If you own a Black & Decker Workmate and a pair of Sleeve Bearings, you have a very simple spine finder.

My Workmate frame unfolds into an upright position, and has fold-out legs that raise the level of the deck to its highest level. First I unfold the Workmate frame then unfold the two legs on the right side. This causes the top deck (the jaws) to be angled from low left to high right. I then open the jaws just enough to insert the two sleeve bearings parallel to each other, around 8" apart and tighten the jaws to hold the bearings in place.

I can now insert the but section of the blank down through the sleeve bearings and lever the blank downward - the spine rolls right to the top. As with other spine finders, each section can be 'spined' independently, then together as a unit. For very stiff butt sections a third, hand held, sleeve bearing can be slid onto the tip of the section. This will reduce the friction that would be caused by your hand pressing down on the blank section. But be careful not to stress the blank to a point of causing damage.

Caution: Make sure that any sleeve bearings that you use have been prepared well, to eliminate any potential burrs or rough spots that might scratch your blank finish. Another precaution you may want to try is using a layer of masking tape on any surface your sleeve bearings will contact.

Jeff Shafer