Oh, wood I!
At last year’s Focus on Book Arts Conference, I took a workshop on how to sew over cords using wood covers. I really enjoyed the workshop and planned on incorporating wood into my future work.
Well, for the last week, I’ve been obsessed with wood. I don’t know what triggered it. I have spent hours on the internet looking for local distributors of exotic woods. I was determined to spend my Saturday driving 2.5 hours (one-way) to Highland Hardwoods in Brentwood, NH. Then I got sick. Meh. After deciding that I could handle a shorter trip, my husband and I drove to Baker Lumber in White River Junction, VT. We pulled into the parking lot and I was immediately drawn to the warehouse full of wood, organized in piles by species and size. (Me? Drawn to piles?) It smelled so good in there. I walked around for a bit, oohing and ahhing until I decided that I was ready to buy. I entered the showroom and asked a gentleman for help.
I told him that I wanted to use the wood for book covers - how thin could I get the wood? He looked at me like I was an alien. I know that the book concept was likely foreign to him, but for someone who specializes in wood, you think he’d know how you can work with it. I decided that I was just going to buy me some wood and ask questions later.
I chose three varieties (from the top down): Walnut, purple heart, and cambera, which is a type of mahogany. I camped out at Barnes & Noble later in the day and skimmed through some woodworking books. My wish list just got longer.
The plan is to make nice with a woodworker who can teach me the ropes or to just pay a pro to cut it for me. I hope to use the wood for further development of the caterpillar binding. It seems that caterpillars and wood are a natural fit. If you have any experience working with wood, I am all ears for any suggestions and/or tips you can offer. I’m also open for book recommendations. Oh, and while you’re at it, I’d love recommendations for wood vendors in Vermont who understand the needs of bookbinders. A girl can dream, can’t she?
Filed under: Bookbinding, Supplies | Tagged: Bookbinding, wood
