FOBA 2026 - Brenda Gallagher - Wood-Burned Cover Flat-Back Case Binding

Focus on Book Arts 2026

Brenda Gallagher
Wood-Burned Cover Flat-Back Case Binding - Wednesday & Thursday, June 24-25, 2026

Read more about FOBA 2026 on their website!
https://focusonbookarts.org/2026-foba-conference/

Workshop Description:

We will begin with discussing design and how to plan the space for the cover’s wood panel. Designs will be transferred to pieces of wood veneer in cherry, oak, or maple. Then we will move on to woodburning the veneer to create our cover  images. Students will practice how to make designs with the heated tool and learn tips for working over wood grain and
best techniques. Color can be added by painting the finished wood burned design with wood dyes. Students will receive several pieces of wood veneer to work on, choosing the best finished design to be the cover of the book.

On the second day, students will fold signatures, sew a link-stitch multi-signature binding, then add decorative end sheets, handmade wrapped-paper end bands, and mull. We will adhere the final wood veneer panel to the front cover board and create a case to fit the book. We will case in the book and dry under weight.

Prerequisites (participants should know how to):

• Thread a needle and wax the thread
• Determine paper grain and match the grain of different components of a book
• Fold paper using a bonefolder and assemble signatures
• Sew a kettle stitch
• Glue up paper or cloth to cover binder’s board
• Make a simple sewn text block for codex book

Materials/equipment to be provided by students:

• A bookbinder’s tool kit:
  • Bone folder
  • Teflon bonefolder
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Awl
  • 12” ruler
  • Beeswax cake
  • X-Acto or Olfa knife
  • Cutting mat
  • White pencil eraser
  • Crepe eraser
  • Small paintbrushes for applying dye to wood
  • small triangle
  • large triangle

Optional

• Standing square
• Small weight