Poor Man’s Plough

Finished the year with a pair of small notebooks. I backed the cover fabric with rice paper and was careful to keep the non-stretchy dimension of the fabric running in the same direction as the paper grain. The backing turned out beautifully. The red fabric was on the thick side so the library-style corners were not a the best choice. The folded fabric makes the corners stick out a little too much.

I sowed the signatures to two 1/4 inch cotton tapes from the good people at The Ribbon Factory. Their tape is very thin and possesses almost no stretch. Very nice to work with. The end papers are 60lb Strathmore drawing paper.

I cut the block to size with my homemade plough, a harmonious blend of uncompromising engineering and Old World craftmanship.

The blade is an Olfa MCB-1 and is fixed to the block with epoxy. It gives a surprisingly good result. It’s much easier to get a consistent cut with it than with a double-grind Olfa knife. They are easy to sharpen too.

I found my pack at Preston Hardware but you can also get them from sellers on eBay.