Can we talk about the book fair in Chicago last fall

I went to the big book arts fair in Chicago last October and saw a binder using a simple jig to trim endpapers perfectly every time. Watching that demo made me realize I was wasting way too much time measuring by hand and getting uneven cuts. Has anyone else picked up a trick from watching a demo at a show like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.jade1mo agoMost Upvoted

And that jig trick is exactly the kind of thing that makes me wish shows had a dedicated "hacks swap" table where people just trade their little shop secrets. I realized half the time I'm buying new gear just because I can't figure out the simple DIY fix for something, and those demos are way more valuable than any tool I picked up at the vendor tables. Honestly, watching someone shave off a millimeter with a homemade guide changed how I think about precision in my whole workspace.

the_sean1mo ago

Wait, are you telling me I could have been building my own specialized doodads this whole time instead of dropping $80 on a guillotine that barely fits on my desk? Lol, I feel personally attacked by that jig demo because I spent like three years just using a dull x-acto and a prayer.