In this tutorial, I'll show you how to do a 4-hole Japanese binding.
Here's a list of materials and tools that I'll be using.
I'm using 8 inch by 11 inch paper for the whole book.
First I'm going to make a template for the binding holes.
Take one of the inside pages and make a line 1 inch line from the spine's edge.
Then fold the paper in half 3 times.
Now unfold the paper,
and mark 4 holes spaced out like this.
My book is too thick to make holes all the way through in one shot.
So I'm dividing my book into sets of about 5 pages, and using my template as a guide to make the holes.
You can clip the sets together to keep them in place.
To make the holes, you can use a screw punch tool, or an awl.
To learn more about the screw punch that I'm using, check out the video to the left.
If you don't have an awl, check out the video to the right for a quick substitute.
You can also find these links in the description below.
Now, using the template as a guide, make the binding holes.
After you have punched some pages, you can also use those pages or the cover
as a template too.
After all the holes are made, it's time to bind.
I'm using waxed cotton thread, single threaded, no knot.
For Japanese binding, it's better to have more thread than to run out.
To estimate how much thread to use, I'm going to make the length about 5 times the height of my book.
First take a portion of the pages and start from the bottom on the second hole.
Leave about 4 or 5 inches (13 cm) on the end.
And tuck it between, so it's going towards the other end of the book.
This is where the final knot will be tied.
Then wrap around to the bottom of the book, and back through like this.
Then to the next hole,
wrap around and back through.
When you reach the last hole, wrap around and back through again,
then wrap around on the end and back through.
Now weave through the rest of the holes to the other end, wrap around the same way
and back to the 2nd hole you started from.
When you reach the 2nd hole, return the needle in between where the end of the thread is.
And tie the 2 ends together in a knot.
You can pull on them a little to make sure the binding isn't too loose.
Then cut the ends off.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful, and feel free to like or leave your comments below.
To learn how to make your own waxed thread, check out the video to the left.
For an overview on bookbinding needles, check out the video to the right.
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