Bookmaking: Codex Binding
by Lighting the Way 
& Dunhom5
Marjorie suddenly realizes that something went horribly, horribly wrong....
Most modern books use a codex binding where many sheets of paper are sewed together and a cover is wrapped around the book to hide the binding, protect the book, and provide a place to display information about the book. It's one of the more advanced types of bindings you can use for your logbooks, but it's also one of the most professional-looking logbooks you can make.
Supplies You'll Need
Most supplies for this project are easily found at your local arts and crafts store. Many rubber stamp and scrapbooking stores also carry bookmaking supplies, but if you need help finding certain materials, click on the supplies with links to find it on Mister Art, an online art and craft supply store.
- Pencil
- Index cards (4" x 6")
- Choice of paper for cover
- Heavy thread (waxed is suggested)
- Heavy needle
- Cardboard (cereal boxes work great)
- Scissors
- Glue Stick
- "Tacky" glue
- Ruler
- Binder clips (large)
- Awl (optional)
Directions
| Step 1: | Separate cards into 6 piles of 4 cards (or desired amount) each. | Click on the Pictures Below for a Larger Image |
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| Step 2: | Fold each pile of cards in half, making a good tight fold. Clip all the folded piles together with the binder clips book style. Each pile = set. |  |
| Step 3: | Using your ruler, mark 4 points equidistant across the "spine" of your "book", at ½ inch, 1½ inches, 2½ inches and 3½ inches (from this point on called A = ½ , B= 1½ , C = 2½ , and D= 3½). Mark 4 lines across spine at measured points. |  |
| Step 4: | Open 1 set of cards. Using a needle or awl, punch a hole through all the cards at each marked spot on the fold. Repeat for the remaining sets. |  |
| Step 5: | Thread your needle with about 5 to 6 feet of thread. Tie the ends of the thread together in a knot, leaving about a 4 inch tail. Starting at A, put your needle down through the hole, come up at B, down at C and up at D. Pull thread tight. |
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| Step 6: | Hold 2nd set of cards in back of the first set. Put your needle down through D2 (second set), up through C2 (second set), down through C1 (first set), up through B1 (first set), down through B2 (second set), up through A2. Pull your thread tight as possible as you go. Now tie your thread with the tail from the first set at A. |
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| Step 7: | Hold 3rd set behind the second set. Put your needle down through A3, up through B3, down through B2, up through C2, down through C3, up through D3, and hook your thread under the loop at D1 and D2 twice (where the two previous sets are joined). Pull your thread tight. |
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| Step 8: | Hold 4th set behind the third set. Put your needle through D4, up through C4, down through C3, up through B3, down through B4, up through A4. Pull thread tight. Tie thread with the tail from A1. Do sets 5 and 6 repeating steps 7 and 8. Pull thread tight and tie off with tail at end of set 6. Make a good knot, and cut, leaving about a half inch "tail." Use your binder clips to hold your book tight. |
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| Step 9: | Measure your "book", add 1/8 inch length and width. Measure the binding, squeezing the binding tight to get a good measurement. (Roughly 3 1/8 x 4 1/8 x 7/16. You want a smaller binding piece). Transfer your measurements onto your cardboard. Cut out the pieces as one for now. |
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| Step 10: | Take choice of paper and lay face down. Place your cardboard on top. Leave ½ inch border of paper around the cardboard. Add 3/16 inch to the length to accommodate fold. Cut out choice paper. (Mark your ½ inch borders on the paper). |
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| Step 11: | Now cut apart your cardboard. Using your glue stick, glue back of front cover of cardboard and glue to your choice paper. Use your drawn ½ in. lines for placement. Do the same for the back cover, and glue to opposite end of your choice paper. Now glue the spine of cover and place between the front and back covers, leaving equidistant room. |
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| Step 12: | Miter the corners of your paper. |  |
| Step 13: | Using the glue stick, glue the edges of the paper and fold over cardboard and press down tight. Fold your cover into a book, creasing the folds well. |
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| Step 14: | Using your glue stick, glue the front inside cover of your book (cardboard side). Place pages inside cover, making sure it is tight to back binding. Press front page against cover of book. Press tight. |
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| Step 15: | Using tacky glue—put in back binding of cover ONLY. Using glue stick to glue back cover of book (cardboard side). Position page and press tight. |
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| Step 16: | To make a sturdier cover, split a 4 x 6 card in half. (You might need to trim down about 1/8 inch to ensure it fits nicely). Glue (using glue stick) one piece on front inside cover and one on back inside cover. Use the binder clips (using left over cardboard to protect your book) on the sides of your book to keep closed for about 8 hours, to ensure that the glue in the back binding is dry. |
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Now What?
Marjorie finally decides that codex-style bindings aren't her thing
These are basic directions. You can have as many pages in a set as you wish—3 or 4 is suggested, 5 or 6 can also be used, although it makes a more uneven edge with more pages.
For sets, you have to work in even numbers, 4, 6, 8, etc. You can make larger or smaller books, depending on the size card used.
Instead of using 3 pieces of cardboard for your cover, you could use just one. I find that the three pieces gives a nice binding edge. Once you have this down, you can make a log book start to finish in about 20 to 30 minutes!