Binders always seem to be extremely flimsy and not aesthetically pleasing. Two years ago I set out to change that. This binder design has been thoroughly tested and has held up to the beating of school. I only replaced the binder because of how dirty it had gotten of the course of these years.

Have fun making and using!

Step 1: Parts

One sheet of 12x24 birch plywood that is around 1/8th of an inch thick; I used Revell RMXR7681
Two 12 inch long hinges. These can be found at most hardware stores
One two inch binder that you are willing to take apart/destroy
Enough machine screws with matching nuts to fit into every hole in the two hinges. I had 24 holes so I bought 30 screws

Not shown:
Two long screws with nuts to attach the binder release mechanism to the wood
(optional) Furniture Finish or oil

Tools:
A drill with High Speed Steel (Gold in color) bits to fit the two types of screws
Loctite or other Thread Locker
A ruler
A saw, I used a table saw
Somthing to write with
And finally a grinder or sandpaper

Step 2: Cut the Wood

Cut the wood into three pieces with the following dimensions.

Two pieces of 12x11

One piece of 12x2 (hence the two inch binder)

Step 3: Drill Out the Binder Release Mechanism

The binder release mechanism is held on with two rivets that can be drilled out very slightly to release the mechanism. These rivets hold a spacer between the mechanism and binder, DON'T LOSE THE SPACERS.

Step 4: Drill Holes for the Hinges

Place the hinge on top of the boards as you wish it to look if the binder was open. then use a pen to mark where the holes for the hinges should be aligned.

Then drill the holes!

At this point I realized that a 12 inch hinge is not 12 inches long so I marked it to be as tall as the binder and used a grinder (or sandpaper) to make the hinge flush with the boards.

Step 5: Align the Mechanism With the Binder Partially Assembled

Put four screws into the hinges to temporarily assemble the binder. Place the mechanism with the spacers underneath it to set alignment. When the binder closes, it should not touch the wood. Then use a long marking tool (mechanical pencil graphite in my case) to mark where the holes should be drilled. Now drill it!

An optional step you can take now is to coat the wood with some furniture finish or oil.

Step 6: Final Assembly

Assemble all of the pieces together remembering to put in the spacers for the mechanism. Before you tighten the screws and add thread locker, move the hinges so that they bend easily without being warped by being tightened down. After it is aligned then you can add the final twist of tightening and some thread locker.

Step 7: Use It

The final step is to try out your new aesthetically pleasing robust binder.

If you built a binder, liked this instructable or would like me to put in a change, just put it in the comments below.

Also if you think I deserve my first instructabe (this one) to be entered in a contest I would greatly appreciate it if you would vote for it!

Happy Building,

Scott