Yes, this is Part 2, and there's, quiet probably no Part 1 yet. The thing is the Part1 has to be sort of general introduction into the whole this my idea of making notebooks from waste paper and contain overall recommendations. And while it makes more sence to make this part in the first place logically, yet it is much more convenient to make it after all other parts chronologically. So, if you follow these series of instructables as they appear, concidere the Part one to be a sort of conclusion, but if you're looking this up after all part parts are done, visit the P.1 first.

So, in general it's about using paper waste of various nature as a material for making functional and maybe even artistic notebooks. And in this particular instructable I want to demonstrate how to make this nice notebook with tearable pages (I mean that you can tear those out one by one and use the notebook as a source of single pages if you wish to do so).

Step 1:

So, the first thing to do is to gather materials. For this project I asked my friend to dig through his work table drawers and extract everything that looked for him as free space consuming useless and used paper objects, from which, lately, I was able to separate a stack of A4 formatted sheets. I'm going to use them as a source of pages.

Step 2:

The first thing we are looking for, are those sheets that are not complettely covered with printed stuff, from which we can cut out clean pages.

But first, take a piece of cardboard and make a template out of it. What we need is the width of 99mm., and the lenght doesn't matter. Wit this width you can cut 3 equal pages out of A4 sheeth, which is handy and efficient.

Allign the template with the edge of the page, use it to position the straight edge? and after removing the template cut the page out with a hobby knife. I do not recommend to cut sheets in stacks though. It is really hard to obtain consistant width of the page this way.

Concidering the nature of the material it is better to include it's unavoidable deffects into design. Often I ignore creaces in paper and include some minor printed details into the pages I cut to, basically, get more out of the material.

Step 3:

Fully filled with printing pages can also be used. Pieces with some technical instructions or different interesting graphic can be used as partially usable pages or, like I do, randomly spreaded among clear pages as decorative inclusions or separators between page blocks.

Step 4:

For the covering case I'm using one of these nice 90'-00's document folders. Any sufficient piece of cardboard will do though. If, mentioned piece doesn't provide required design by itself, you can decorate it in any way you like. On the photo you can see an array of examples of covers I have made at some pint in time using packaging paper, magazines cut outs and other stuff as a decoration.

You can graph the geometry of the cover right onto the material in use, if making single notebook or, if, like me, you're goingt o make a bunch of them, it'll save you a lot of time if you're make a template from stif cardboard or plasric. Use the dimensions on the picture or print the template from PDF file I'm providing.

Also, notice a little notches I made at the sides of the template. They represent the positioning of the lines of the template and I use them to mark corresponding points on the material.

Graph the cover or race the templade on the material and cut it out. I tryed to capture most of the existing design on my piese of cardboard.

Renotes P.pdf
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Step 5:

The lines on the template, that are within the body of the cover represent folds.

Use a straight edge and dull awl or not wrighting pen to draw the lines to assist the folding of paper.

Use a straight edge to assist folding.

Fold the case as shown on picture and it's ready.

Step 6:

Now we can deal with pages. Shufle them them randomly (cleadn ones and partially clean ones), form the stack and make sure it fits into the case.

Step 7:

Accurately align the sides of the stack by tapping it on the surface of the table and use paper binders to secure the stack.

Use a straight edge and a sharp knife to trim the stack at one end since you'll probably won't be able to align sheets accurately enougt lenghtvice... because it's hard. Push on the straight edge hard and use multiple passes with knife untill go through the whole stack. Try not to tilt the knife to make nice perpendicular cut.

Then place the stack into the case and mark for the excess material on the opposite side of the stack. Trim it the same way a couple of millimetres shorter than the marking.

Step 8:

The stack is trimmed and has to be prepared for gluing it into the case. You can came up with different way of attaching it, but this is how I do it.

Insert the stack into the case and mark the top side at the fold.

Now you have to punch a couple of throughout holes within that top area.

Bend a bunch of pages at from the top of the stack and punch a hole with suitable tool. Use the hole in the last page as a guide for punching next bunch and so on through them all. You can make more than two holes, I'm just lazy.

Step 9:

Now place the stack into case and position it propertly. Notice, that the paper bindera are still there, holding the pages.

Bend the fold on the case back while holding the stack on its place and use a hot glue gun to fill the holes in the stack all the way to the backside. Smear a strip of glue on the top section of the stack and push the fold of the case to it firmly to fix everything on place.

Step 10:

Basically, now the notebook was ready, but I felt unsatisfied with the look of the cover, so decided to spruse it up a bit with a lable I salvaged from some new t-shirt. I think it looks great and complements the overall style.

So, this is it for this project, look for more of this stuff in upcoming parts and have a nice notes.