disassemble a paperback ?

NASCARaddicted · 08-01-2010, 05:56 AM

Hello

Recently I have been in a supermarket and they sold some old, slightly damaged paperback books for a bargain. Now I want to scan them.

My father has a scanner with an adf - an automatic document feeder. Since the paperbacks have been cheap, I want to rip the pages out and put them on the adf. I already tried that once - but ripping the pages out is tedious work. I mean you have to rip one or a few pages out, but you have to take care that the page itself rips at the spine and not in the middle of the page.

So I thought about some alternatives.

My first idea was to cut the pages out. But using scissors on a 400 page book ? Also, my father as a big circular saw that he uses for wood, plastic and metal (of course with different saw blades). So I really thought about putting the book on the saw and cutting away the spine of the book with that. But I don't know if this would work (maybe it rips up too much of the page and the writting on it), and also it is dangerous. My grandfather and one of my uncles both lost a thumb because of saw accidents. And I really like my thumbs (and the other fingers, too), I don't want to loose them.

Then I thought about some kind of adhesive dissolver to remove the glue on the spine. But what would be the best dissolver ? Has anyone any experience with that ? (and before you suggest "go to a Home Depot or Lowes and get brand XYZ" - I gotta tell you that I don't live in the USA, so there is no Home Depot or Lowes near me)

So guys, after telling you my experiences, what about yours ? What do you consider the best idea ? Ripping, sawing, dissolving ? Or something total different ?

Jellby · 08-01-2010, 06:05 AM

Go to a bookbinder's and ask them to cut the spines with a guillotine. Quick, easy and probably cheap.

Adoby · 08-01-2010, 07:00 AM

Sharp thin knife and a ruler?

Vintage Season · 08-01-2010, 08:06 AM

Guillotine, as Jellby already suggested. If you have access to something like a Kinko's/FedEx Print Store in Germany, the larger ones usually have a cutter that can handle ~20" widths, with an adjustable depth-stop to make sure all the pages are cut to the same depth, and for pulp paper they can stack as many high as the gap will allow. In the US, I think they charge roughly $1.50 per cut (although it's been a few years since I've been inside one of their shops, so the specifics may have changed).

- M.

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-03-2010, 07:37 PM

A commercial print/copy shop with a heavy duty guillotine would be the best option but if you have very many books, this could wind up being very expensive. Smaller guillotines that can handle up to 1 1/2" can be had from roughly $200 up.

Saws of any kind (besides the risk of loosing body parts) are unsuitable for cutting the spines from books since the teeth of the blade will leave a friable edge that will shed dust that cannot be cleaned from the book no matter how hard you try (I learned this the fun way). This dust can easily ruin a scanner or copier. Even a sharp (very sharp) knife and straight edge, slow as the process would be, would give you better results than any kind of saw blade.

NASCARaddicted · 08-04-2010, 10:25 AM

thanks so far, for all your helpful replies.

Just yesterday, I was walking around in a big city, not too far away from my hometown. I knew there was a copy shop near, so I walked in and asked if they had a guillotine. Well, they have one that can cut up to 400 pages ... so I guess this will be the easiest way.

However, I didn't have the book with me. But in my hometown, there is also a copy shop. I will ask them, too ...

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-04-2010, 11:01 PM

As I pointed out, if you have very many books, it might be cheaper to buy a cutter and do it yourself. I have roughly 1200 books in my collection. At only $1 a cut (a low estimate), that is $1200 to cut them all. More realistically, it would probably cost me from $1800-$2400. I bought a guillotine type cutter for only $183 including shipping. to say it is a piece of junk would be charitable but it does remove the spines even though the resulting page dimensions vary a little bit from the front of the book to the back and the pages don't always stay quite square. That doesn't matter to me since my scanner has a deskewing feature that (usually) corrects any misalignments. I don't mind the uneven margins on the final PDF when reading from my TV screen at home. My e-book reader crops the margins for me. I thought about getting a better cutter but the one I have now is 40 lb. and anything better will weigh almost twice as much. I'm not getting any younger (I'm 61 now) so I don't need anything that heavy to wrestle with!

NASCARaddicted · 08-07-2010, 09:01 AM

earlier this morning, I have been in a copy shop with a paper guillotine. They charged me 1 € for 1 cut.

Currently I have only like 3 more books that I need to cut, so buying a guillotine is just not worth it. Thanks for your help.

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-07-2010, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NASCARaddicted

earlier this morning, I have been in a copy shop with a paper guillotine. They charged me 1 € for 1 cut.

Currently I have only like 3 more books that I need to cut, so buying a guillotine is just not worth it. Thanks for your help.

Not to mention the guillotines copy shops have proably will be better quality.

NASCARaddicted · 08-07-2010, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Not to mention the guillotines copy shops have proably will be better quality.

Yeah. It was amazing to watch the guillotine work ... if I would have blinked I would have missed everything. I mean, this guy took the book (it had about 350 pages) and put it under the guillotine. He pushed some buttons and the book was moved by the machine. Then he pressed another button and the knife was going through the book like a hot knife through butter.

By the way, just to mention this: Before I entered the copy shop, I have been to the public library. I borrowed 2 big hardcover books (both with about 500 pages). When I asked him if he can cut books, he said "Sure, no problem. You are talking about this 2 hardcover books, right ?" - I guess the public library would get angry, if I cut their books ...

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-07-2010, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NASCARaddicted

Yeah. It was amazing to watch the guillotine work ... if I would have blinked I would have missed everything. I mean, this guy took the book (it had about 350 pages) and put it under the guillotine. He pushed some buttons and the book was moved by the machine. Then he pressed another button and the knife was going through the book like a hot knife through butter.

By the way, just to mention this: Before I entered the copy shop, I have been to the public library. I borrowed 2 big hardcover books (both with about 500 pages). When I asked him if he can cut books, he said "Sure, no problem. You are talking about this 2 hardcover books, right ?" - I guess the public library would get angry, if I cut their books ...

Alright, I'm salivating like a famous Russian pooch for that guillotine.

My guillotine will cut through the covers of a hardback but it takes both arms and my more than ample weight pulling down on the lever to do so. I would not care to try that again too many times; the poor thing would probably fly apart! The last thing I need is that razor sharp blade doing laps around my living room at about eyeball level.

I've already come too close to losing a thumb on it!

Jellby · 08-08-2010, 05:36 AM

I guess that if you asked them to cut 100 books, they wouldn't charge you 100 €, something like 30 € would make more sense maybe.

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-08-2010, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jellby

I guess that if you asked them to cut 100 books, they wouldn't charge you 100 €, something like 30 € would make more sense maybe.

I'm guessing they wouldn't discount that much; mayhap 60 € if I beg, plead, show some cleavage.

thinkpad · 08-08-2010, 06:56 AM

I use a razor available in every hardware store. It doesn't take the whole book in one go but it gets the job done and is quite cheap considering the alternatives.

kacir · 08-08-2010, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NASCARaddicted

Also, my father as a big circular saw that he uses for wood, plastic and metal (of course with different saw blades). So I really thought about putting the book on the saw and cutting away the spine of the book with that. But I don't know if this would work (maybe it rips up too much of the page and the writting on it), and also it is dangerous. My grandfather and one of my uncles both lost a thumb because of saw accidents. And I really like my thumbs (and the other fingers, too), I don't want to loose them.

Put the book between two wooden boards, so the spine that needs to be cut out is poking out, the rest of book you want to keep is between boards. Now press the boards firmly together using several heavy-duty carpenters clamps, or series of screws, whatever.
Now remove the spine with a belt sander.
This is quick & dirty alternative to the bookbinders plow.
http://temperproductions.com/Plough/plough.html

A plough is much easier to make in a small workshop at home than a guillotine.
http://www.csparks.com/Bookbinding/L...ss/index.xhtml

08-01-2010, 05:56 AM	#1
NASCARaddicted Addict Posts: 340 Karma: 43106 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Germany Device: BeBook One, Pocketbook Touch, Pocketbook Touch HD	disassemble a paperback ? Hello Recently I have been in a supermarket and they sold some old, slightly damaged paperback books for a bargain. Now I want to scan them. My father has a scanner with an adf - an automatic document feeder. Since the paperbacks have been cheap, I want to rip the pages out and put them on the adf. I already tried that once - but ripping the pages out is tedious work. I mean you have to rip one or a few pages out, but you have to take care that the page itself rips at the spine and not in the middle of the page. So I thought about some alternatives. My first idea was to cut the pages out. But using scissors on a 400 page book ? Also, my father as a big circular saw that he uses for wood, plastic and metal (of course with different saw blades). So I really thought about putting the book on the saw and cutting away the spine of the book with that. But I don't know if this would work (maybe it rips up too much of the page and the writting on it), and also it is dangerous. My grandfather and one of my uncles both lost a thumb because of saw accidents. And I really like my thumbs (and the other fingers, too), I don't want to loose them. Then I thought about some kind of adhesive dissolver to remove the glue on the spine. But what would be the best dissolver ? Has anyone any experience with that ? (and before you suggest "go to a Home Depot or Lowes and get brand XYZ" - I gotta tell you that I don't live in the USA, so there is no Home Depot or Lowes near me) So guys, after telling you my experiences, what about yours ? What do you consider the best idea ? Ripping, sawing, dissolving ? Or something total different ? Last edited by Jellby; 08-04-2010 at 10:37 AM. Reason: Fixed typo in the title

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08-01-2010, 06:05 AM	#2
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,515 Karma: 18512745 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	Go to a bookbinder's and ask them to cut the spines with a guillotine. Quick, easy and probably cheap.

08-01-2010, 07:00 AM	#3
Adoby Handy Elephant Posts: 1,736 Karma: 26785668 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Southern Sweden, far out in the quiet woods Device: Thinkpad E595, Ubuntu Mate, Huawei Mediapad 5, Bouye Likebook Plus	Sharp thin knife and a ruler?

08-01-2010, 08:06 AM	#4
Vintage Season Pulps and dime novels... Posts: 343 Karma: 1952003 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kobo Aura/Kobo Aura One LE/iPad Air	Guillotine, as Jellby already suggested. If you have access to something like a Kinko's/FedEx Print Store in Germany, the larger ones usually have a cutter that can handle ~20" widths, with an adjustable depth-stop to make sure all the pages are cut to the same depth, and for pulp paper they can stack as many high as the gap will allow. In the US, I think they charge roughly $1.50 per cut (although it's been a few years since I've been inside one of their shops, so the specifics may have changed). - M.

08-03-2010, 07:37 PM	#5
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	A commercial print/copy shop with a heavy duty guillotine would be the best option but if you have very many books, this could wind up being very expensive. Smaller guillotines that can handle up to 1 1/2" can be had from roughly $200 up. Saws of any kind (besides the risk of loosing body parts) are unsuitable for cutting the spines from books since the teeth of the blade will leave a friable edge that will shed dust that cannot be cleaned from the book no matter how hard you try (I learned this the fun way). This dust can easily ruin a scanner or copier. Even a sharp (very sharp) knife and straight edge, slow as the process would be, would give you better results than any kind of saw blade.

08-04-2010, 10:25 AM	#6
NASCARaddicted Addict Posts: 340 Karma: 43106 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Germany Device: BeBook One, Pocketbook Touch, Pocketbook Touch HD	thanks so far, for all your helpful replies. Just yesterday, I was walking around in a big city, not too far away from my hometown. I knew there was a copy shop near, so I walked in and asked if they had a guillotine. Well, they have one that can cut up to 400 pages ... so I guess this will be the easiest way. However, I didn't have the book with me. But in my hometown, there is also a copy shop. I will ask them, too ...

08-04-2010, 11:01 PM	#7
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	As I pointed out, if you have very many books, it might be cheaper to buy a cutter and do it yourself. I have roughly 1200 books in my collection. At only $1 a cut (a low estimate), that is $1200 to cut them all. More realistically, it would probably cost me from $1800-$2400. I bought a guillotine type cutter for only $183 including shipping. to say it is a piece of junk would be charitable but it does remove the spines even though the resulting page dimensions vary a little bit from the front of the book to the back and the pages don't always stay quite square. That doesn't matter to me since my scanner has a deskewing feature that (usually) corrects any misalignments. I don't mind the uneven margins on the final PDF when reading from my TV screen at home. My e-book reader crops the margins for me. I thought about getting a better cutter but the one I have now is 40 lb. and anything better will weigh almost twice as much. I'm not getting any younger (I'm 61 now) so I don't need anything that heavy to wrestle with!

08-07-2010, 09:01 AM	#8
NASCARaddicted Addict Posts: 340 Karma: 43106 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Germany Device: BeBook One, Pocketbook Touch, Pocketbook Touch HD	earlier this morning, I have been in a copy shop with a paper guillotine. They charged me 1 € for 1 cut. Currently I have only like 3 more books that I need to cut, so buying a guillotine is just not worth it. Thanks for your help.

08-08-2010, 05:36 AM	#12
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,515 Karma: 18512745 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	I guess that if you asked them to cut 100 books, they wouldn't charge you 100 €, something like 30 € would make more sense maybe.

08-08-2010, 06:56 AM	#14
thinkpad David Posts: 1,808 Karma: 8916183 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Norway Device: Kindle, E.Edge (sold), Irex Iliad (retired)	I use a razor available in every hardware store. It doesn't take the whole book in one go but it gets the job done and is quite cheap considering the alternatives.

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