In essence, the first thing we want to do is to get a number of pieces of paper folded in two, with the grain of the paper running the vertical direction of the finished book. The grain of 8 ½" x 11" paper usually runs the long way. 11" x 17" paper may run either way.
We will be using a hydraulic guillotine to do our cutting, but the paper can be measured, marked, and cut with a razor knife against a steel straight-edge. Steel is best to cut against, as the knife is sharp enough that it will dig into wood or plastic. Then you won't have a straight cut…or a straight ruler. If a bit of care is taken, cutting your paper by hand will yield accurate results; it just takes a bit longer than doing it with the power tool.
So, by whatever means, the ultimate goal is to get as many pieces of paper as we need, folded in two, the size of the book we want to make, and with the grain running the right direction. If doing this with hand tools, follow the applicable instructions. But before we get started, let's glance at a couple of terms we'll be using, explained and illustrated in the next slide.
