Tomihama - The Impossible Bow: Building Archery Bows With PVC Pipe

Get started making bows from PVC with a description of the types of PVC pipe available, how to select undamaged pipe, how to shape pipe, a short list of needed and optional tools, and some cautions and safety concerns.

The most basic of PVC bows, these are simply straight pieces of pipe that have been bent into a basic shape. They all work in the same way, and despite being able to hit high weights, are very undesirable as bows, but they are quick to make and can be fun to shoot.

The Banded Krait is an all-PVC bow that is fully-tillered and smooth-drawing. It is capable of weights up to sixty pounds, and with a little tuning it can be a quiet, powerful, and compact bow for fishing, hunting, and target shooting.

Modeled after the short composite bows of Mongolia, the Indigo Serpent is a small bow capable of draws up to thirty-two inches and forty pounds of pull. It is not an all PVC bow, using wood and strong cord for the siyahs (bow tips) and string bridges (string rests).

Once youve built your bow, this chapter will show you how to string it safely, how to draw the bow with your thumb, as well as tips on prolonging the life of your PVC bow and signs that tell you when to retire your bow and make a new one.

A little collection of terms and phrases used in the book that may be confusing. Each word has a little description just to help ex- plain what they mean.

When I was a kid, I always wanted a bow. I always dreamed of being Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, with my bow and arrows at me side. Like most kids, I liked making my own toys out of whatever I had handy. One of my first bows was a 1/2 inch PVC pipe that was taller than I was, with a mason twine string.

Years later, I had the idea of making another bow out of PVC pipe, which was similar to my first. This was, of course, before I started building bows, and I naturally didnt know a thing about making them. It was a fun little stick flinger, but it just didnt feel or look right. Then once I started making bows, I found myself taking people to the archery range with me on the weekends.

My passion for archery was contagious, and soon I had others interested. Now I try to be generous, but Im also practical. I had friends who wanted bows for shooting in their backyards or at archery ranges that were in their areas, but didnt have the money or time to make or buy bows for them all. Thats when I got thinking about and experimenting with PVC, trying to make something remotely bow-like that I could just give away to those interested in archery.

The bows in the first chapter on bows come from that original idea of a quick and easy bow. Then when my first book, The Backyard Bowyer was finally published, I started getting more interested in what PVC could do if worked properly. Ive used it in a variety of ways, but the easiest way to make a bow with PVC is to just work with PVC pipe in its whole form.

While the first bows in this book are in no way efficient bows, the last two come close. This book is a culmination of what I have learned, to allow others who otherwise could not get involved with archery due to expense to join the ever-growing family of archers and bowyers. Hopefully the thrill of being able to plant an arrow into a mark 40 yards off with nothing but a bent piece of plumbing pipe will kindle the fire of traditional archery like it has for me.

There seems to be, now more than ever, a large number of people who shoot bows in their backyard. Its not new, but I see more and more people trying to start archery at home, either on the lawn or down the hallway. There are people making their own bows and arrows out of everything imaginable, sometimes very dangerously. Yet there is a spirit to it that cannot be denied, and hopefully I can serve as a guide to those who wish to go that route as safely as possible.

I am a bowyer, and no self-respecting bowyer I know would ever take a PVC bow seriously. That said, these bows are in no way meant to match or even come close to a well made bow. They barely fit into the bow-like-object category, but they do work, they are not expensive, and they can be a lot of fun if you let them.

These bows, like proper bows (still havent figured out what that really means), can be dangerous. They should never be aimed at people, pets, or objects that could be damaged. They are considered weapons, and can even bring down game in some cases (check your local laws). These are not toys, and should not be treated as such. They may be slow and awkward compared to modern bows, but they can stand toe-to-toe with many of the early bows that have sustained man for eons.

With that said, lets get started!

Before we get started making some bows, take a look through this section. Here youll find a little primer on how to select good PVC pipe, what the different designations on plastic pipe mean, and how to check that your PVC pipe is safe for making bows. Well also go over how to heat and bend with heat and how to cut PVC without a saw or pipe cutter if you ever needed to.

This chapter will also go over some basic tools that you want to have to get started. Dont worry, if you dont have some of these, you can go without. All you really need is a heat source and some patience for these bows. And finally, well go over safety and precautions when dealing with PVC pipe, dust, and fumes.