nd thickness of the volume
should be taken into account. The tendency of most modern binders is
to use a rather over thick board, perhaps with a view to bulk out the
volume. For manuscripts, or other books on vellum, it is best to use
wooden boards, which should be clasped. From their stability they form
a kind of permanent press, in which the vellum leaves are kept flat.
In a damp climate like that of England, vellum, absorbing moisture
from the atmosphere, soon cockles up unless it is held tightly in some
way; and when it is once cockled, the book cannot be made to shut
properly, except with very special treatment. Then also dust and damp
have ready access to the interstices of the crinkled pages, resulting
in the disfigurement so well known and so deplored by all lovers of
fine books.

For large books a "made" board, that is, two boards pasted together,
is better than a single board of the same thickness. In making boards
a thin and a thick board should be pasted together, the thin board to
go nearest the book. It will not be necessary to put a double lining
on the inside of such boards, as a thin board will always draw a thick
one.

[Illustration: FIG. 45.]

If mill-boards are used they are first cut roughly to size with the
mill-board shears, screwed up in the "lying" press. The straight arm
of the shears is the one to fix in the press, for if the bent arm be
undermost, the knuckles are apt to be severely bruised against the
end. A better way of fixing the shears is shown at fig. 45. Any
blacksmith will bend the arm of the shears and make the necessary
clips. This method saves trouble and considerable wear and tear to
the "lying" press. Where a great many boards are needed, they may be
quickly cut in a board machine, but for "extra" work they should be
further trimmed in the plough, in the same way as those cut by the
shears. After the boards have been roughly cut to size, they should
have one edge cut straight with the plough. To do this one or two
pairs of boards are knocked up to the back and inserted in the cutting
side of the press, with those edges projecting which are to be cut
off, and behind them, as a "cut against," a board protected by a waste
piece of mill-board.

The plough, held by the screw and handle, and guided by the runners on
the press, is moved backwards and forwards. A slight turn of the screw
at each movement brings the knife forward. In cutting mill-boards
which are very hard, the