Hard Cover with Dowel Closures

1. Make a french sewn, coptic, or perfect bound text block.

2. Cut the book board the same as with a standard case bound book, but also cut an extra spine and one extra cover that is then cut along the vertical, 1/3 to 2/3.

3. Take a piece of text paper that is the same height as the text block and the same width, plus the width of the spine plus 1/4 to 1/2 an inch.

4. Glue the paper so that is covers the back of the text block, the spine, and a small overlap on to the front of the text block.

5. Cover one side of the top cover that is uncut.

6. Layout the remaining pieces of book board in the following order, left to right: the 2/3 top cover piece, spine, back cover, spine, 1/3 cover piece. Make sure to leave a 1/16 inch space between boards for hinges.

7. Glue all of the boards except for the 2/3 front cover on the left.

8. Measure for the locations of the dowels that will be used to close the book.

9. Cut out two strips of paper of book cloth to be used as the loops for the dowels
10. Make two slits in the paper or book cloth that are the same width as the papers cut to make the dowel loops.

11. Insert both ends of the strips from the front to the back. Use a dowel to get the right diameter for the loops if necessary.

12. Glue the strip ends to the inside of the cover material.

13. Glue the 2/3 board to paper or book cloth so that all pieces of book board are now connected, wrapping and gluing the left and right edges, but leaving the top and bottom edges unglued.

14. Glue the covered, whole top cover, covered side down, flush on top of the 2/3 cover so that one third remains uncovered.

15. Wrap the top and bottom edges and glue.

16. Glue a continuous end paper to the back side of the cover.

17. Glue the text block to the back cover section of the cover.

18. Insert dowels and close.