A Glossary of Hand Bookbinding

Terms of the bench, the press and the finishing stove, from awl to yapp edges — a composed reference site: every term a page, every group a grid of cards.

Tools

The tools of the bench: what pierces, folds, cuts, holds and presses.

Agate burnisher
A polished stone for burnishing gilt edges to a mirror.
Awl
A pointed steel tool that pierces the sewing stations through a folded section.
Backing boards
Bevelled boards clamped either side of the spine while the shoulders are hammered.
Backing hammer
A hammer with a broad, slightly domed face for rounding and backing.
Band nippers
Pliers with broad jaws for pinching leather over raised bands.
Board shears
A bench shear with a long blade and clamp for cutting boards square.
Bodkin
A heavier, round-shanked awl for piercing boards and thick sections.
Bone folder
A smooth blade of bone for creasing, folding and burnishing.
Dividers
Two steel points for stepping off equal measurements.
Fillet
A wheel tool for running long straight lines.
Finishing press
A small lying press that holds a book spine-up for tooling and lettering.
Gouge
A finishing tool that impresses a curved line.
Lying press
A horizontal wooden press that holds a book between its cheeks for backing, ploughing and finishing.
Nipping press
An iron screw press for a brief, firm squeeze.
Pallet
A finishing tool that impresses a short straight line.
Paring knife
A knife for thinning leather at its edges before turning in.
Plough
A blade that runs along the lying press to trim the edges of a text block.
Pressing boards
Flat boards placed either side of a book in the press.
Sewing frame
The frame that holds tapes or cords taut while sections are sewn to them.
Spokeshave
A woodworker's tool used to pare large areas of leather evenly.
Straightedge
A steel rule with a true edge, the guide for every cut.
Tins
Thin metal sheets that keep moisture from migrating between pressed books.
Type holder
A clamp that holds a line of brass type for lettering a spine.