I switched from sewing signatures by hand to using a press and jig

For years I'd sit at my kitchen table and sew each signature one at a time, taking like 45 minutes for a 300-page book. Then last spring I got tired of my wrist hurting and built a simple wooden press with a jig from some scrap plywood. Now I can sew a whole text block in under 10 minutes and it's way more consistent. Anyone else make a big time-saving switch in their binding process?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennys7226d ago

Have you tried adding a tension gauge to your jig? I ran into the same loose page problem at first, but I drilled a small hole in the side of my press and threaded a bolt through it with a spring. Now I can set the tension just right before I start sewing, and it's been rock solid for over 50 books. The key is matching your thread weight to the press, I use a heavier linen thread for jig work versus the fine stuff I used by hand.

umamartin26d ago

Press down on a book too quick and you lose that tactile feel from hand sewing that lets you know the thread tension is right. I've seen machines and jigs create real problems with loose pages down the road when the binding gets old. Sometimes the slower way actually saves you time in the long run if you don't have to fix mistakes later.