manufactory

Recent forays into the world of book-binding and camera-building have taken on a life of their own.

One thing that emerges from these projects is the need to make tools and jigs before you can even make the thing you set out to.

For instance, to make a hand-sewn book, you need a book press. A stack of books will work, but a book press will work better and for the cost of a couple of pieces of wood and some fasteners, why not do it right?

Working on making a 6×17 cm roll-film camera and I needed not just the parts — wood, brass tubing, knobs and the like — but some micro-drill bits, a saw, some sandpaper. And the drill bits are so tiny — the smallest is .0130 inches or .3302 millimeters, they will likely require a jig to hold the drill so they don’t break. I may get a small hand drill but I am also considering some kind of bow-drill that of course, I would have to make. I don’t want the drill bit to go too fast and get damaged or wreck the work piece.


So far we have made three books, one 192 pager that I carry around and two 96 page ones that each of my kids made. And they have each taken a commission for one so you can assume the work is good.

The camera has been percolating for ages, partly of out of good old-fashioned procrastination and partly uncertainty on how to proceed. An email exchange with a camera builder who lives on Reunion Island(!) and I finally understood how to make a curved platen wide-format camera. The film guides and internals pieces will be made of basswood (it’s inexpensive and easy to work) while the outer parts will be lauan. I didn’t realize lauan was an endangered hardwood. So I will have to make my penance for using it by a. using it all — no waste and b. making a donation or some kind of contribution to an organization that addresses this issue.

The cutting with the Japanese saw I picked up has gone quite well: fast, clean cuts, and very little waste. The cuts are narrow and the shavings small. The basswood I cut with a knife, as it’s quite soft.

Now playing: We All Loved Each Other So Much by Love Tractor from the album “This Ain’t No Outer Space Ship”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *