As a veteran powertool user, I have to say that I can’t think of a single one that isn’t going to leave your dictionary looking like the hole was nibbled out by woodchucks. The only one that would do a halfway decent job is a jigsaw (not the handheld kind, the one that looks like a sewing machine) and I’m sort of dubious that a dictionary would fit in the throat and that you could clamp the pages firmly enough.
I have tried using a drill press as a fast way to prepare a thick document for a three-ring binder and the kindest thing to say about the results is that they were not professional looking.
And if I were doing this, I’d mock up a dictionary page containing the entry:
Thanks for everyone’s help. I’ll post after the whole thing goes down and let you know how it went. I wonder how I can phrase the post in the form of a general question.
For the record, I didn’t actually cheat. She challenged me on it and I lost my turn.
Well, you could either stick onto the end of this thread, or you can open a whole new thread in MPSIMS. I would recommend the latter, personally: You’ll get enough congratulators and well-wishers to warrant a separate thread.
I did that once to a paperback (to hide drugs in), I cut a few pages at a time as suggested. The hole looked sloppy, and the book wouldn’t close right, it was obvious there was something wrong with it.
I’d suggest going down to the cheapest used-book store in your town (possibly a thrift shop or Good Will or something similar), and ask about Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. You can buy them for about a quarter each, and they’d be good to practice on. The bookstore will likely have a decent-looking dictionary, too.
FTR, the hole was completed successfully. I bent both covers completely back to get them out of the way. I then secured 2 pieces of 1/4" hardboard to the front and back of the sections to be operated on using 4 C-clamps.
I discovered that cutting paper with a hole saw causes it to expand for some reason. The hole saw had an internal depth of about 1.5", yet was full after about 50 pages. After clearing out the paper rings about 20 times, I hit the bottom piece of hardboard.
We went to dinner this evening with a group of her good friends to celebrate her birthday. After unwrapping all of her other presents, I handed over the final package. After she feigned appreciation for the gift, I had her look up Ni. Upon reaching that section and seeing the ring box, her eyes lit up and she said “If this is a joke, I’m going to kick your ass”. Everything after that is pretty much a blur, but quite a successful blur.
There were a few pages that got bunched up around the holes, but otherwise it closed pretty nicely. She opened the book to a spot around 1/3 of the way from the front and it looked normal.
