How to Make Your Own Legal Pad

[nimrod]

How To Make Your Own Legal Pad

With Photos

by Nimrod
with thanks to caocao and Dillo for their help

Make legal pads myself? Why would I want to do that?

Perhaps you can't get legal pads with the paper you want, the ruling you want, or both. In my case it was both: I wanted a pad of paper with ruling for Chinese character writing practice made with fountain-pen-friendly paper.


Options for Making Pads

The first and most mentally, but not physically, lazy option is to forget doing it yourself and just get a copy store to do it for you. The Office Max near where I live will make any stack of paper I give them into however many pads I specify for $0.50/pad. I don't like this option because I have to make a trip there to drop the stuff off, then come back the next day to pick up the pads. I also don't like the fact that they use extremely thin paperboard. Overall I'd rather just do it myself as it isn't that hard and takes less work than two round trips to a copy shop every time I want a pad made to my specifications.

So the second option, which is cheaper in the long run and certainly the fastest most time-effective method for small-scale projects, is to do it yourself. The first option may still be the one for you if you need several reams worth of pads made, or if you prefer driving and waiting in line to performing the process described below.


Tools and Materials

• 2 "C" Clamps or similar clamps.
• 2 pieces of relatively hard wood that are at least 1" square and at least as long as the edge that you want to bind
• A dull, or at least not razor sharp, knife
• A small paintbrush (if using Padding Compound)
• Padding Compound OR Silicone Sealant (such as GE Silicone II)
• Sheets of paper to make the pad out of, possibly printed with your own custom ruling
• Paperboard (known as "Chipboard" in the US) - this is the backing material for normal legal pads
• Binder clips - optional but might be helpful

C Clamps, like the one on the left in the photo above, can be had for around $5 each at hardware stores. Make sure to get clamps that are big enough. If your boards are 1" thick then you'll need clamps with jaws that are 2" wide plus however many inches thick you want your padding job to be. For me, this means 3" clamps are fine since I don't need to make pads in stacks more than 1" thick. (Note that the wooden clamp on the right in the photo above is not a C clamp but a handscrew clamp, which is less than ideal. If possible use 2 C clamps and certainly don't buy a handscrew clamp just for this project.)

Decent 1" square Wooden boards can be obtained by buying a 1" square 1 yard long hardwood dowell and cutting it in half with a saw. I bought a poplar wood dowel at Lowes for $2.50. Using scrap lumber is probably fine if it is sturdy enough and isn't too bent or warped.

A dull knife is needed to cut multiple pads apart and cut pads away from the boards. You want something at least as sharp as a letter opener (maybe sharper?) but not so sharp that it tends to cut the paper instead of the adhesive.

Padding Compound can be a little difficult to find because it's sort of like offset press ink; it's the kind of thing that usually only print and copy shops use. So don't expect to find it at Office Depot or Staples. Instead you might want to try a place that sells bookbinding materials or supplies large offices or print shops. You can also order it online. A quart of the stuff costs about $10 and will last you for decades unless you're planning to run the local copy shop out of the pad making business.

An alternative to padding compound is Silicone Sealant. This is what you "caulk" the windows on your house with except that it's made of silicone rather than caulk. The only one known to work well is GE Silicone II. I used the clear "windows and doors" variety but other varieties probably work equally well. You can get a small 2.8 oz tube at Lowes or similar for about $3.50. Note that this means it's much more expensive than Padding Compound by volume, but if you don't make many pads it probably doesn't make much difference. Unlike padding compound you can also use this to make grips on the bottom of your pads if desired, and caulk your windows to make back on your energy bill the $15 you spent on boards, clamps, and stuff. Store silicone sealant in the freezer to keep it from going bad. Even with the cap on tight it will start to harden over time.

Use a small Paintbrush to apply padding compound. If you're not using padding compound you don't need the paintbrush.

You should be able to use pretty much whatever paper you want, within reason.

Paperboard, is known as Chipboard in some places, but in other places "Chipboard" refers to particle board lumber. For this you want the cardboard type stuff that is the normal backing material on your average legal pad. You can use the paperboard from used up legal pads or buy it from bookbinding and craft stores. Office stores don't seem to have it unless they have a copy center, in which case they may not sell it to you because they may not know what price to charge you for it. You can also cut up cereal or other similar boxes but you won't get very thick paperboard that way.

Binder clips might be useful to help keep the paper from becoming misaligned while you're tightening the first clamp. If you're making several pads then the stack might be too thick for these to fit. In that case you might want to set a heavy object on the stack while you clamp the boards on.


Step 1: Prepare and "jog" the stack of stuff to bind.

First, you might want to expriment with some scrap paper to get used to the process. You can always rip the paperboard off of the scrap paper pad and use it again if you decide you don't want the pad.

Print whatever ruling you want, if any, on your paper with your printer. Check out the graph paper PDF generator at Incomptech, which despite the name actually generates more than just graph paper.

Unfortunately my laser printer tends to curl* the paper, so I have to place a bunch of heavy books on the printed paper for a while to get it to lie relatively flat again. If the paper curls it will make it hard to jog, so try to flatten it somehow if you have trouble.

Stack the paper you want to use on top of a sheet of same-size paperboard. Place at least 3 sheets of scrap paper on the top of the good paper. If you want to make several pads at once, put the additional stacks on top of the first one, alternating paperboard, paper, scrap, etc, and ending with a layer of scrap paper on the top. The scrap paper is there because the first 3 or so sheets may come loose when you cut the adhesive away from whatever is above the pad, be that the top board or the paperboard of the pad above.

"Jog" the stack by picking it up and hitting the binding edge and a perpendicular edge against the table, then set the stack on the table with the binding edge hanging off of it as shown below.



It's more important for the binding edge to be aligned so jog the binding edge last. Make sure the paper is aligned well or you'll end up with an ugly pad or one that doesn't hold together. You might want to place binder clips on the stack to keep it from becoming misaligned, if the stack is thin enough for them to fit. Otherwise you might want to set a heavy object on top of it.


Step 2: Clamp the boards into place.

Clamp the boards onto the stack of pads with the binding edge flush with the edge of the boards. Start by putting one clamp in the middle as seen below.



Now attach the other clamp over one corner of the paper or the other. Once that one is secure, loosten the first clamp and move it to the other corner, then tighten it again You want to make sure that both clamps are tight enough that there are no gaps between any of the sheets. Too tight is probably beter than not tight enough. I suspect you're unlikely to break the paper by squeezing it too hard.



You may actually be able to get away with just one clamp in the middle if your stack isn't too thick. If everything looks gap-free with one clamp in the middle you're probably OK, but you'll have to work around the clamp which will be somewhat in your way.


Step 3: Apply the adhesive.

How you do this depends on the adhesive. You probably want to hang the assembly vertically on something, like paper-down into a cardboard box with the boards resting on the top edges of the box, while you do this and while it dries. Other ideas include hanging it between the backs of two chairs facing back-to-back. Most likely you have something around that will work.

Padding Compound

I haven't obtained any padding compound so I haven't used it myself yet, but I'm told that you'll need to paint this onto the binding edge of the stack of pads, wait 30 minutes, then paint a second coat over that and wait for it all to dry. I'm not yet sure how long this takes to dry but I'll update this with more information as I learn more. Make sure that it overlaps onto the boards though, covering the whole binding edge.

Silicone Sealant

While this seems to stick to the paper well enough, I don't think this stuff sticks to the paper as well as padding compound does. This can be an advantage if you tend to rip each sheet off of the pad as you fill it (it will not rip fibers of paper off as you pull it free), but might be a disadvantage if you want curl* each sheet over the top and under the pad as you finish with them. I tend to do the former and haven't had any problems yet, but haven't tried the later.

Apply the sealant as shown below.



Spread the bead out with something so that it covers the whole binding surface. If you want to be really professional, try taking a disposable ballpoint pen tube and using that to spread the sealant to a nice even thickness. (I haven't tried this myself yet.) Make sure not to spread the stuff too thin.

Don't worry about getting it on the boards, in fact you'll need it to overlap onto the boards to make sure that the whole paper edge surface is covered. (You can later rub the boards together like chopsticks to scrape of the adhesive after it dries.) After you're done spreading, it should look something like the photo below, but hopefully you'll do a nicer job than I did.



Now just wait another hour or two for the stuff to dry, allowing the assembly to hang vertically on or between something.

Silicone sealant gives off some fumes while it dries, so you might want to put the assembly in a well ventilated place especially if you are binding a large stack. The fumes are pretty subtle though. Padding compound is water-based and shouldn't produce any fumes.


Step 4: Cut the pads apart.

Once the adhesive is dry, remove the clamps but not the boards as they'll be stuck firmly to the binding. Ripping the boards off willy-nilly will likely rip the binding off the pads, so try to avoid that.

Having removed the clamps, lay the assembly down flat and tilt the top board up, then place the knife between the underside of the board and the paper and carefully slice the adhesive holding the board to the binding. Once that's done pull off the scrap sheets on the top of the stack. Cut the bottom board away in the same manner.

If you're making more than one pad, cut the pads apart at the paperboard in the same way you cut the boards away.

Check the binding to make sure the paper is held together well enough.




If everything goes well then you'll end up with your own nice custom pads that won't come apart too easily.




Optional Experimental Step 5: Create silicone grips.

WARNING: I'm not sure if silicone sealant is safe to place against all possible surfaces even when it's dry, so you might want to skip this if you have a fancy desk with a nice wood finish, for example. You have been warned!

If you have silicone sealant you might want to try creating silicone "grips" on the bottom of your pad. Basically you just apply a thin layer of silicone sealant on the bottom of the pad to keep it from sliding around on a tabletop. Of course you might want the pad to slide around as you're probably accustomed to, but I decided to give this a try on one pad to see if I'd like it.

Apply silicone around the underside of the pad and spread it thin with some waste paper or something similar. Make sure there are no thick uneven mounds of silicone or you'll end up with an uneven writing surface.



Let this dry for an hour or two. The dry silicone is still very rubbery and will tend to grip smooth surfaces. I'm not sure how well these grips will hold up long term, but I guess I will find out.


Done!

Now take photos of your nice new pads and post them to this thread for people to see, or at the very least tell us about what you've made and how well it has worked out. Good luck with your pad making!

* Note: I had to add a * after the word "curl" because of a security measure that's in place on the board. Just ignore the *. It's silly, don't ask.... Edited October 23, 2007 by nimrod

[nimrod]

I've found a workaround for the problem that was keeping me from finishing this post, so it should be complete now. Please let me know of any errors.

[matthewk]

Cool post! I really love when people post projects like this. I was thinking about this today actually. If you don't mind tearing the paper out of the pad staples would be easy. One of the cheap dover books on bookbinding shows a couple of ways to staple notebooks.

 

matthew

ohio

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

You may want to spread the silicone neatly with a metal rod or plastic rod or sometyhing of the like.

That way, it appears smooth and neat The edge that you bind is the most crucial--it has to be flat.

 

Dillon

[nimrod]

Cool post! I really love when people post projects like this. I was thinking about this today actually. If you don't mind tearing the paper out of the pad staples would be easy. One of the cheap dover books on bookbinding shows a couple of ways to staple notebooks.

 

Thanks!

 

I keep wondering if there's some place you can go where you can pay someone some small amount of money to perforate your paper with a laser cutter or something. If so you could get some paper cut to just a half inch or so taller than letter or A4 or whatever size and get the extra part on the top "perforated off". Then you could just staple it or something like you say. I'm not sure if you could get custom perforation done like this at a reasonable price though, unless you have free access to a laser cutter.

[nimrod]

You may want to spread the silicone neatly with a metal rod or plastic rod or sometyhing of the like.

That way, it appears smooth and neat The edge that you bind is the most crucial--it has to be flat.

 

Hmm... I'm thinking that a disposable ballpoint pen tube, maybe with some spacers on either side of it, might be good for spreading this to an even thickness. I added your idea to the article and will give it a try next time. Maybe if I wrap a couple of 3 or so milimeter thick wrappings of tape around the pen tube that would make a good set of spacers.

[matthewk]

I have no idea how you can get your paper perforated cheaply. When I need a nice edge on non-perforated paper I use my small pocket knife. I dug up the book I referenced: The Craft of Bookbinding by Manly Banister

 

"Illus. 207 -Side stitching with a staple gun. The back guide automatically spaces the staples 1/4 inch from the edge. The staples drive through into a corrugated cardboard in back channel and are bent over by hand, the hammered down. The wood block is used against the bow of the staple to set it firmly into the paper after driving." Chapter 13 page 115.

 

If you put your paper stack against wall; then add a 1\4 spacer between the wall and the paper I think you will understand how this jig works. This is as close as I can get you. Illus. 203 shows the jig.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=LuOrtqHWW...3hXNwV0fOMdKpuQ

 

matthew

[jsonewald]

Out of curiosity, have you tried hot melt glue to make pads?

[nimrod]

Out of curiosity, have you tried hot melt glue to make pads?

I have not, but if anyone does (and it works well enough) I'll add it to the main article.

[Turbonerd42]

You may want to spread the silicone neatly with a metal rod or plastic rod or sometyhing of the like.

That way, it appears smooth and neat The edge that you bind is the most crucial--it has to be flat.

 

Hmm... I'm thinking that a disposable ballpoint pen tube, maybe with some spacers on either side of it, might be good for spreading this to an even thickness. I added your idea to the article and will give it a try next time. Maybe if I wrap a couple of 3 or so milimeter thick wrappings of tape around the pen tube that would make a good set of spacers.

You're working too hard :-) wet your finger, and use it to smooth the adhesive to a nice, even finish. Hey, it works on bathtubs...

[nimrod]

You're working too hard :-) wet your finger, and use it to smooth the adhesive to a nice, even finish. Hey, it works on bathtubs...

I'm obviously working too hard simply based on the fact that I wrote all this up to begin with....

[cacao]

You can perforate your own paper using a sliding paper cutter with a perforating disc in place of the cutting disc.

 

I keep wondering if there's some place you can go where you can pay someone some small amount of money to perforate your paper with a laser cutter or something. If so you could get some paper cut to just a half inch or so taller than letter or A4 or whatever size and get the extra part on the top "perforated off". Then you could just staple it or something like you say. I'm not sure if you could get custom perforation done like this at a reasonable price though, unless you have free access to a laser cutter.

 

[HLeopold]

Cool post! I really love when people post projects like this. I was thinking about this today actually. If you don't mind tearing the paper out of the pad staples would be easy. One of the cheap dover books on bookbinding shows a couple of ways to staple notebooks.

 

Thanks!

 

I keep wondering if there's some place you can go where you can pay someone some small amount of money to perforate your paper with a laser cutter or something. If so you could get some paper cut to just a half inch or so taller than letter or A4 or whatever size and get the extra part on the top "perforated off". Then you could just staple it or something like you say. I'm not sure if you could get custom perforation done like this at a reasonable price though, unless you have free access to a laser cutter.

 

You could check with any printers or printing companies in your area, especially those with web-presses. If the paper they use is at all compatible with what you want you might be able to get them to do a very short run with a perforator. I haven’t done this yet, but since I get my favorite paper from scrape paper at work I keep thinking I should have a friend that runs that particular press let me know when he next has a center perforated set-up. Slap on a roll butt of my favorite paper (80# bright white) and let it rip. Might do that the next slow night we have, if I remember to mention it to him.

 

When doing a set up on a web-press it normally takes a fair stack of paper to get things adjusted, so I normally just grab the good stuff from the waste box and then cut to size on the guillotine cutter. If you can find a good shop in your area and make friends with a web-press printer you might be able to get a short stack of perforated paper that can be cut to the proper size (and location of the perfs) for not much $.

 

Just don’t expect it immediately, it depends on just how busy the printer is at the time and the particular set up you need. Any web-press that uses roll paper, and they all do, always has roll butt ends left over, check them out and see which is the best paper for your needs, then make friends with the printer. Talk to one and tell him/her what you are wanting, they may be able to give you some good ideas and maybe even help on the cheap, as long as they aren’t in the middle of rush season at the time. (When rush season hits we printers hardly even talk to ourselves much less others.)

[nimrod]

Has anyone else tried this yet? If so I'm curious to hear their experiences.

[captnemo]

Excellent idea. I might combine this with info from another thread and make small pads out of 32# laser paper.

 

I use GE silicone all the time in electronics work. Terrific stuff. I dunno why I didn't think of this myself.

 

GE Silicone "Silastic" (it's original name) and "RTV" (it's other original name) is one of the most harmless adhesives around. The "fumes" you mention is just acetic acid (vinegar / photo fixer). After curing it is effectively inert and good to 350 degrees F. Even though it does not say "food grade" it's a food grade material. You can lay down beads of it on your desk and after fully curing use them to chew on, eat it, whatever. No harm.

 

The chemical reaction that causes it to cure is catalyzed by water (moisture from the air usually). The acetic acid is a "preventer" that prevents it from curing. As the acetic acid evaporates, water in the air makes it "go off" (polymerize). For this reason, it is one of the few adhesives you can use underwater and in pouring rain. The water simply makes it cure faster.

 

And an old trick for shaping the stuff after putting it on the "target" is to wet your finger. You may have noticed that it's almost impossible to manage and smooth out because it's so sticky. Put a generous amount of spit on your finger and you can mold it any way you like and create a smooth surface. I do this all the time when encapsulating electronic connections. Spit works much better than water. Use plenty.

[addio6]

What a great topic! I've actually done this before--but never using silicone as an adhesive. (I will soon be trying that )

 

I'd never thought of hot glue before either, what I've always used is this stuff:

http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/pro...ProductID=18847

 

Super-strong bookbinding white glue--set up the same way as above (squeezed between the boards) but also making little notches on the top of the part to be glued with a jewelers file so there would be more surface area for the glue to fill up. I don't know if it would work with silicone, but that way seemed to get the sheets to rip off nicely as well.

[nimrod]

Excellent idea. I might combine this with info from another thread and make small pads out of 32# laser paper.

I use GE silicone all the time in electronics work. Terrific stuff. I dunno why I didn't think of this myself.

 

Dillo gets credit for the silicone idea. Really caocao and Dillo provided all the info and I just wrote it up.

 

Looks like I can't edit the post any longer to update it with your new information. Do you know if a moderator can enable me to edit it again?

[nimrod]

It's been a while and I only know of a couple of people who are making their own pads. Has anyone else tried it and were these instructions helpful?

[finnmcool]

Out of curiosity, have you tried hot melt glue to make pads?

 

I was going to suggest that too. I work in a printing plant and that is what is used for perfect bound magazines and journals. Oh, perfect bound are the ones that have a square spine rather than a staple.

[klangbogen]

Just found this thread. Great ideas!