Wooden Book Boards

Here's something a bit different.  A current commission is to make a wooden bound copy of Three Men in a Boat with Marysa.  Below is a picture of one of the boards, almost finished.  I learnt how to make this kind of board from Alain Taral, the well known French bookbinder who does really beautiful hinged wooden bindings.  Marysa and I stayed with him and his wife Annick in Toulon recently, where we had the chance to watch him at work as well as being spoilt with delicious food from their garden, including the best figs I have ever tasted! 

The boards have inlaid brass plates which are going to be engraved with the title etc.  They are veneered in (sustainbly sourced) mahogany and are French polished.  I don't do French Polishing very often as it's not a look I like very much on larger pieces.  On small items it can look wonderful though.  I usually avoid the use of non-native timbers, but this project really needed mahogany to work as it has to match the owners mahogany boat!

Wooden Board Bookbinding

We have just finished our first joint project with Otter Bookbinding, which is a bookbinders run by my partner Marysa.  We combined skills to bind a copy of The St Brides Notebook (printed by the Incline Press).  The binding is based on Coptic techniques.  The boards are of quarter sawn brown oak with a shellac finish. They are link stitched onto leather thongs.  We are pleased with how it has turned out, so there will be more to follow!