MM wrote:

I have to get a really sharp blade in this case because I am using the
chisel for trimming book blocks at the fore-edge. With patience the
method gives excellent results, but you have to keep the chisel as
sharp as possible. I trimmed a 20mm thick book block yesterday, 130
sheets of 80gsm paper, and had to re-hone the chisel three times.
Doesn't take that long, though. 20 minutes for trimming and honing.
The result is fantastic.

Hmm ... I do a bit of home binding, and one day will have to get around to
doing something like this. Do you have a 'proper' press for this? I'm keen
to find out how others trim 'on the cheap'...

Cheers
J^n