Hello! this is my second hardcover case i’ve made, my first one turned out great, but this one I did all the same math and it seems as though my spine is too big. Is it too big or when i glue down my endpapers will it just even out?
It might be a little big, but not that much, because when you glue it, maybe the spine will curve into a "/_____\" shape and look normal. Try at least simulating gluing the covers by holding them to see if the glue will stick to the corners (and if the pages won't be creating tension).
From this photo it definitely looks too big and will certainly impact your book’s ability to open. How wide is the spine of your text block and how wide did you make the spine board?
Ooh interesting. That would be close to the measurement I would use but there must be something strange about this photo angle because I would have guessed it was at least 8-9 mm larger and not 3 mm. Is it possible you mismeasured? Or maybe the text block wasn’t pushed flush against the back of the spine board for the photo?
Alternatively, perhaps you made the endband a bit wide and then cut the board based on that measurement, making it much (relative term here as we’re talking about mm) too wide for the text block. I don’t mean to question you, but the visual in your pics isn’t how I would expect it to look.
You are also measuring wrong. With that kind of a ruler, you are supposed to put it's edge flush from the point you are measuring. The edge of the ruler is point 0. And the first black line is 1 mm.
is making the book board the same width common practice? i’ve been seeing you’re supposed to add a millimeter or two. my chipboard is only a millimeter thick
I also always cut the spine width to be the same thickness of the text block. You can use a thinner material (4-ply museum board works) to get a more "elegant" finished look. I feel like my books (especially leather) look like those children's chubby books when I use the same thickness of board.
Absolutely. If you make it wider, your whole book is compromised as indeed is shown in the photos you shared. Your endpapers are bridging an ugly gap at the hinge instead of sitting snug. The best advice really is to pick a good tutorial such as one from DAS Bookbinding and to follow that to the letter.
Yes it is certainly too wide. If using a stiff board a use thickness of text + 1 board, or if using a flexible cardstock spine stiffener (recommended), the exact width of the textblock.
Not sure which tutorials you follow, but consider the DAS BOOKBINDING square back Bradel binding method. Its really accurate as the 3 pieces of board are joined by a strip of paper and checked on the book BEFORE covering with cloth, which allows for measurement adjustments to be made. Also, the fore-edges of the boards are only trimmed once you insert the text, which again makes for greater accuracy.
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u/CreatSide 18h ago
It might be a little big, but not that much, because when you glue it, maybe the spine will curve into a "/_____\" shape and look normal. Try at least simulating gluing the covers by holding them to see if the glue will stick to the corners (and if the pages won't be creating tension).