figure out the best way to do the wood hinges.

[oscarl48]

I am getting closer to the final design. Getting the hinges straight is still being a pain. This sketch book is for my daughter. She loves all things DaVinci.

[ktjwilliams]

I like it,,, I can see many different uses for this ... All the ideas running through my head is giving me a headache ... Ha

[zan29]

That is awesome Oscar! Well done!

[oscarl48]

Thank you. I am now working on my other daughters book. And as I was hammering the tacks in I believe I cracked one of the dowel hinges (dang it..have to re-drill out and replace all the wood dowels).

Still fine tuning the design and build processes. Don't know how well they sell but books this size are listed for $200+. I just saved 400 dollars. woohoo!

It only cost me a new sewing machine (wife wouldn't let me use hers) and a full set of leather working tools.

I can also see why they are so expensive. I could have built two chests in the time it takes me to make one of these. Once I have the design down and fine tune the different steps I should be able to reduce building time.

[oscarl48]

Finished my second daughter's book. I did crack one of the dowels but it is still functional so I won't replace until it fails. Did a different pattern with the leather and I like it better than the first pattern. I guess more leather is always good. :p

[dbemus]

Oscar,

Both books are outstanding creations! DaVinci would be impressed with your creation!! :wink:

[oscarl48]

lol. DaVinvi is probably rolling in his grave at my poor attempts but thank you.

[DianMayfield]

Oscar, I want to be you when I grow up in wood working and what you do with the software :) (well, maybe a blend of you and Suzanne) Your stuff is amazing.

Looking at the weight of the covers, do you think that it would benefit from dowels a little bigger diameter? Already deconstructing for a gift for my daughter, a photographer.

[oscarl48]

lol. No one wants to be me when they grow up.

Yes, a bigger dowel would probably last longer. I am using about 3 inches of 1/4" oak rod dowel now. I cracked one or two of the dowels in the last book when I was hammering the tacks in without supporting the piece properly.

For deconstructing purposes here are the rough plans I have developed so far. They are still a work in progress. The pain has been to line up the drill hole so that the book opens correctly but also remains flat when opened. I am rounding only one side so the square sides support the book laying flat (or that is the plan anyway...hit or miss so far). I made a jig to line up the drill holes but still not very precise.

Leather really softens up the books and makes handling them almost a treat. I have a Tandy leather down the road and its been fun re-learning working leather. Highly encourage using for this project.

[Icutone2]

Great Binding This May Not Be the first? Looks GREAT!
Lee

[gwhiz]

Awesome job Oscar! I might have to make some photo albums for Christmas! I might consider replacing the dowel hinges with brass rod...

[oscarl48]

Thank you both. Polished brass rods showing on the ends would look great. Especially when the book is open and folks can see them.

I've thought of leaving the top dowel proud of the wood to show that it was also wood but not sure about the practicality depending on how far it would stick out.

We've had rain for the last three days so didn't have a chance to work on my next practice piece. The cover is steampunk and I really like it so I have to figure out the hinge things soon. I'll be using plenty of leather to soften it up some more but this would be a perfect candidate for brass as the hinge. Brass and steampunk go hand in hand.

Can't wait to see everyone else's efforts.

[oscarl48]

Its been raining a lot lately in northern Louisiana so haven't had much chance to do woodworking (and also picked up another hobby that is sucking away my time) but finally had a chance to get in a half day around my tools. I am still attempting to refine the procedures to get one of these done. Bought a drill press vise and it worked okay. I am still finding it a bit tricky to get perfect drill holes for the hinges. I'm getting closer though. I am drilling the holes prior to gluing the end pieces to the carved center for easier access for the drill press.

I stained the maple with cherry stain to see the effect and its perfect. It screams steampunk to me and when I add the leather it should really stand out. Hopefully next weekend it will get done.

Also had a request from a friend for a special Dr. Who sketch book for his daughter. This was a fun cover to make. I'll be staining the maple dark at his request with lighter colored leather.

If any

[SharonB]

Very nice designs. Look forward to seeing the end results.

[James RS]

Nice job, but I might have a suggestion for your hinges. I saw a video on Youtube on wooden hinges and this gentleman didn't drill his.
He cut slots on the backside dropped in a brass pin then filled it with a wood strip.

Edit: Found the link https://youtu.be/3foxwJQRd60

[oscarl48]

James,

Thanks. I don't know why but that way seemed liked cheating. lol. That's the method I mentioned I will be using if I can't figure this out. My last trial was actually pretty good.

What I have found so far are the hinges are pretty forgiving in holding the book together and functioning. The problem is when the book is open if the hinges aren't parallel the book doesn't lay open parallel. It works but the aesthetics are off. After I assemble these next two books I'll give that method a try.

I am changing the hinge location next and see how that works.

Regards.
Oscar

[ktjwilliams]

Aight oscar keep on truckin along ...

[oscarl48]

lol. Okay, I am being stubborn in trying to make my initial idea work. The other method is a proven, efficient method to get super straight cuts for the hinges. I'll try it after these next two books since I already drilled out the holes on these. It actually looks pretty simple with either the table saw or router table.

[Underdog]

Love these. Keep up the good work.

To be able to drill straight into your spine pieces (I assume that's where the problem is) you're going to have to clamp it to a jig in your drill press. Use sharp drill bits. All your stock should probably be dead square as well.
If you still aren't drilling straight holes, then you may need to set the sweep on the press. It's easily done with a dial indicator and an "L" shaped piece of cold rolled steel mounted in the chuck. You will need to flatten the end and drill a hole to mount the dial indicator. Then adjust your table so that as the dial moves in the circle, there's no deflection of the needle. You can get very close to a 90 degree angle this way.

[oscarl48]

The drill press vise made a big difference. The drilling was a lot straighter than my other attempt using a homemade jig. The design I am finding is very forgiving. The beauty of using a natural flexible material like wood.

When its fully open the book lays open, locks flat, and acts like a table to sit on your lap. I am getting closer to a final design.

I am questioning whether to stay with wood hinges. It is a good discussion topic when showing off the book but I am worried that after 6 months of opening and closing they will start failing. The dowels do have a lot of pressure on them. The book is heavy since I am using 3/4 in thick stock. I have 2 more to go before I declare a final design.

[Canemaker]

Oscar, have you considered hard rock maple for the wooden hinges? Are you making your own dowels using a lathe? I do have some black walnut blanks that I was going to turn into some walking canes if you're interested. Call me or pm.

John.

[oscarl48]

Okay, after 4 prototypes I am declaring my design a failure. The hinge thing is too inconsistent. Sometimes good results but also sometimes not so good. So going to redo the design with the alternate method for making the hinges. Should be much more consistent with good results if I can get the design down.

But here is my last prototype using the old design. Its Dr Who theme with blue dyed deer leather.

[Dale]

Sorry to hear that the hinges are not working, but it sure looks nice.

[oscarl48]

John, Dale, thanks.

I have the panels drying now for the next design. This next prototype is going to the wife so tonight will start working the design. She wants a world of warcraft book/tome. Should be fun to design.

I am already seeing this design will work much better for the hinges but on the negative side I have to be much more precise. Had to pull out the jointer and planer.

Enclosing the rough plans if anyone wants to play with this.

Disclaimer: these are really, really rough initial drafts so still have a ways to go to finalize them.

[oscarl48]

Finally had some time with my tools. I am very pleased with this effort. It is far from perfect but I learned a lot and this should be a viable design once I clean it up a bit. I will redo the plans sometime this weekend and post the basic construction design. The initial plan I posted will not work well. You need more space for the covers to open and close.

But the book design is a perfect blank canvas for some cool artistry to happen.

The sword carved on the spine is the legendary Thunderfury. Much talked about but never found sword in the World of Warcraft.

Lol. I actually had no clue what it was but the wife asked for it so she got it. I think my pattern came out pretty good. Added a picture of how it looks like in the 3d digital realm.

For everyone that is learning blender...it rocks once you get past the initial mountain of a learning curve.

P.S. forgot to mention its an all wood construction. Oak dowels for the hinges and through dowels to hold the spine to the hinges.

[henry1]

What kind of wood are you using for this project have to say very nice

[oscarl48]

Henry, it was black walnut.

[mikemi]

I happen to run across the article and I thought of you. http://www.woodcraft.com/articles/613/making-wooden-hinges.aspx
Don't know if it may help you or not with your wooden sketch books.

Mike

[oscarl48]

Mike,

Thanks. I had not seen that article. That technique is a beautiful elegant solution. I'll keep it in my back pocket for a more elegant project.

I am using a modified version of the technique used by Mr. David Henry on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3foxwJQRd60. The only tool you need is a table saw or a steady hand with a hand saw. A hand router/table router makes clean up easier but a rasp can also be used with sandpaper.

Regards,
Oscar

[oscarl48]

As promised (kind of), enclosed is a guide to the last design I used for my last wood book.

This is the third design so far but its the easiest and most forgiving so far.

They all work. Its just which one one prefers and what tools you have available. I said in the guide to use a table saw or hand saw, but a band saw, router table, scroll saw could work just as well. A router does help in rounding over the needed edges.

Again, just a blank canvas for the imagination to fill in.

Happy carving.

Oscar

[normrichards]

Did you use pieces to form the covers for wood movement and warp reasons or another reason? I am just wondering why not a solid piece?

[oscarl48]

Norm,

Other. It was for alignment with the dowel rod. You can drill through the pieces (my design #1 and #2 attempt) but I found it to be very inconsistent with my tools and my lack of precision. This method will get laser straight cuts every time (or at least most of the time for me). The WoW book opens very smoothly and with no squeaking. My previous books did have some wood rubbing on wood due to non-perfectly aligned drill holes.

If you can drill straight, then design #1 and #2 will work fine.

Hope you have a chance to build some of these.

[normrichards]

Thank you, I can see where it would be hard to drill straight through that length of hinges.

[RogerB]

Oscer thank you for sharing the PDF file. My wife is a scrapbooker. With an addiction just like a carviholic.

[oscarl48]

That is awesome. Can't wait to see your efforts.

It can become her portfolio for her special pieces.

These wood books will be for special events or people.

They are very expensive compared to a regular binder (~30-60 dollars in material based on species used).

They are heavy.

They take time to make (1-3 days depending on glue, stain[if used] and sealant drying times). Add more time if you are adding leather or other embellishments. As a note: the leather really softens up the feel of the book and is really kind of cool on how it feels.

It does take some skill both as a woodworker and as an artist.

So in the end these books become special as well as pieces of art in their own right.

[oscarl48]

Pulled out the scroll saw to try to make some of the really cool hinges from the article Mike showed us. Tried to make 2in hinges with my 2in scroll saw.

Unmitigated failure.

First of all I found out you really do need some skill with a scroll saw. My lines were all over the place. Secondly I was really pushing my little scroll saw to try to cut to its limit. When I showed my wife my results, she first cringed a little and then started laughing. So I am giving up on these. Too small for me and I don't have the rights tools for it (though once I am over the hurt feelings I may try it on my band saw).

So hopefully someone else has the patience and tools for it. Enclosed are some quick scroll patterns I made for a 2in hinge as explained in the video tutorial.

[oscarl48]

For my stepson who is a nerd like me, "For the Horde!"

Fan art design I made for a book cover. Carved it today in black walnut and it came out looking sweet.

Not sure what the fan art rules are so will only show off the images.

[oscarl48]

Really simple jig but actually worked really well for me today. I tacked a 1 in strip on the end of a 3/4 in blank so I would have a 1/4 overhang. It allowed me to set my table saw fence to cut the dado for a 1/4 dowel hinge and then cut a 1/4 in plug to cover the dado by flipping the 1/4 stock on its side. You can be cut the plug flush when the glue sets. I cut the plug slight thicker than 1/4 in but used by bench sander to custom fit to the dado slots individually.

[oscarl48]

Latest book completed for a friend. Its a Christmas gift for his daughter. Used cherry wood with maple plugs on the dado holes. The slots and plugs were cut using the jig I mentioned earlier.

I am really happy with the book and also the book design.

[dbemus]

Emma will have a lifetime treasure. Nicely done!

[oscarl48]

Thanks. I do hope she likes it. My buddy has been a good friend so wanted for it to come out nice. The hinge design seems to work well so I am happy with that. The design has slowly been evolving but I think I am almost there with it.

[oscarl48]

This is about as close as you can get to finishing at the last possible moment. Applied final spray finish (lacquer) this morning so it could be given as a Christmas present. Quick steel wool rub to get a super smooth finish and handed to my step son.

Really happy with the pattern and carving. Didn't have any time for sanding the carving so what you see is what came out of the CW.

[oscarl48]

Working on a new book design. Current design build time is 1 to 2 days including carving. It is a beautiful design that shows great craftsmanship in the final product.

This new design will be more like 4 hours including carving time (on normal). Drops the skill level needed to build to really, really basic. Again, all wood no metal construction.

Kind of industrial look to it so going with a steam punk design again. I'll work on the design tomorrow. Also pulling out the laser this weekend.

[Rkoonz2]

Really cool Oscar, When you get it all figured out you should put it in the pattern dep.

[oscarl48]

I like the idea. If I do it, it will be a basic book construction project as a blank slate. In addition to sketch books, these books are a great way to commemorate a special event as a sign-in book with the special event theme on the cover. Anniversary, birthday, family gathering, etc. Someone already mentioned a special photo book.

Had the day off so working hard on the cover design. I love that I have slowly been building up my library of models/patterns. Really sped things up. Here is what I have come up with so far for the front cover. Sometimes ideas just really work out. I have to give all credit to my wife who suggested the pocket watch.

[Dale]

Very interesting design, looking forward to seeing it in the pattern depot.

[oscarl48]

Looks like my estimate of about 4 hours was pretty close. Finished carving the front cover (1 hr 10 min) and book spine (39 min). Still need to carve the back (another hour or so). The hinges say they will take an hour to cut out. There are 24 individual hinge pieces to build up the 6 hinges needed. I used my last piece of padauk for the front and back and black walnut for the spine (not enough padauk to finish the spine).

Did a plunge carving into the black walnut for the spine. I love how well it carves. Lost day light so will finish up the back and hinges tomorrow.

Padauk is really dense and heavy so planning on pinning the hinges with dowels to the covers in addition to the glue for extra strength.

[SharonB]

I like your Steampunk design. Look forward to seeing it finished.

[oscarl48]

Sharon, thank you. Me too. :D

[oscarl48]

Quick update. All pieces cut and carved. Sadly it looks like this specific design is a big esthetic failure.

The hinges are super smooth for opening and closing. The problem is the spine width with the hinges is 6" using a 3" spine. The thickness of the lumber plus the additional thickness of the wood hinges make the proportions look wrong. I can probably go down to 2.5" on the spine, which is probably as short as I can go with these 2" hinges, but that will in turn only reduce the width of the spine to 5.5".

I have to spend sometime and figure out another way to do the hinges.

[DianMayfield]

Oscar,

I was watching the Mummy with Brandon Fraiser for a few minutes last night. They uncovered some ancient tome, and the hinges appeared to be on the outside of the book. Might be something to consider :)

[oscarl48]

I was thinking the same thing but I have an easier solution for this project. I may be able to salvage the spine as well.

I think dragon or clawed hand hinges would be awesome for an ancient tome or grimoire. The design I have in mind to fix the hinge issue would work with that as well and make for easier construction as well.

[cestout]

Now I know what to make for all the grand kids nest Christmas. Thank you!
Clint

[oscarl48]

They can be a lot of work but they do have the wow factor when people see them.

This last design...well...I won't say it was a complete failure but it wasn't what I was envisioning. In the end I have something that is functional but I think it will be more a decoration than something I use.

I wish I could afford padauk for more projects. This is the raw wood with the first coat of poly. The hinges are made with black walnut. If you think bicycle chain then you know how the hinge is made.

The hinge part was frustrating. Every hinge finger came out slightly different size from the CW. It was not a big difference but enough that I had to fine tune pretty much every piece on the sanding station. Very time consuming. So if anyone actually tries this, make extra parts. I think I only ruined 2 or three by sanding off the opposite edge that I actually needed. :) Measuring twice is such a bore. lol. The hinge fingers are designed with a top and bottom. The hinge will not work right if they are flipped upside down. Pinning the hinge to the boards with dowels really added strength to them and they are needed. Padauk is dense and heavy.

Next project will be a grimoire. It should be extravagant and over the top.

[oscarl48]

The last pictures just did not do justice to the padauk and the carving. Enclosed is another picture of the book after the poly has dryed. This is raw wood with only oil based poly applied. It will oxidize to a natural orange brown finish. It is one of my favorite species. Purple heart carves better but the color of padauk is so unique that it is so fun to use (I guess purple heart is pretty unique to). I am going to have to order some more padauk and purple heart soon. This was my last board.

The hinge design opens and closes smoothly so it works but it made the book too wide/thick. So good design for the wrong application.

[Rkoonz2]

looks great!

[cestout]

I just picked up some 1/8" steel rod at HD. I will try to figure out how the do the hinges like the video. If I succeed I will post it. I have it all figured in my head. I like to take projects meant for other tools and methods and make them easier with the CarveWright ex. the Tambour box and the EZ Box in the store.
Clint

[oscarl48]

Working on a new book cover pattern. Its a work in progress but still wanted to show off the design. It'll be going to my Navy corpsman daughter.

Its supposed to be a stylistic caduceus symbol.

[SharonB]

That should be an interesting carve Oscar. Look forward to seeing it when it is finished.