Thursday, May 16, 2013

Simple Spiral Binding Machine - My New Favorite Tool

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I am absolutely in love with a tool I got a few months ago.  It's a spiral binding machine.  Seriously, I love it.  I've been going a little crazy and binding everything in site!

I am not being compensated in any way for telling you about this (although these are amazon affiliate links, so I could potentially make about 50 cents if you buy it ).  I bought the Carl Brands Ring Binding System with my own money and I want to tell you about it because I LOVE it (oh, did I already say that?!)

It all started when I got the Young Reader curriculum CD from Heritage History.  I love using living books for teaching my kids, and love the clean formatting that Heritage History brings to these old books.  The only problem is that they are best used in ebook format.  They can also be printed out, but I found myself printing out pages and then misplacing them.  I knew I wanted to make these wonderful stories into books, but I didn't know the best way to do it.  I looked into many different forms of book binding, and finally found the Carl Brands Ring Binding System.   At less than $20, it was a perfect match between price and a great final product!


What kind of things can you bind?


Since I got the binding system, I've gone a little book-binding-crazy!  I've been making books out of just about anything I can get my hands on =)  Here are some of the books I've put together:


How the Binding Machine Works


When I was trying to figure out which binding system to go with, something I really wanted was to see them in action to help me decide.  I thought it might be helpful for you to see how this spiral binding machine works.  I'm not great with videos, but hopefully these will help you get a feel for how it works in case you are looking to make some books too!

This first video is a close up of how the binder actually works:




This second video is so you can get an idea of the whole process and how long it takes to put a small book together:




 Highlights of the binder:

  • punches holes into the paper 
  • you turn the coil through the holes to make the book
  • punch up to 5 pages at a time
  • punch any size paper (up to 12 inches)
  • punch locks into the strip to ensure perfectly placed holes
  • coils come in many sizes to accommodate different book thicknesses
 
If you are looking for a way to preserve your children's work, make notebooks for schoolwork, or make physical books out of ebooks (and not break the bank!) I encourage you to give the Carl Brands Ring Binding System  a try!  Let me know if you have any questions and I can try to help you figure out if it would suit your needs.

Happy Book Binding!

40 comments:

  1. I don't have this particular binder (I purchased mine years ago), but I do agree with how invaluable a binder is. We use it for eBooks, reports, special projects, etc. It was one of the best hs purchases I've made.

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  2. I might have to consider that. I had a Zutter on my wish list but this might work just as nicely.

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    1. You know what? I was pretty convinced that I wanted a Zutter, too, but ended up changing my mind. Mostly, I think, because this was so much cheaper, but also from reading lots of Zutter reviews. I suppose if you want it for scrapbooking too, then the Zutter might have more capabilities, but I am 100% happy with my choice to go with this one. The only downside I have with this one is it's inability to do more than about 5 pages.

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    2. How thick can you cut with this? I would love to be able to do Little Golden book covers? I did read some reviews on the Zutter that made me a bit cautious.

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    3. I just got out a Little Golden book and tried it and....no =( It says 5 pages thickness, and the cover was too thick to fit in the slot. Are your books falling apart and you're trying to save them?

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  3. Wow! I didn't know I wanted one of these! Thanks for the videos.

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  4. Amy, the videos were so helpful! Thanks!
    --Gena

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    1. The videos are not what I envisioned at all, but I still posted them because I thought they might be helpful, so thanks for saying that! I'm trying to do more videos, but really need to get better at it (and a better camera =)

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    2. I thought your videos were awesome! Thank you for sharing. Very informative. I just ordered a binding machine today. The one you have is out of stock. (So, I am getting a different one be.

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    3. I noticed recently that is was out of stock. I hope they haven't stopped selling it completely because it is a great little tool!

      Did you find something similar?

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  5. Thanks so much for sharing this!! Thsi is a great review, and the videos were REALLY nice to have. Thanks Amy!

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    1. You are welcome! I'm so glad people are finding this helpful! I just need to work on getting better camera angles =)

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  6. What is the pitch of the coils that you use with the binding System?

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    1. These are the coils that I bought and they work great: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ODE97K/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003ODE97K&linkCode=as2&tag=livinga0b-20

      The description says a 4:1 pitch. The coil stretches just a tiny bit to fit into the holes, which I think is just perfect.

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  8. I appreciate your review. Thank you! My son loves to write and illustrate his own books, so I think this gadget would be a lot of fun for him. (And me!) Have you ever cut the 12" coil in half, so that you can make a smaller book?

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    1. Yes! I cut the coils all the time. I just twist in the entire coil and cut off whatever is extra (and keep it for another project if it's more than an inch or so =)

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  9. How many holes per 11"? If you need to stretch a 4:1 pitch coil it may be a 3:1 pitch punch.

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    1. 33 holes per 11 inches. It may be a 3:1 pitch, but honestly it's a very small stretch, so I'm guessing that the 4:1 is right. If anyone has tried the 3:1, though, I'd love to hear how it works!

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  10. Just wanted to let you know that I bought this and love it!! It is so easy to use and I love that I can hide it in a drawer.

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    1. Awesome! I'm so glad you like it =) I use it all the time. In fact it is sitting next to me right now lol

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  11. Replies
    1. Great! I hope you love it =) I seriously use mine all the time.

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  12. Hi Amy, I have an A5 20 hole refillable coil notebook, I was wondering if the Carls Brand coil binding system would work with it. How far apart are the punched hole? Thanks!

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  13. If I measure from the middle of the first hole to the middle of the 4th hole, it is 1 inch. Does that help? The holes are a little more than 1/4 in apart.

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  15. Hey recently bought this trying to figure out how to empty the paper out of the puncher any suggestions?

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    1. The puncher opens. I'm trying to think of how to describe it without showing you =) There is a little tab on the bottom part (white/clear part) and you sort of use it to push the white/clear part down and the green part up and it sort of opens like a book so you can dump all of the punched holes out. Does that help at all?

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  16. I found one of these in a box I inherited from my mom. I had no clue what it was for! Thanks so much!

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  17. I need one of these! I can only find a six inch one though. The 12 " is unuvailable. So sad.

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    1. Did you see that it is back on amazon again? I link in the article will take you right to it again. I'm so happy!

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  18. I really want one of these! I homeschool my children and was searching the Internet to see if there is an inexpensive way to bind books. I came across your reviews and videos and this is exactly what I'm looking for. But it's unavailable. :( I'm so sad but I guess I'll just have to keep my eyes open for it on eBay.

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    1. Did you see that it is back on amazon again? Yeah! The link in the article will take you right to it.

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  19. I am so glad I found your review of this nifty gadget! I was wondering what you use to cut and bend the coils? Thanks!

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    1. I'm glad you found it too! :) You know, I just use scissors to cut the coil and then I bend it with my fingers. I actually have a tool that is designed for it, but I never got the hang of using it. lol

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    2. Have you come across a multi-size pack of coils?

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    3. No, unfortunately I haven't. I would love it if they offered one though!

      If anyone comes across a multi-size pack of coils, please leave a link!

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