Map Folding - as originally posted by Duncan MacKillop.

Tips..

• Practice on a sheet of A4 first (stuff on one side, blank on the other)
• Buy a nice shiny new chart from AFE so that you don't get your old and new folds mixed up.
• Break the back of all the folds, i.e. make the fold one way and then turn the sheet over and make it the other way, this helps the finished chart to lie flatter.
• Finish each fold by running along it with a lump of plastic, this makes a fold a fold, not a bend.
• Give yourself plenty of room on a nice big table and get a pal to help you keep the folds from going wonky.
• Be prepared to modify the instructions for charts that are taller than they are wide, Scottish chart for example. If you never want to look at the key panel across the bottom of the chart, simply fold it back out of the way and treat the remaining area as per the following instructions.
• If you get it right you will end up with three horizontal and seven vertical folds.

Right, if you're ready here we go.

1. Fold 1. with the chart printed side down, fold the two longest edges of the chart together so that you get a nice fold running east west along the middle.
2. Fold 2 & 3. Open out the chart and fold the lower edge up to the centre fold, repeat for the top edge.
3. You should now have three horizontal folds running east west across the chart. (If you haven't, give up and go down the pub!)
4. Fold 4, 5 & 6. Open out the chart and repeat the previous process, only this time make the folds north south.
5. You should now have three horizontal and three vertical folds dividing the chart up into sixteen little squares. (Fun isn't it) All of the remaining folds will be north south.
6. Fold 7. Open out the chart printed side down and take the lefthand edge and position it on the first fold in from the righthand side. Take a soft pencil and write "not this one dummy" along the resulting fold (You'll see why next).
7. Fold 8. Open out the chart again and repeat step seven again only this time from the other end. By writing along the previous fold it will hopefully stop you making fold 8 in the wrong place! Remember to fold the edge to the FIRST fold at the other end.
8. You should now have five vertical and three horizontal folds, if not, the pub option will apply.
9. Fold 9 & 10. Open out the chart and fold the lefthand edge in to the first fold on the lefthand side. Repeat for the righthand edge to the first fold on the righthand side.
10. You should now have completed all seven vertical and three horizontal folds and all the vertical holds will be the same distance apart. No? ...Pub!
11. Final assembly. Open the chart out flat on the table printed side down and fold the top and bottom segments into the middle. Turn the chart over with the open edges away from you. Starting with the top fold, make the first fold away from you. Next fold towards you, next away and so on until you have a series of concertina folds.
12. Open the folds out between the second and third peaks of the concertina, turn it through 90 degrees and fold the top away from you. The job is now finished (yipeee). To use, flip the chart open so that there is an equal number of concertinas each side and page left and right through the concertinas to see the centre portion of the chart. To see the upper and lower portions of the chart, flip it over towards you and page left and right through the concertinas.