When all are sewn, the back is glued thickly over, and the book is
fixed between two boards in a press and the back beaten till it is
curved; the sides and front are then cut smooth with an instrument
called a plough (fig. 2), which works in the grooves of a press where
the book is fixed, and a knife (which forms part of the plough) being
passed backwards and forwards, cuts through the edges of the book and
makes them smooth.