How to make a crossbow from a polypropylene pipe yourself. How to make a bow out of PVC pipes with your own hands! Video of making a bow from a plastic pipe

Hello everyone, welcome to this site. Today I will tell you how to make a bow out of PVC pipes with your own hands. Of course, the idea on the Internet is not new, but I just wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t make such a bow myself.

To make a homemade bow from PVC pipes, we need:
- PVC pipe marked SCH 40;
- Building hair dryer;
- A skein of cardboard;
- Several carpentry clamps;
- Two equal boards (with which we will compress the heated pipe)

Sizes of a homemade pvc bow

Making a bow from a PVC pipe with your own hands

1 . We mark our workpiece. The length of the pipe is 120 cm, 20 cm are left for the handle in the center and 12 cm each. From each edge to the pasture of the shoulder.
2 . Using cardboard as a heat shield, we evenly heat the part we need. Exactly, carefully, otherwise the pipe will turn yellow, melt and lose the elasticity we need, so we don’t stay in one place for a long time.

3 . When the pipe is sufficiently plastic, we press it down with planks and leave it for 7-10 minutes. Briefly about the device for compression, in the current case it is just two pieces of chipboard. You might find something else if it was even. The bolts are part of the old design, they were used when there were no clamps yet, now they are no longer needed, they just were not removed.

4. With the help of these bolts and nuts, we regulate the thickness of the compression of the workpiece, without them the arms were of different lengths and, accordingly, had different elasticity and looked metrically.

5 . In 10 minutes. We remove the fasteners and check the result of the work. We should get the following.

6 . We also repeat this procedure for the other shoulder and get a symmetrical workpiece.

7 . We give the shape of the end of the shoulder. We re-heat and press, we need a segment perpendicular to the previous compressions.

8 . This shape of the shoulder will not suit us completely, so we will correct everything manually by reheating the junction and until the shoulder has cooled down separately give it a rounded look using a round object.

9 . We repeat the same procedure for the handle. There are a few touches left, and the design of the PVC bow is ready.

10 . Turns off excess. We make notches for the bowstring.

11 . For a bowstring, you can use a regular rigid polypropylene cord.

Question: "How to make a bow out of PVC pipes with your own hands?" many ask. It is not at all difficult to make beautiful home-made weapons from this building material. The material below contains detailed information on how to quickly make a great bow and arrow, and also describes the advantages of such a homemade design.

The bow is a weapon. Since ancient times, it has been used to hunt wild animals. More than one year and more than one millennium has passed since the invention of this device. During this time, the mechanism of the bow has been improved and improved.

The modern bow, when compared with the ancient "relative", is distinguished by the presence of new materials, accuracy and range of shots.

A confirmation of this is a bow made of PVC pipes from craftsman Maxim Egorov. A lawyer from St. Petersburg became the record holder for watching his videos on YouTube, where he tells how to make chairs from rope and plastic bottles, how to make a bow from PVC pipe, how to make a phone case from a water trough. In a few months, this folk master has become a real YouTube star.

What are the advantages of such a homemade design:

• Despite the large size, the bow made of PVC pipe blanks is very easy to transport. This is possible thanks to the prefabricated structure. After disassembly, such a device, along with arrows, can be placed in a quiver.
• The small weight of the device puts it above the factory analogues for hunting.
• High strength. Such a bow is much stronger than a homemade device made of wood.
• If a silencer is installed on the string of such a device, then the shots fired by such a bow will be silent.
• If such a device is equipped with a shako, then the combat performance of the bow will increase. It increases the rate of fire and reduces the time to prepare for firing.

Manufacturing process

Previously, a certain type of wood was used for such a device. Nowadays, this issue can be solved much easier. All you need is two blanks of PVC pipes (approximately 1.5 meters each).

The width of such a pipe can be different. The dimensions of the pipe blank affect the power of the structure.

Tools needed for the job:

• screwdriver;
• self-tapping screws;
• jigsaw;
• drill.

The bow itself consists of three parts. In the center of the mechanism there is a handle, on the sides - shoulders and a bowstring. All this reinforces the internal insert.

Work sequence:

• Pipes are cut so that their length is the same.
• A handle to the bow is cut out of wood, two prepared blanks will be attached to it.
• Having prepared the handle, you do not need to rush to fasten the workpieces. They need to be prepared first. To this end, grooves are cut in the end part of the pipes, they will contain blocks that are needed for high-quality stretching of the bowstring.
• Shoulder attachment. Two prepared pipes will be the shoulders of the bow. It's not hard to attach them. This is easy to do with a few screws. All fastenings must be made securely.
• The ends of the shoulders are slightly warmed up and bend to the outside.
• Small notches are made at the ends of the shoulders. They will serve as a place for attaching the bowstring.
• The string needs to be pulled very tight. It is recommended to use a strong rope that is resistant to stretching and deformation as a bowstring.

Appearance styling

Not everyone attaches great importance to this nowadays, but in ancient times every hunter who owned a bow decorated it in various ways. A special meaning was invested in such decoration. Each even the smallest detail of the decoration was endowed with great meaning.

A homemade device will become especially individual if it is designed to your liking. Bows are decorated in the following ways:

• Staining with special paint for plastic.
• Covering with fabrics and impregnation with polymer. An amateur hunter will be distinguished by a bow covered with camouflage fabric. This design not only decorates the product, but also increases its power. Plastic after such a coating easily tolerates low temperatures, does not break or crack.

For decoration, you can use anything you like, but you must not forget that the design cannot be overloaded.

Arrows

Arrows are needed to test the operation of the device. They can be purchased, or you can make it yourself, which once again highlights the individuality of your bow.

• Everyone determines the length of the arrow for himself. It is best to use glazing beads for the arrow. You just need to choose them without knots. Their side should be 1 cm.
• From the glazing bead, you need to make a round shaft, which is brought to an ideal state first with coarse-grained sandpaper, and then fine-grained.
• Then a tip is made. It is best to make the tip of thin steel and put it in the prepared socket on the glue.
• After that, a cut is made for the bowstring. Its depth is approximately 6 mm.
• Plumage for arrows. It can be made from paper, plastic, tape, and even bird feathers. Turkey feathers are considered the best option for plumage for arrows.
• At the end, the plumage can be painted. Everything here will depend on personal priorities.

block mechanism

Now, how to make a bow from PVC pipes and arrows is clear. As you can see from the description, there is nothing complicated about this. And now it's time to consider how compound bow from PVC pipes.

For work you will need:

• PVC blanks;
• rollers (2 pcs.);
• wooden board;
• jigsaw;
• string;
• toothbrush.

Stages of work:

• First, the shoulders for the bow are made from PVC pipes. Two blanks of 45 cm are prepared for them.
• Next, saw the edges of the blanks and insert two rollers there.
• On the other hand, a through hole for bolts is made on each blank.
• Handle. On a board made of wood with a jigsaw, cut out the desired pattern. On both sides of the handle, workpieces are fixed with self-tapping screws.
• Bowstring. One end is attached to the extreme part of the shoulder, threaded through both rollers, and then the other end of the bowstring is fixed on the second shoulder.
• Arrow stand. A through hole is made in the handle and the upper part of the dental mesh is inserted into it. This completes the work.

Checking the bow in action

Now that the fabrication is complete, it's time to test the device. For this, it is recommended to use a sand bag.

First, the bag is placed at a distance of 10 meters. Then this segment is gradually increased. In this way, the maximum range of the device can be determined.

Now, anyone who wants to spend their leisure time in nature more interesting can make their own bow. After carefully reading the above information, the problem: “How to make a PVC pipe bow with your own hands” will not be so big. And if you add a little patience and your own imagination to this, then you can build a very beautiful and durable bow for sports recreation, which will become an integral part of leisure for a long time. And a huge plus of such a device is that it contains a piece of the soul of the master.

Archery is a good way to spend your free time with benefit, developing accuracy, hand strength and just having fun. However, buying a sports bow is not always possible, and such a device is quite expensive. The way out of this situation is to homemade bow from a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe, which will be discussed below.

Preliminary remarks

If you want to shoot a bow, there are several options. You can enroll in the appropriate section, or buy a bow in a sports store, or borrow from friends. However, not every city has sections, the cost of sports instruments is high, and friends may also not have onions.

Therefore, the most reasonable way out in this situation is to make a bow on your own. Of course, you can make it using the old technology, from wood and other traditional materials. But, again, the manufacturing materials cost a lot, and the process itself is complex, long and laborious.

Fortunately, the development of technology has given everyone the opportunity to learn how to make a bow from a plastic pipe. The process is also not so simple, but it is quite feasible. It is worth noting that craftsmen make different crafts from polypropylene pipes, which are very original and practical.

The main thing is the presence of a device capable of heating a plastic pipe with thick walls (from 3 mm). In addition, in any case, you will have to attend to the selection of material for the bowstring.

Making a bow from a PVC pipe with your own hands is technologically justified: polyvinyl chloride is a modern material that is flexible enough and at the same time strong enough to withstand the tension of the bowstring and in calm state, and before the shot.

From a thicker pipe, with a conscientious and accurate approach, it is quite possible to make a bow that is not inferior in performance to crossbows and professional sports products. If you buy a thinner pipe, for example, half an inch, you can make a much less powerful and safer children's bow.

With the help of a building hair dryer, the material for the onion from the plastic pipe is heated to a temperature of about 180 ° C: this is enough to freely bend the water pipe, giving it the desired shape.

It should be noted that before making a pipe pvc bow arrows or any other elements, you must familiarize yourself with the requirements for the purchased pipe.

Characteristics of a PVC water pipe for an adult onion:

• product diameter - three quarters of an inch;
• pipe diameter outside - 26.7 mm;
• the length of the purchased plastic product is about 3 m, however, one and a half meters will be enough for one bow;
• the upper threshold of the working pressure in the pipe is about 33 atm.

Despite the apparent optionality of strict adherence to these parameters, bows with the best characteristics are obtained from such polymer pipes; in the case of using a pipe of a smaller size, or less strength, or from another material, it is impossible to vouch for the result.

However, if you want to experiment and have enough time and money, you can, using the general manufacturing scheme, make for yourself the perfect bow that will last long years. Be that as it may, each amateur creates a bow from a PVC pipe at his own peril and risk, for personal use, and only he is responsible for a satisfactory or not result.

Construction of a bow made of plastic pipe

A pipe bow consists of the following parts:

1. The basis(handle) - what they hold the bow for during preparation and the actual shot.
2. opening(window) for arrows - located in the center of the bow, through which the arrows are launched.
3. Shoulders- provide structural stability, it would be nice to strengthen them further, for example, by wrapping.
4. Notches for bowstring and bowstring– bought in a store or acquired in other ways.
5. Arrows- consumables, also purchased or made independently, possibly from the same pipe or from wood and other available materials.

The procedure for making a homemade bow

Before starting work, you need to get protective gloves for work and a non-flammable, well-insulating fabric that can be used to bend the heated material without damaging the skin.

So, when all the materials are ready, how to make a bow from a PVC pipe?

The manufacturing algorithm is as follows:

1. Mark a section of the required length on the plastic pipe using a marker or other convenient tool.
2. Select the center on the body of the pipe, the areas that will need to be bent in the future and places for recesses for the bowstring on both bendable shoulders.
3. Heat the first shoulder with a building hair dryer, flatten it and give it the necessary shape.
4. Allow the first curved shoulder to cool.
5. Repeat the same steps for the second shoulder, allowing it to cool.
6. Warm up the handle area, then arching it to give the specific geometry of the bow.
7. On each shoulder, make recesses for the bowstring.
8. Cut an opening in the body of the product for shooting arrows.
9. Pull the bowstring until it reaches the required tension.
10. After completing all work, test the bow in a safe place.

Despite the abundance of tips on how to make a bow from a pipe, and the seeming simplicity of the instructions, the bow cannot always work out the first time, so you need to stock up on a few additional pieces of plumbing elements in advance.

The most common manufacturing mistakes:

• incorrect heating of the pipe, associated either with insufficient heating and, consequently, the impossibility of bending the bow, or with overheating of the material and loss of elasticity;
• the use of insufficiently powerful equipment, as a result of which the plastic cools faster than the formation of bends is completed;
• attempts to bend the product without the use of a building hair dryer and high-quality fixation of the future bow;
• overheating - in addition to the problem described above, it can lead to cracking of the product during further operation.

It also happens that, despite the observance of the rules, the bow still did not come out. You should not be upset, you just need to try to make a new one.

Tips for making the perfect bow:

1. The bow handle should be made under your palm, giving it a comfortable shape.
2. You can vary according to your preferences and the length, elasticity and other parameters of the bow, arrows and bowstring.
3. The cutouts for the bowstring must be treated as carefully as possible with abrasive agents so that it does not fray the stretched bowstring. You can impose an additional protective layer on the notch, and already on it - a bowstring.
4. You can wrap a comfortable material (for example, leather) on the handle, for a comfortable grip.
5. If you follow the law, the draw force of the bow should not exceed 19 kg (for unlicensed products - 20 kg).
6. Instead of a professional bowstring, you can use polypropylene or fishing cord and other ropes.
7. To make it easier to bend the pipe, you can wrap the heated ends with foil and wrap around a wooden bar, then fix it in a vise and leave to cool.
8. You can't rush. Each wrong action can nullify all previous efforts.

Add-ons

In addition to bows and arrows, you can make many more useful devices from PVC pipes, for example:

• furniture made from water pipes - foldable and lightweight (read also: "");
• stands for placing spinning rods and fishing rods;
• elements for tents and tents.

Nothing can limit the master's fantasy in this matter, the main thing is the availability of the source material, tools for manufacturing and fastening fittings of all kinds. The finished product can be painted or left white.

Plastic pipes are a good material to use in making bows. It does not corrode, does not rot, is easy to process, and becomes plastic when heated. All this can be used to make a homemade collapsible bow.

The material used is ordinary PVC pipes from a hardware store. Such collapsible bow fits completely into a quiver with arrows, and assembles and disassembles in a matter of seconds.

How to make a pvc bow

The basis of the bow are pieces of plumbing PVC pipe, with walls of two millimeters. The smallest thickness of the bow shoulder at the edges in a compressed state is six millimeters. At the same time, unlike purchased bows, this bow is very light, which is not unimportant for a survivalist.

An overview of the construction of a homemade PVC bow

A homemade bow made of plastic pipes consists of three parts. The central part is the hilt, bowstring and shoulders of the bow, reinforced with an internal insert.

For the manufacture, in addition to scraps of PVC pipes, you also need a building hot air gun. It is necessary to thoroughly heat the plastic pipes with a building hair dryer and form them into shape. Do not forget to wear special gloves, as PVC pipes become hot when heated.

Prepare a piece of laminate and a clamp in advance. We cover the heated tube with a laminate and press it with a clamp. In order for the parts to cool more slowly, the laminate must also be preheated. It turned out here is such a blank shoulder for a homemade plastic bow. Similar actions must be done with the second shoulder. The shoulder flexes more where it is narrower, so heat the very tip of the shoulder even more and crimp it through a block of wood.

You can give the desired shape to the toe of the shoulder by cutting off the excess with a grinder or a regular metal file. Then the edges of the cut are processed with a file.

The layers in the shoulder socks need to be glued and connected, riveted with a grommet. To do this, drill a hole in the toe of the shoulder with a drill. The diameter of the hole must match the diameter of the eyelet. As a grommet, we use a six-millimeter piece of copper or brass tube. We insert a tube into the hole and flare the ends. For flaring, you can use caps from self-tapping screws. Now we carry out the same procedure with the second shoulder.

A homemade collapsible bow naturally cannot be without a handle. The heated PVC pipe is easily cut with a knife. We need a rigid shaped handle. The curvature of the shaft is necessary so that the shelf for the arrow is pine in the plane of movement of the bowstring, and when shooting, the shaft does not deflect the arrow. This makes aiming easier and improves shooting accuracy. In this case, the handle must be rigid and not twisted. We heat a piece of the prepared PVC pipe with a building hair dryer. And we drive into the handle, a shape previously carved from wood, according to which the handle is molded.

To make it easier to drive the insert into the middle of the pipe, you can use a dowel and a hammer to expand the inside diameter of the pipe. If during operation the tube has cooled down and lost its plasticity, it must be reheated. And so heat the required number of times. In order to connect the shoulder and the handle, it is necessary to heat the handle, squeeze the bell of its tube with your hands and push it inside the bell of the shoulder. With further joint heating, the shoulder and handle fit perfectly together. And it's even good that initially they were the same diameter.

Making a shelf for an arrow

To make a shelf for an arrow, you will need a piece of pipe and three toothbrushes. First you need to cut a blank in the form of the letter T or G from a pipe cut of at least ten centimeters. The upper part of this letter will be a half-ring of a shelf, into the slot of which an arrow is inserted. A Bottom part, leg - fasteners to the cavity of the handle.

In order to form a slot into which arrows will be inserted in the future, the workpiece must be put on a tube of a larger diameter. And in order to shape the leg of the shelf, you will need to connect the second part to the handle, and smooth the leg with your hands according to its shape. You will have to act with both hands. With one hand, hold the half-ring from displacement and opening, and with the other hand, press the handle to the half-ring, while simultaneously pressing the leg of the handle, giving it the shape of the same handle.

It's about toothbrushes. In order not to damage the bristles when heated, you just need to wrap it with tape. Now, with the help of a turbo lighter, we heat the brush, wait for it to melt, and, resting on flat surface, we bend. We get a semicircle as a result.

Now we need to separate all the excess and one of the three parts with bristles is ready. The bristles are held in the holes with aluminum clips. It remains to connect the finished parts with small screws.

Making a string for a plastic bow

In order to make a bowstring, you need to wind a fishing cord on a large reel, the size of a future bow. Tie the two ends and get one closed ring, folded several times. Then, we make the winding of the bowstring for the loops and for the entire bowstring.

If you still have incomprehensible moments, watch the video Making a bow from a plastic pipe.

Video of making a bow from a plastic pipe

By the way, you should not be afraid that the bow will not work or break in winter, look at the winter tests of the bow, as well as how to apply camouflage to a homemade bow made of PVC pipes.

An overview of the designs of bows made of plastic pipes

I must say - making bows from PVC pipes is a very common hobby! plastic bow with a synthetic or steel bowstring, rain is not terrible, you can shoot in any weather, so the people make all kinds of designs.

Here is the simplest bow from one pipe, the shape of the bow is classic.

In this design, a wooden handle is used, and only the shoulders are made of plastic pipes.

Another couple of simple bows with different shapes.

Here the shape is quite curved, but the limbs of the homemade bow are not flattened.

And here, pieces of wood are inserted into the ends of plastic pipes, on which a bowstring is put on.

If a single pipe seems not enough to you, then to increase the tension force, you can put additional pipes, the edges are interconnected by the same bowstring.

Well, especially strong ones can build themselves a real monster from the same plastic pipes.

As you can see, it all depends on your preferences and desires!

Plastic pipes are the most economical and user-friendly material for making bows.

A PVC pipe bow is not subject to corrosive processes, does not rot, and can be easily made by hand.

Article content

Tools and materials

A homemade bow is easiest to make from ordinary PVC pipes. Such a product can easily be placed in a quiver with arrows, disassembled and assembled in a few seconds.

A bow made of PVC pipes, subject to high-quality and proper manufacture, will look aesthetically pleasing and modern. In order to make a homemade bow with your own hands, you must have available:

• PVC pipe used for feeding cold water, with an outer diameter of 26 mm and a wall thickness of 3 mm;
• Hacksaw, marker, ruler, tape measure;
• Foil used to ensure fire safety;
• Forming board for high-quality clamping of the pipe and its reliable fastening;
• Clamp for fixing the board;
• Locksmith table, on which it will be possible to carry out marking, heating and subsequent processing of the product;
• Wooden bars, with a height equal to the thickness of the pipe;
• File and sandpaper, with which the edges will be processed;
• Protective gloves;
• A strong rope made of polypropylene - a bowstring will be made from it.

In the absence of PVC pipes, you can use a polyethylene analogue, which is sold in 3 m lengths.

So much material is enough to make two. It is important to remember that power and strength directly depend on the thickness of the pipe - it should average 1-1.3 cm.

Stages of work

To begin with, the desired piece of pipe with a length of 1.5 m is cut off. Such a product will be quite convenient for both an adult and a teenager.

It is necessary to measure 5 cm from the middle - there will be a handle here and before continuing production, you need to properly try on it.

In this case, the palm should be completely placed on the marked area. In the event that you have wide palm, the size increases, and marks are also made with a marker.

After that, using a heating device, one half of the pipe is heated exactly to the marked mark.

The heating temperature can vary between 150-160°C. At this stage, it is recommended to use foil to avoid accidental ignition of improvised materials.

The pipe is heated until it acquires the desired degree of plasticity along its entire length and becomes pliable. The heated PVC blank is placed on the table, after which the molding board and clamps must be pressed against it.

Under the place where the future pen will be located, pre-prepared wooden bars are placed.

After the first shoulder of the bow is formed, the second is created in the same way. It is important that both parts are symmetrical to each other.

The handle is also formed by heating, but it must be flattened perpendicular to the already finished shoulders.

The shape of the handle is given after it is wrapped in a dense fabric by squeezing it with your fingers and adjusting it to fit your own palm.

To fasten the bowstring on both sides of the edges of the shoulders, a distance of 8 cm is measured.

Anchor points are marked with the same marker, after which protrusions are made for more convenient fastening strings. To this end:

1. The extreme piece of the product is heated for complete pliability of the form.
2. Bends at an angle of 90°.
3. With the help of a ruler and a marker, the future protrusion is marked, which must be cut out using a hacksaw.
4. The resulting protrusion is carefully processed with sandpaper or a file in order to give the product a finished look.
5. In the same way, protrusions are made on the second shoulder.

How to make a bow from PVC pipes (video)

Making a shelf for an arrow

In order to make a shelf for an arrow, you will need to have a piece of pipe and three ordinary toothbrushes on hand.

A piece of pipe in length should not be less than 10 cm. It will be necessary to cut a blank from it that has the shape of the letter "T" or "G", top part which will serve as a semi-ring of the future shelf - subsequently, an arrow must be inserted into its slot.

To create a slot in which arrows will be placed when using a bow, the workpiece must be put on a pipe with a large diameter.

And to give the desired shape to the leg of the shelf, its lower part should be attached to the handle and smooth the leg with your own hands, giving it the necessary shape.

In this case, with one hand, you need to firmly hold the half ring in order to avoid its accidental displacement or opening. The second hand at the same time presses the handle to the half ring. At the same time, you need to tighten its leg, thereby giving the part the desired shape.

After that, toothbrushes are taken and, so that their bristles are not damaged during the heating process, they are pre-wrapped with tape.

Ultimately, you should get an even homemade semicircle. After that, everything superfluous is removed from the bristles, and the finished parts are connected using small screws.

Creation of a camouflage bow

A bow made of PVC pipes can be not only powerful, but also beautiful. This will require a dense camouflage fabric. After it is impregnated with a layer of epoxy, the bow will become composite, and the force with which the bowstring will be pulled will increase.

To make camouflage, the fabric must be attached to the PVC pipe using spray adhesive.

In order to make a camouflage of the handle and shelves for arrows, it is recommended to impregnate the fabric with any polymer.

Most the best option– gluing the fabric onto the epoxy resin layer. To this end, the entire surface of the shoulder of the product is carefully lubricated with resin, and when it partially hardens, it will create a “scotch effect”.

After applying a layer of glue, all the folds are carefully straightened, and the fabric is laid on a camouflage surface.

At the beginning of the work, the entire fabric is applied to the socket, after which it is impregnated with superglue to enhance the effect. Further, everything is simple - the fabric must be stretched and then smoothed. All this must be done until the glue is completely frozen.

Pasting camouflage starts from the shoulder of the bow, and the process is carried out non-stop. To attach the camouflage to the shaped handle, the easiest way is to use the simple winding method.

To do this, a tape 10-12 cm wide is cut off from the canvas, and then glue is applied to the handle, over which camouflage is wound. Next, narrow strips of fabric are glued to the inner surface of the half ring.