So i have been tasked to cut Some secret compartments into some books. The easiest way to do it would be a laser cutter, but mine is not that powerful.
Could I do it with a CNC machine? I’m thinking clamping down the edges and just doing a profile cut to the depth I want. Think it would work or just tear the pages and look awful?
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This is definitely an interesting project. I think you could, but you might want to place a thin laminate or piece of MDF over the top of the book surface so you can clamp it down/smash the pages together, and it will also prevent tear-out. As long as you keep the pages compressed, it should cut just like wood.
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You should glue all the pages together first if you want a nice cut. Or just remove all the pages and insert a wood block with the cutout you need between the books covers.
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Please share your progress, I’m interested in seeing how this turns out. I think it’s a great idea.
I would imagine with a sharp downcut bit you could get pretty could results. I think gluing is a good approach too. I would for sure try it without gluing first just to see how it turns out, as that would simplify your process quite a bit.
Best of luck!
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That’s what I was thinking too. As long as its clamped down, should cut OK? maybe? ha, I’ll try it tonight and post the results. If it doesn’t work, my library has a glowforge laser cutter as a back up.
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just make sure you put something over those pages before you cut, or it’s going to turn into a mess
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There’s also the chance of this being a fire hazard… Just something to think about - definitely don’t leave this one unattended.
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I think I would use the X carve to make a template and then clamp the template down to the book and use a template bit with a bearing on the shank to hog out the paper. This is assuming you have a laminate trimmer or a router to do it. The template should be wide enough so it is supported easily without tipping. I bet you could even rig up a simple jig with bolts and wing nuts to snug it down. Try it on an old book that has little value first. As mentioned outside could be a good place in case the paper starts to burn.
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You definitely need to brush Elmer’s glue thinned out with water on the outside of the pages I also glue the first 4-5 and last 4-5 pages togeather , put Saran Wrap between the cover on both sides snd clamp the book between 2 pieces of wood in a vice over night , ive done this with a scroll saw hundreds of times
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I had acceptable results doing it once with a jigsaw.
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I am looking forward to seeing the results of this project!
Sounds intriguing and a great learning experience.
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This is what I ended up with, I can think of a few improvements if there is a next time.
I had to do 11 and some turned out better than others, but it worked better than an exacto knife.
My backup was the band saw, I just didn’t want to have to glue them. Jig saw would work to I guess.
Thanks for all the help!
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@ChadWheeler Can you let us know how you did this? Did you glue any pages together? What bit did you use? Did you just clamp the book down? Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks!
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Did the pictures show up?
I didn’t glue the pages, i screwed down a piece of 1/4 inch plywood over the pages one screw in the middle and then cut the profile out with a 1/4 inch spiral up-cut bit (It was my longest bit, i think 1/8 would have been better). I tried a down cut bit first, and almost started a fire ha.
It worked best on the first cut, because it held down the pages the best. a Stiffer clamp over the books would have been better too, the plywood bowed at the center and didn’t hold the pages down as well.
I replaced the center cut out of 1/4 inch on each additional book to hold down the cut out pages. Without it the pages wrapped up on the bit.
Let me know if you have anymore questions.
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@ChadWheeler - Thanks for responding. Three pictures are in your post, but they did’t show much of the process. I’m going to give this a shot next week.
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Click on the first image, there is more to it than you see initially.
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Thanks, I don’t know why it uploaded that way.
If I were to do it again, I would put blocks on the top and bottom of the book the same height as the pages so the wood would clamp better and not bow up in the center.
It wasn’t much of a problem for the first cut since I put the screw in the middle, but the next few books didn’t turn out as good. Still acceptable though.
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I started with a down cut bit and it did start smoking a lot and some embers started up too. Than I started thinking about the vac pulling hot embers into dry saw dust and stopped that particular cut.
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so I’m guessing the customer is an ex-smoker according to his wife? 
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John Grimsmo (Grimsmo Knives) has a YouTube video about cutting the foam in the knife presentation cases he uses.
“How to cut foam” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAgT8oNwKhQ
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