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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.
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Great Binding This May Not Be the first? Looks GREAT!
Lee
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Awesome job Oscar! I might have to make some photo albums for Christmas! I might consider replacing the dowel hinges with brass rod...
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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.
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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
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Very nice designs. Look forward to seeing the end results.
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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
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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
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Aight oscar keep on truckin along ...
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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.