Lining up book cloth grain saved my covers from curling

I kept making hardcover bindings that warped after a week, no matter how much PVA I used. Turns out I was ignoring the grain direction on the book cloth, cutting it every which way. After 3 ruined covers in a row, I tested a scrap piece and saw it curled along the same line as the weave. Now I always run my finger across the cloth to feel the grain before cutting, just like paper. It takes 10 extra seconds and my last 12 covers came out flat and square. Anyone else fight this or do you just use buckram for everything?

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1 Comment

gray_gibson16d ago

Buckram hides a lot of sins, but I get why you'd want cloth. I ruined two projects in a row before I even knew grain was a thing, felt like a dummy. Now I do the same finger test, it's like a cheap version of a grain direction tool. Takes less time than re-cutting a crooked cover, that's for sure. Twelve flat covers is a solid streak, keep doing your thing.