Depending on how permanently you want them bound, you might be able to go with the same concept as DayRunner's new LifeTracker system (which is roughly what I had in mind when starting on these minibooks-- it's essentially a sturdy outer cover (plastic, cardstock, leather etc. depending on the price level) similar to the outside of a three-ring binder, except without the rings; instead, the spine has small notches cut into the top and bottom to accommodate some sort of narrow elastic loop(s)(I can't recall offhand whether there are multiple loops, or just one really long one that wraps around and around). There are several different types of thin "module" booklets which stack inside, with each one secured by sliding elastic to the center of the booklet.
The most obvious weak point is the elastic, both wrt inherent durability and possible abrasion against the spine notches. The LifeTracker's notches are rounded off; some DIYers have identified its elastic as essentially a very long, floppy, narrow silicone O-ring (like Madonna's early-80s rubber gasket bracelets, only longer). The basic concept seems sound enough-- I've got a 7-volume set of craft magazines from the 60s/70s that I bought from a library sale a while back, very securely bound into hardback volumes with thin metal bars inside the middle of each magazine issue. (For that matter, I suppose this permanent effect could be replicated by using a reasonable gauge of wire to wrap around the spine-- the main reason for the LifeTracker's elastic is to allow modules to be swapped in and out as they're filled/expended.)
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ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2010-04-23 01:54 am (UTC)The most obvious weak point is the elastic, both wrt inherent durability and possible abrasion against the spine notches. The LifeTracker's notches are rounded off; some DIYers have identified its elastic as essentially a very long, floppy, narrow silicone O-ring (like Madonna's early-80s rubber gasket bracelets, only longer). The basic concept seems sound enough-- I've got a 7-volume set of craft magazines from the 60s/70s that I bought from a library sale a while back, very securely bound into hardback volumes with thin metal bars inside the middle of each magazine issue. (For that matter, I suppose this permanent effect could be replicated by using a reasonable gauge of wire to wrap around the spine-- the main reason for the LifeTracker's elastic is to allow modules to be swapped in and out as they're filled/expended.)