Making a Batch of Upcycled Pocket Notebooks - Easy No-Sew Binding

[@sharonelliott1075]

I don't know how I got here but I'm so glad I did. Totally mesmerizing. I truly appreciate your craftsmanship.

[@pesto12601]

Indeed.. popped up on my KZbin homepage for some reason. Went to Etsy shop to get a price idea on these books but lo and behold... he is no longer producing them. Oh well... the videos are quite interesting!

[@TheCatholicSamurai]

My sons and I love your videos and are absolutely addicted. They are almost six and four and they now pretend to be Saint Dennis and use their kids books to pretend to do some binding!

[@sharaleaming2096]

I know this is 2yrs old, but so glad I found your page

[@PeterSanchezDotCom]

I don't know how I ended up here. I don't know why I watched the entire video. There was something so satisfying watching you make these notebooks. Nice work!

[@FourKeysBookArts]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@pastda3]

Same here!

[@xVentax]

Wow, my shopping list just got serious: Wooden press Corner cutter That paper trimmer!

[@DividedStates]

If you find any links and/or price tags to these items I would be interested to know them.

[@raecreated2161]

Same! Wow... Someday!

[@merconne]

Me too. My dream equipment.

[@UD503J]

That style of cutter is called a guillotine cutter. You can find them sometimes at junk sales or flea markets. They're not really popular because most people don't need to cut that much paper in one pass. A lot of older ones are cast iron and can be cleaned up pretty easily. As long as the blades aren't chipped or nicked, they can usually be sharpened by one of those mobile knife sharpener folks. You can get a smaller, handheld corner cutter from a craft store (the style he mentions in the video). Usually they're in the scrapbooking section. They will take longer to do since you can only do a couple of pages at a time, but it's a lot cheaper than buying a piece of specialist equipment. For the press, I have an old shop vise with large cabinet door panels. It's not as user-friendly as the wood press used in this video, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper and accessible for a lot of people. The best presses are solid oak which makes them fairly expensive. A lot of the ones that used to exist in print shops and stationery stores have pretty much been bought up by antique collectors who like the patina, but have no idea what they do.

[@Scarshadow666]

@@UD503J Thanks for the info with the guillotine cutter - definitely will look into getting one someday! Also agree that the scrapbook corner punches and clamps are great budget-friendly bookbinding tools! For pocket notebooks like the ones in the video though, I've often used heavy books to act as presses. ^^

[@namratakambli1]

KZbin recommended this gem to me..... While watching the explaining process - 1. No music 2. No Nonsense dialogue 3. In-dept analysis of accuracy 4. Videography is top notch as we can see the process without any disturbance and with clear angle 5. Sound clarity These points are rare to find nowadays.... for EFFORTS and DEDICATION #Respect And that music while completion was peaceful feeling.... It's like my dopamine was released... Thank you so much for everything.... Take Care Keep doing the great work....

[@gaveintothedarkness]

Also no sponsor segment.,

[@eugenetswong]

I feel like he puts the same effort into both the video and his books.

[@kelath5555]

What a joy to see something well-made, step-by-step.

[@bhornannawindeedeigh5007]

I took a bookmaking workshop many years ago - it was an all day gig. We made a stapled booklet, a triangular folded page book with hard covers, and a hardbound book as well that had 8 signatures of 8 pages each. It was a lovely experience. I still have them... don't know why I couldn't bring myself to use them, actually. People and blank pages are funny. I love your work. I love your tools and your workshop! What fun! Heaven, really. 💐🙏🏽🤗

[@charliesmith_]

How lovely... "People and blank pages are funny." I hear you. It's almost a form of Zen uncluttering, not needing or wanting to change something uncluttered, perfect and pristine. 😊

[@bhornannawindeedeigh5007]

@charliesmith_ Thank you - I appreciate that. And you're right, leaving something blank and uncluttered... it IS almost like a form of Zen. 😁 THAT'S how I'm going to look at my wont to keep the books I created, rather than just being the pack rat that I am. 🤣 I have too many "collections". 😫😭😅🤣

[@stephdunham]

Your paper cutter is pure bliss *chef’s kiss*

[@FourKeysBookArts]

I do love it.

[@carlpeberdy9086]

I really like the overall look of the notebooks, and seeing the process was a lot more interesting than I was expecting - I was having 'a nice cup of tea' and this was an excellent accompaniment - and less calories than a biscuit!

[@FourKeysBookArts]

Glad you enjoyed it - cheers!

[@Shifang]

That paper cutter is a thing of beauty. I want one! XD I love the corner rounder, too!

[@creepycast]

Actually, this is exactly how I’m going to make my own yearly planner books from now on because the ones I’ve seen lately are Hella expensive even more than the regular post Covid highway robbery of everything else so been putting off the planner but I really need it because I am a hands-on and individual. I have to see myself right things and doodle for me to focus and concentrate and remember things, so thank you this is what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna make some little two page per week planner calendars for people or even one page per week would be good to give away as little pocket stuffer gifts.

[@julieduncan1996]

That is a SERIOUS paper cutter! Dang! I loved watching this video. Very satisfying. 😊❤

[@PatriciaPageMosaicArtsCrafts]

You took the words out of my mouth 😂👍🏾

[@itsgettingold]

Beautifully produced video. Photography, sound, pace - everything was well done. Your voice is easy to listen to.

[@kmwwrench]

I'm in love with your corner rounder. That is the coolest tool I've seen.

[@TheWendyJohnson]

Watching him slice through the notebooks is SO SATISFYING!!!!

[@maryt2887]

I love hand-made books. Your video is very informative and well-paced. And no electric devices! Beautiful and fun to watch your technique. Where do you sell your books?

[@eurekamarijka]

Perfect balance between handmade and logically efficient! I've made a few booklets and books with stab-stitching, and loving your channel - really opening my eyes to the overall process of bookmaking. Thanks for sharing such clear, uncluttered instructions!

[@FourKeysBookArts]

My pleasure, and thanks for the feedback!

[@reubenpilli6549]

Probably I will never make books like these. But it was very calming to watch a master do it. Apart from the cool tools you use, I was very impressed with the idea of using old atlases for cover pages. Thanks for sharing your talent with us.

[@Jeni10]

I cherish my Reader’s Digest Atlas of the World! I’ve had it since I was about twelve and I could never cut it up for any reason.

[@debcatman9464]

Oh my goodness, the TOOLS! I need those! The little notebooks are so neat. Well done!

[@milele7703]

I make notebooks and journals but unfortunatley I do not have as awesome tools as you do. I do them individually which is a pain. It was so satisfying watching you make them, I absolutely love them. Thanks for sharing.

[@paulaoh5306]

I like making books by hand. It's not a business for me-- it's a hobby, so I don't need the expensive equipment.

[@Scarshadow666]

Same here (though I've fallen out of book-binding lately - have already made plenty of notebooks and sketchbooks that I need to go through). Wish I had more of the fancy equipment as well to mass-produce them too (especially since one of the unfortunate downsides with making them individually by hand is it's way more of a gamble for them to come out wonky from time to time - the fancier equipment looks like it makes it more professional-looking).

[@c123bthunderpig]

I think you just solved my Christmas list. Ironically, I was making small notebooks to learn more about book making materials.They came out so handy to use I carry one any time I go out. Your "recipe" turns out excellent quality, thanks for sharing.

[@FourKeysBookArts]

I always have one or two handy! Glad the video was useful.

[@allisonjames2923]

👀 all those yummy paper scraps that could be made into handmade paper 🤔 Very nice notebooks.

[@jamatwar]

Same as most folks. Don’t know how I got here but I’m subscribing and staying! 😅 beautiful video!

[@denisevettraino7916]

me too !

[@capricebrown4016]

Thanks so much for the tip about closing the cover with the pages! I have cracked many a cover. Looking forward to learning more from you. Your books look pristine!

[@charlotteryner6583]

Fascinating! To take the time and investment in tools to make a mundane item such as a pocket notebook elevates it into the realm of iconic. In future I will look upon these items with new reverence of the work it might take to produce them. You, sir, are an artist!

[@gimmeyes]

the cover design due to the map is amazing. i would gladly buy one, if it were available at a stationery shop near me!

[@ecologytoday]

I really enjoyed this video in so many ways. The only request I would make is to provide a few verbal options for those of us without such fantastic tools, even if it would be less efficient and precise. I make and obtain items to give away and you have inspired me.

[@teariana1]

I've watched this before and really enjoyed it but today I watched it again after the deconstructing books video where you make both a punching cradle and a small notebook using the coverd and one of the pictures from the deconstructed books. Wow that video made this so much more doable. I have made some of my own notebooks for seminars but mainly using a paperbag style cover from a bought notebook. Printing the pages for the inside with the titles of each seminar, the speaker, lines for my notes and a bit of artwork. And using cut out copies of art for the outside. Then I'd just have the copy shop make prints of the pages, cut them down to the size of the notebook I really like the 6 x 9 size. Then punch them to match the holes of the notebook and replace the wire spiral binding. Yeah, a lot of work but I think I'm going to really like this way better. I priced a corner cutter like yours and was pleasantly surprised by the price. I thought it'd be like $300. But it was under a hundred. I'm not as strong as I used to be and the small corner cutters cut very little and are hard in the hands.

[@emcarver8983]

This is so comforting to watch. I could enjoy it for hours.

[@nikitamattikop2301]

Same here, it's like asmr without music, only natural

[@creepycast]

This is a wonderful idea and way back in the 80s when I was just starting out with making home decor, and or anything that you would need to look like a regular upstanding lady folk in LA when you had not enough money to even be out of the projects lol I used to use those exact pages of math things to cover Like the dollar store yearly pocket planners so they would look like they would look chic or more upscale and I would give them away as gifts

[@kingmakandal]

Excellent work, I would certainly buy a few of them from you 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻💯💯💯💯💯

[@sianevans1178]

Beautifully and so carefully made!

[@michaelcsweeney8435]

Very cool process. Though I doubt I'll ever mass produce you explained it well even for us "small batch" folks. It was actually satisfying to watch the edge trimming and corner rounding process. Although they are machines I hope it doesn't escape folks about just how sharp those edges actually are. You obviously maintain them quite well. Nicely done.

[@rozbridges9553]

Wow! What a video! I could listen to you all day, Mesmerising! Made me want to go into notebook production! 😆😊📚

[@lisadrake6165]

Not sure how this showed up on my feed, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@adorabledeplorble8497]

It would be silly to repeat every other comment here, yet here I am thanking you and wondering how you happened into my feed. New sub 🤓

[@unicornconservationco]

I loved how detailed and clear your instructions were. Thank you! And the adhesive spraying booth is brilliant.

[@eugenetswong]

I hope that you make a ton of money doing this, because it's a skill worth preserving.

[@literallyjane]

Absolutely obsessed with this channel. Keep up the great work!

[@FourKeysBookArts]

Awesome, thank you!

[@rhondawilliams2140]

I would love to have all your equipment. Just now getting into notebook/book binding & I am addicted. ❤

[@sarahlewis7669]

This is incredible. Ppl don’t realise the time and expertise needed to make these. It’s not just that it’s the attention to detail and the love for the craft. ❤

[@ThrdWrldGrl]

Nice touch with the hammer.😊

[@debbiesday8270]

Love these little books. The attention to detail makes them extra special. I love to see someone taking the time and skill to do something well.

[@hezvandermeij]

About to make my first ever notebook with my own home-made paper (recycled old mail etc) This video was the exact kind I was looking for and I'm confident I can do all of these steps with my hand-tool 😊❤

[@angelawallismoore2283]

Fascinating! You have an excellent assortment of heavy-duty tools to create your great designs.

[@ΚάποιοςΑγνωστος-χ1ξ]

I had no idea that manual versions of these cutting machines existed. Thanks for the video.

[@bkvdpw]

Based on the comments and my own experience, you must have twiddled the right bit in the KZbin algorithm. Well done! And love your process. Thanks for the education!!

[@MeeganSullivanArt]

That oaper cutter & corner rounder are awesome! Id love to have those!

[@sunniew9593]

Just plain WOW! I feel the same way I felt when the feather descended in the FORREST GUMP movie…aahhh! What a gift this morning.

[@yessy2646]

So much work but 💯quality and beauty. Lovely to have 1 of these books 📚

[@thirtyfourvegas]

Just popped up on my feed and it was quite relaxing and fun to watch. Thanks for making and sharing!

[@dorisamstutz5888]

Wow that’s a lot of work for those beautiful tiny booklets

[@jenniferholmes5218]

I suddenly need all these tools! Thanks for the lovely video!

[@rochestermanagementservice6082]

Having the right tools makes a big difference! Thanks for sharing this. From Cheryl in AZ

[@debmoore629]

Love a good corner rounder for my scrapbooking but yours is incredible!

[@barbarahenn-pander5872]

How fabulous are all these tools?? Such high quality, man and machine have a practical and sensory integration, and the colours and patterns of the machines themselves are so satisfying!!

[@sielsounds]

This was so satisfying to watch! I was anxiously waiting to see how you rounded the corners and was surprised to see that industrial corner cutter!

[@rb-me7bq]

I really enjoyed this video. My first profession was as an offset printer. We made booklets and tablets among other things. Really brought me back to those good days. So happy to see this art being kept alive.

[@desmondehoppie4758]

Beautiful. Very Informative. Your verbal instructions and visuals are very helpful. Thank You for taking the time to make this video.

[@jennifershaw4756]

I'm so happy I found you. Loved this video!

[@martharash3987]

You make it look so easy and I love all the cool machines you use. You should make a video about whether you bought them or had them designed and custom made.

[@James.5703]

so nice! i bet that gear cost a mint though! I imagine that tools like that could last multiple lifetimes. Thanks for an insight to your process :)

[@rmd3677]

Sir you areca ccraftsman and it is so enlightening to see attention to quality and detail in action. Thank you for this video. Truly enjoyable.

[@Omegawerewolfx]

Fascinating video. I have zero book making videos in my history, so i don't know how I got here but I enjoyed the entire process.

[@Terry_1111]

I really enjoyed seeing your process! Tedious but well worth it! Those notebooks look terrific! Thanks for sharing!

[@darlenenelson215]

I just love this video and all your fantastic tools to make them!❤

[@name-ce7sn]

It was interesting and relaxing at the same time..I'd love one of those map cover note books..❤

[@leelee1286]

This was so useful! This explained a couple issues I was having making these at home on a smaller scale. Thanks so much for sharing your insights!

[@khiclark31]

Your paper trimmer is amazing!

[@TheMarvelousBeautyChannel1]

Omg watched 2x because...I loved every part of this, especially the book pressing and trimming with papercutter.

[@Kdija89]

Very nice job and set up. You really Know your craft. Thanks for sharing your method.

[@tynaheadrick-phipps6768]

I totally enjoyed this video. I love notebooks🥰. I am envious of your skills and equipment. Thanks for sharing.

[@jenthulhu]

Absolutely fascinating. Just the tools alone! I subbed and can't wait to watch more.

[@rufus-h4h]

Very interesting video. I love to watch people's DIY skills. I'll bet that paper cutter ain't cheap!

[@elmoretingle]

Wow! I’m impressed. You are a pro.

[@THE_OFFICIAL_DARKMASTER07]

This video WAS interesting and useful! I think I'll be making my own notebooks from now on!!

[@Maria_Medved]

Мне надоело искать в продаже блокноты и тетради, то размер не такой как нужно, то цвет, то переплет.. и мои попытки делать самой мини-книжки в результате оказались не на высоте как хотелось.. и вот на вашем канале я наконец нашла то, что нужно.. даже средневековые книги.. это восторг и восхищение.. продолжайте пожалуйста, благодарю вас!!

[@bngr_bngr]

I like the deckle edge look. Nice notebooks.

[@sherelynwhite4130]

Thank you, this was very interesting! I had no idea there were these wonderful tools to create journals in mass! Brilliant and love your creations.😊 your

[@gabriel-bookbinder]

Thank you for showing the process and give us some ideas, they look great! It's really cool when we find a way to use every piece of material, nothing gets wasted :D.

[@joelmacha2104]

It's so easy! All you need are these incredibly specific machines!

[@pilofun1]

The machines help, but it is the artist that makes them.

[@Nyllsor]

As said in the video, you can make it with more simple tools. Allthough it's probably not as hard as you think to find the tools he uses, check your local 2nd hand store. :)

[@jnordfors]

Very satisfying! Books and book forms are elegant in their simplicity and I enjoyed watching you “mass” produce these. I am more than a little envious of your tools! ❤

[@janellekm]

Hello from Queensland Australia. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@andressamurarisudre3616]

Very nice video! Loved the notebooks!

[@veganvocalist4782]

😄Oh this was so satisfying to watch , thank you , very relaxing

[@n1nj4l1nk]

This is great. You should state in the books where the cover is from. You could also make use of those offcuts: Weave the cover parts of the offcuts into a lattice then stick it onto card like your normal covers. You'll end up with a ticket cover that wouldn't really suit books this size but if you make like 4/5 of your normal ones minus the cover then use the lattice cover round all 4/5 to make one "hardback". I don't know enough about book binding to know how you'd affix these covers but I'm sure you do. Can't go wrong with a minimal extra work use for waste :)

[@kellybramm]

What a cool paper cutter

[@guinh7492]

That's really interesting to watch and to know the process, so much care handcrafted that as consumer I barely knew about

[@EricaNernie]

Very much enjoyed this. Inspired me to make my own travel journal. Oh, and I love old atlases, and collect them.

[@Flatability]

Totally mesmerising! I watched the whole thing.

[@NachoTeso]

This was a nice and calm video to watch. Very interesting too. Cool notebooks.

[@desert.mantis]

I marvel at how creative people can be!

[@stephanief7679]

This whole process was very satisfying!

[@creepycast]

Oh, that paper cutter is to die for and the beautiful trimmings the cute little sticks. I am sure you use them for all kinds of stuff like I immediately thought they would make great chrysanthemum ball ornament type things.

[@bjoernschumacher5852]

awesome workshop, dude!

[@FourKeysBookArts]

Thanks!

[@AnnHopy]

This was pretty good, found it interesting to watch, thank you for sharing.

[@cindyamos4588]

Love your equipment!

[@maricruzpacheco]

I absolutelly love your work! Greetings from Argentina!