With PVC?

[FlaMike]

Oh yes, the things you can do with PVC!

I can't say what I was looking for when I ran across this, but I'm glad I found it. I had my doubts at first, but now I'm a believer.

Check it out:

This I made from 3/4" PVC, and it actually works! I'll finish it up, make it pretty, and post another pic later on. I also made the string and will start making arrows, next.

This one has a draw weight of about 45 lbs @ 28 inches. I also made another with 1/2" pipe, it has a draw around 30 lbs or so.

Here's another pic, one with a highly paid, male model showing off the bow. I'll just refer to him as "the old guy." :mrgreen:

I really didn't think this was going to turn out well, to be honest. But now I'm glad I decided to give it a try. I am having a ball with this and my wife is glad I cam up with something she can enjoy too!

I'll post more on this later, if anyone has an interest in it.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[Kayak Jack]

Even though you don't look like Fred Bear, you are following in his footsteps. Do you have references for these bows?

 

[FlaMike]

I'm not sure who built the first bow out of PVC, but Nick Tomihama certainly elevated it to an art form. He post how-to videos on YouTube, under the name of "Backyard Bowyer." That is also the name of his YouTube channel.

He also has six or so books for sale on Amazon.com. Two of them on building bows with PVC, one on arrows from dowels, one on PVC flutes, and one on more traditional bow building.

Pretty much all the info you need to build a bow can be found on those YouTube videos. Probably the best is "building the youth bow," as many of the other designs are based on that one, so it covers more of the basics in better detail that some of the other vids. This one also explains the very simple flattening jig (out of one 2X4,) as making parts of the pipe into a tapered, flattened tube is the key to making it work well.

There is also an excellent 3 part video on making the continuous loop bow string. That was much easier than I thought it would be.

The books come in handy by giving most of the measurements at once, where the vids will often give the measurement only as needed during the build. I got the ebook versions so I could read them on my phone, and on my computer when I needed to see a larger version. (And the ebooks are a little cheaper.)

Nicholas Tomihama is one sharp dude. He takes the time to explain the "how and why" that most don't bother with.

Got to get ready for work!

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL

 

[FlaMike]

Forgot to add:

http://www.backyardbowyer.com is his web site. More of a blog, I suppose. Links to his tutorials are not working yet, but the important part is at the top of the page.

One link leads directly to his YouTube channel where you can see the entire list of his vids, the other takes you to his Amazon page and his books. His book "Simple PVC Pipe Bows" is the one you should get first, as it has more info that the other, "The Impossible Bow." That one does have many more designs in it, just not quite the detail of the first one.

Those two links are easy to miss, thought. Small print and at the absolute top of the page.

Mike S.
Spring Hill, FL