Do you have good manual dexterity? Do you have good vision? Are you patient? Can you use both your eyes and your hands to patiently achieve the degree of precision needed for this job?



Are you retired or a student?



I am a publisher and the owner of Boulder Lane. At this time, Boulder Lane is just starting up and has two (2) books!



Boulder Lane’s market positioning is, “Where talent meets artisanship.” The print editions of the books are handcrafted, individually made and individually bound.



Are you up for it? The pay is $25/hour. There will be a learning curve for you to ride, so I am willing to change the rate of pay to be by the book — it will be up to you. I am more interested in the final products displaying the NECESSARY PRECISION than speed (assuming you’re not too slow, of course!)



The work will be done on a sturdy table/bench in a commercial workspace in downtown Cornwall. The table/bench is 8 feet in length by about 3 feet in depth. I have all the equipment you will need: the paper cutter, a square, a flathead for scoring, a mechanical pencil for making lines, a clean 2 X12 to place under the materials — when they’re not in the paper cutter, lots of clean scrap paper to place above and below the covers, book binding mull, book binding glue, precision paint brush(es), paint can opener, rubber mallet to seal it shut again, a knee pad and a very bright LED adjustable construction task light.



I will provide the manuscripts and the covers.



The 2 X12 will hang over the table/bench a few inches so the clamps may be put on.



You may want to bring your own work gloves to help move the paper cutter. It is very heavy and has no smooth edges to grab a hold of.



Here is a link to an unpublished page on Boulder Lane’s web site which shows how I have been making the books — it’s a photo essay, more pics than words. I would welcome any suggestions experienced people may have to improve the process in the name of — what was it, again — PRECISION!



The link is also posted somewhere else on this ad.



goal is to build up a stock of 12 books each, for a total of 24 books. I have none now. It takes about an hour to make two books — cutting, binding/gluing and clamping the first day, and then unclamping and cutting the edges of the book to create the finished product the next day. (The book doesn’t get cut in its entirety until it is completely assembled/bound. It is the only way to achieve the necessary precision. Cutting each component precisely and then assembling/binding the components doesn’t work.)



The 2 X12 will accommodate three work stations. I suggest you try doing only two at a time first. If you ride that learning curve quickly, the gear will allow you to do three at a time — and that will be when getting paid by the book will earn you more money!! (The piecemeal pay will be $15/book versus $12.50 per book for the hourly pay). The only caveat is that the covers should be placed over the books and the books made ready to clamp individually. In other words, put the glue on book #1 and finish it, then do book #2 and finish it, then do book #3 and finish it — otherwise, the glue on book #3 will be dry when you go to finish it — and then place the plywood sheet on top of the books and clamp it to the 2 X12 at the bottom with the three clamps.



So, if it takes about one hour to make two books, and you only make two at a time, the job will amount to about 12 hours. It will take less time to finish making all the books, later, if you make three at a time — but you won’t be paid less! (Do you follow?)



HOURS:



Monday — Thursday: Start at 10 a.m. Work until the two (or three) books have been bound. Almost an hour.



Friday: Start at 10 a.m. but ONLY finish Thursday’s batch. Do not begin another batch until the following Monday. In other words, four batches a week (of either two or three books per batch).



No week-ends.



LEGAL STRUCTURE:



This is a contract job. This is NOT a payroll job. You will be paid for the full amount you earned, without any deductions being taken off. It will be up to you how you want to deal with the CRA later. Payment will be either by e-transfer or cheque; it’s up to you, on each Friday for the total work you will have done that week.



Any questions? Contact me through this ad.



Interested in applying? Tell me why you would be good for this type of work and send it in with your name and contact information!



Thanks, everyone!



D.