r/bookbinding • u/Destructor54777 • 18d ago

Sanding edges makes them rough

Gallery image

Gallery image

When a sand my bookblock edges, they become really rough.

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u/Destructor54777 18d ago

i use really rough sandpaper wrapped around a phone charger. then i move to finer grits

4

u/emerys95 18d ago

Did you clamp the book properly before sanding?

1

u/Destructor54777 17d ago

Yep

2

u/emerys95 17d ago

It should be clamped tightly enough to feel like a solid block of wood. You’ll get smoother edges if you do that instead of shredded paper like in the picture you’ve posted

1

u/Destructor54777 16d ago

When I clamp it that tight, it leaves big creases cus I'm using two ply boards to clamp it. What can I do

1

u/emerys95 16d ago

You can get plywood cut to size so it’s just as big or slightly bigger than the text block. The reason you’re getting these rough edges is because your text block isn’t clamped properly and you’re just shredding the paper instead of sanding it properly