Feeling Bookish 2010: Secret Hollow Book By Cathryn Furner (from WikiHow)

How to Make a Hollow Book

A hollow book can be a nifty way to hide something, whether it's a spare key, a secret note, or even money. Mostpeoplewouldn't think to browse your library for private or personal things. It's also a great way to pass something to someone discreetly--an unsuspectingonlooker will just think you're sharing a very good read!

For Video Demonstration: click HERE

Things You'll Need:
Hardcover book (or more if you want to create a "safe")
Glue
Brush (to apply glue solution)
Plastic food wrap (to protect pages from unwanted glue placement)
X-acto knife or box cutter.
Pencil or Pen
Ruler - metal
Drill - if available
Magnets (You can put thin magnets on the inside of the front and back hard cover so that the magnets hold the book together more securely.)

Tips
· You may be able to get free old books from libraries that are clearing out the archives. But DON'T use a bookfrom your family's library - it might be a valuable antique, and someone could start looking for it.
· Before you begin, plan out the size of the hole, so that it won't turn out to be too small for the object/s you want to store.

Instructions
·Select a book, preferably a thick one with a sturdy hard cover.
· Select the first few pages as you want and hold them to the front cover with plastic food wrap so they do not get messed up with the glue. These, except for the last one of these pages, will not be cut out. This will allow the book to look like a book when it is opened up and will cover the hole itself.

· Hold together all the pages that are after the pages you secured earlier with plastic wrap and brush the three edges with the glue so that it is reasonably absorbed. This will hold the book together.

· Let the book dry. Place a sheet of plastic food wrap in between the glued pages and the pages that will not be cut (including at least the previouslyselected page and the front cover) so that they do not touch and stick together. Place something heavy on top of the frontcover to apply pressure.

· Open the book to reveal the first glued page. Draw a half-inch border within the edge, on all four sides (including the spine). Drill a hole in each corner of the newly drawn box to the depth you wish the hidden compartment to be. (This makes cutting out the pages easier because the blade does not have to make a 90 degree turn.)

· Cut along the inside of the drawn line with a straight edge knife (a box cutter works especially well). Try to make the cut as vertical as possible, or else try to tilt it so the hole will narrow as you go down. Using a ruler can help a lot. Apply enough pressure to cut a few pages at a time.

· Continue cutting through the layers. Do not rush this step, because the slower and more carefully you do this, the smoother and straighter the inside edges will be. Remove the bits of paper from the inside as you go.

· Brush the glue solution onto the inside edges of the hole and allow it to soak in. While waiting for the inside to dry, apply a second coat of glue to the outside edges of the pages.

· Brush the "frame" of the hole with alight coat of glue. The saved front page will be glued directly on top of the hole, essentially covering it (for now).

· Close the book again. Allow it to dry for about 15-30 minutes. In this drying phase, the saved page will become affixed to the hole.
· Cut the saved page neatly along the edges of the hole so that the hole is visible and accessible once again. The insides of the book may still be moist because the book had been closed while drying. Now is a good time to let the book dry while it's open.