How To Make a 40 Pound PVC Horse Bow
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2020
- Get started making bows with a cheap and quick to make PVC bow. Here’s what you need:
A heat source. I’ll be using a 1500W heat gun, but you can make do with a kitchen stovetop, or an open fire if you’re very careful.
Some scrap boards at least 30” long, and a few wood screws, to make a flattening jig.
Thick gloves
A saw
A chainsaw file or needle file,
Optional but handy: A rasp and a scraper.
Schedule 40 PVC pipe in 3/4” diameter. I used a 48” piece for a 43 pound bow. If you want a lower draw weight, make the bow longer. For higher draw weights, use thicker PVC.
Also optional are spray-paint and any other finishes you’ll be putting on the bow. Before you finish your bow decide whether function and practicality are more important than how the bow looks. If you need to adjust your bow in the future, the finish may get in the way.
To learn more about making PVC bows check out the awesome RUclips channel Backyard Bowyer where I picked up many of these methods / backyardbowyer
Let’s get started.
1. Cut the bow to length. I started with a 48” piece. Try different lengths to decide what’s best for you.
2. Mark the center, and 2” on either side, for a 4” handle area. Then mark 6” from the tips to indicate the length of the stiff siyahs.
3. Make a flattening jig. There are better ways, but an easy one is to drive screws into the end of a board until they’re at the desired height. This setup isn’t as durable but its much easier than making a proper flattening jig.
4. Optional. Make a heating trough with aluminum foil and cardboard. I used a half-pipe of cardboard and wrapped it in foil. This isn’t necessary but really reduces heating times.
5. Heat the first limb, from one handle-mark to the tips. Make sure to keep the heat gun moving at all times. After a few minutes the limb will start deforming.
6. Press the pipe in the flattening jig once it’s soft. I like to remove the pipe before it’s fully cool to make adjustments. Make sure both tips line up through the handle at all stages of the build. I like to clip the bow down before pressing in the clamp to prevent it from rolling around.
7. Repeat the flattening process for the other limb and again ensure that the tips are aligned.
8. Heat the tip beyond the 6” mark until the pipe reverts to its round shape and is fully plasticized. Then press it flat perpendicular to the limbs. Repeat with the other limb. I used a vise to flatten the tips but you can do this by hand.
9. Draw a taper into the tips, from full-thickness down to .5” then follow the line with a saw. I used a coping saw but you don’t need one.
10. I used a rasp and scraper to clean up the saw marks. This isn’t strictly necessary but makes it easier to finish the bow.
11. Heat up the tips carefully then mold the gap created by sawing until it closes. At this point you can reflex the tips by about 3-4”.
12. Next heat the handle, and flatten it, either with a vise or by hand. Flatten the handle in the same orientation as the tips-perpendicular to the limbs.
13. I opted to heat and slightly deflex the limbs for stability and longevity, at the cost of a little arrow speed.
14. Once everything is cool you can cut your nocks and string the bow. I used paracord for this one because that’s what many of you will have. Since paracord will stretch as you shoot, I prefer to use an adjustable timber hitch/bowyers knot. For the upper loop I tied a simple overhand knot. If you don’t know how to set up a bowstring, here’s a guide on tying a bowyers knot • How to tie a `Bowyers ... .
15. If everything is aligned well at brace and when you draw the bow, you can go ahead and shoot it. Chances are you’ll have to make some corrections. When you do this, just heat the pipe enough to make your correction, never enough that it goes back to its original round shape.
16. Repeat until everything aligns well and you’re happy with how the bow bends. If you’d like to finish your bow you can do that at this point. I showed you a quick spray paint and electrical tape finish at the beginning of the video. The truth is that I don’t advise finishing your bow, that way you can make corrections if you need to.
17. Do you have a favorite historical, video game, movie, or superhero bow you’d like to see me make? Let me know in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe if you found this helpful or want to see more regular bow making and archery content.
Go make a bow!
-Dan
ROCKY TOP by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
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CHASIN' IT by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
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Хобби
I love the videography! Both the composition and narration is spot on. Love your workshop! The bow came out amazing! Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks Nic, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your videos and the fact that you’ve shared what you know, I really appreciate it and I’m a big fan. I think you’ve made an awesome mark in archery history and i’m very glad to be able to share my spin on it. I’m also psyched to see you’re back on youtube, your last video was one of my favorites.
On reddit’s r/bowyer we’ve been talking about wanting to invite you for an AMA and I said I’d try sometime. It’s a longshot and I’m awful for asking like this, but if you’d like to do one we’d be thrilled to have you any time.I think you also know Aaron Webster from Glass Buttes who also helps run these and did the latest one. We’ve also had Sam Harper, Jawge, and Weylin so far.
Anyway, forget the last part. Mainly just thanks for what you’ve done for archery and bowyery, and for the kind words.
-Dan
Dan, thank you for the kind words. Your work is amazing, I’m excited to see what you come up with! It’s good to be back doing what I love. I would love to do an AMA, thank you for letting me know there’s interest! I’m in good company, those guys rock! Aaron is rad, got to hang out with him at Echoes in Time the last two years. 😁
Fantastic! That’s so great to hear. Everyone will love it. Are you already on reddit? Usually these last a few hours but that can be as little or long as you’re up for on the spot.
I appreciate it massively Nic! This will be so helpful for our community
I have an account but have not used it yet. u/backyardbowyer
Awesome! If you’re on reddit you should post some pictures on r/bowyer
Dan and nick you guys are both great, I’m so excited about building wood and pvc bows . What a great adventure . Cheers
Here’s the AMA I did with Nick a while back. www.reddit.com/r/Bowyer/comments/iagiqq/hey_fellow_backyard_bowyers_nick_here_ask_me/?
If you ever need any help with your bows post on r/bowyer and I’ll drop in
I am glad I found your channel.
You should try a modoc style bow
The modoc bows in the bowyers bibles are some of my favorites! Great suggestion. So far you’re in the lead :)
PVC bows got me into bow making (thanks BackyardBowyer). They were shooting fine, but after some time they would explode on me, maybe it was issue with material or wrong shape. But then i started experimenting with solid fiberglass bows, i bought fiberglass cloth, fiberglass roving and epoxy resin, i made simple mould from wide steel bar, and two narrow steel bars on the sides to determine thickness of the laminate. Then I would start laminating first with unidirectional fiber along the mould to give the bow very high stiffness (because the material on top of belly and back contributes the most to draw weight, since draw weight depends on cube of thickness and unidirectional laminate has much higher modulus of elasticity in that direction when compared to cloth), then i would continue with fiberglass cloth for the middle of cross section to also give the bow some stability in the other direction and then again last layer would be unidirectional roving. Everything needs to be properly wetted with epoxy resin, once the mould is overfilled with material, i would close the mould with another wide flat bar, and then would clamp everything together with clamps alogside whole length of mould. This will pressure all the material into the mould, excess epoxy will get pushed out and after curing you will be left with very high quality bar of fiberglass composite, then it is just a matter of cutting the limb profile, gluing the handle and siyahs if you want and you are basically done. Since fiberglass has much more uniform mechanical properties than wood, there is no need for tillering, you do only width taper. Only thing I recommend is to use program like VirtualBow, or Excel sheet SuperTiller to design how to taper width of the bow to get the same stress along whole limb. Of course bow like this doesn´t have the same character as wooden bow, but it is something different, and bows like this are basically indestructible. You can also use wooden core and just laminate belly and back to it in the mould. If you want to try something different, highly recommended.
If you want to improve the draw weight go get a fiberglass tension bar (they are flat and are used at the terminal ends of chain link fences) it fits perfectly into a flattened 3/4"pvc pipe. You can still shape the handles too. Just cut it short enough that it wont interfere with the recurve ends (I used a 48" tension bar inside a 54" pipe).
Thanks, I have seen this solution but I’m not fond of it because you can’t tiller the bar. In other words it isn’t tapered and so has a lot of dead weight and only bends in the middle. I’d rather just make the bow a different draw weight by using a different taper, shorter pipe, or thicker pipe
Could you taper the bar before you insert it into the pipe?
@fornman Yeah but the middle of the limb is still the worst place to be adding material to the limb. It wouldn’t be an efficient way to make a higher poundage bow-you can just make a higher poundage bow if you want one. The core should be stable and light
Wow didn’t expect the voice to sound like straight out of red dead redemption.
There there. You’re alright, boy
You earned a sub.
Thanks Andre, one of my upcoming vids will be a 55# pvc buildalong
About ten years ago I made a PVC bow from 1" schedule 40 and three or four fiberglass rods from those road side reflectors for driveways that they sell in big box DIY stores. Tillering was accomplished by cutting the rods to descending lengths, then centering them on the handle. The thing pulled 65lbs and flat rips arrows out lol. Fun build. A horse bow sounds like much more fun though...maybe I'll take the old one apart and use some of the rods to get a 60lb PVC horsebow!
Awesome! I think there are better ways to increase the draw weight using the design. Putting working material in the middle of the limb is the least mass efficient place to put it. Save the driveway rods for something else and just use a shorter piece of pipe, or thicker pipe
Really cool. I would love to see you build this exact bow but with a heavier draw weight. This would really come in handy as a survival short bow. Great video & just subbed!!!
Thanks! have you seen this one? ruclips.net/video/NdyJB0O3fSQ/видео.html
@@DanSantanaBows Thank you for the link & just finished watching this video…👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Mirkwood Bow!
Some thoughts on this kind of a build.
Grey looking PVC for outdoors is and more ultraviolet resistant then white PVC, so is black ABS. Don't know if it is as good for a bow though.
If you used dip on the bow for decorating ideas, it comes in many colors and adds UV protection. If you add polyurethane to the dip it's extremely strong finish. There are videos of people doing this to cars with dip. It does come off with a heat gun or just peels off when you want.
Heat process and time could be reduced by a metal or cardboard tube ( with holes in it) inserted inside the PVC pipe. Then a lower heat temperature or hair dryer would better control heating it maybe.
I would like to see you make out of plastic tube, the double bow that joerg made to attach his SIL ( and use it with your SIL build) to harvest energy on the push stroke and use on the draw stroke.
This would mean a weaker Bowman could use a strong bow more accurately, safely.
The advantage of this plastic tube builds is cost for performance. 1. Buying bows for a whole family is a hug investment beyond the budget for some.
2. A father teaching his family to build things is a family bonding experience. Teaching the family how to work with their hands, and Powers them to realize, they can achieve anything if they put their mind to it.
Wonderful channel, great teaching. Thank you for sharing your skills.
Thanks for the ideas and kind words, Rey. Am especially interested in trying out the dip for decoration
U should make a Turkish bow and ring
I love turkish bows that would be a great project
@@DanSantanaBows bro it is the fastest bow in the world
Just found your channel and I've been soaking up your videos. Thanks for the great contents.
Thanks Matt glad to hear it!
I needs this for survival.
Wellll, that was a surprise! ;-)
Great way to get folks into the craft. I watched some PVC bow videos before I ever started making bows and it really wetted my appetite for bowmaking
Wow for a second I thought I was watching BackyardBowyer. Even the voice quality is the same.
Thanks Mr. Archer, Ive been watching his videos since before I ever made a bow. Nic’s an awesome guy and has done so much to advance the craft.
I wish to own one of these crafts 🤩🤩🤩
I don’t make PVC bows for sale but will be putting up a website soon with all my work. If you’d like a custom self bow let me know
@@DanSantanaBows hope it turn out to be affordable
I don’t specialize in economical bows but once in a while do make something budget friendly
I'm thinking of trying pvc with a fiberglass core and fiberglass exhaust wrap facing* and I'd love to see you make one first so I don't mess it up!
Would love to see a Turkic/Hunnic/Mongolic bow
👍🏻
Keep up the good work!! Adapting to materials easy to obtain is a great idea
Great vid as always man!! Hey have u ever tried schedual 80 PVC? It's alot thicker than the 40.. was wondering if that would make heavier DW without using thicker pipe.. I think I'm going to give the PVC a whirl too.. looks like would be fun with the kiddos so I'm prob going to go sch 40 was just curious if 80 was ever tried
For sure, it’ll definitely give you a beefier bow. Backyard bowyer has some great schedule 80 builds
Would you recommend incorporating fiberglass rods for increased power/stability? I've seen some longbow builds utilizing a PVC Pipe and fiberglass road markers. Great Video!
No, I think adding energy storing material into the neutral plane is the worst place to put it. This is a very mass-inefficient way to build and it’s better to just design and tiller the bow to the specs you want from the start
Katniss used a Martin Savannah in one of the movies
I’d be making a PVC lookalike definitely not a faithful reproduction. PVC is a fun detour from wood bows but i’m not well equipped for carbon or glass bows
@@DanSantanaBows oh I meant do it with the same/similar shape. You'll be able to find more pictures/dimensions of a production bow than a movie how. It's a reflex deflex 62" longbow
F2GD FPV ah ok. I’m familiar with the bow, would be really fun to make it. Appreciate the suggestion
Have you tried heating up your PVC pipes with sand? If not, this is the RUclips title for the best tutorial I have found on it:
Easy PVC pipe bending (how to/diy)
Yeah I’ve seen that one. The Backyard Bowyer also has a heating oven design so you don’t have to keep holding the heat gun
@@DanSantanaBows
Clayton Darwin has a heatgun box show in:
Best way to bend PVC+making a kids bow Part 1
Nice video!
How about making a pvc bow in the Korean traditional style?
I practice Korean martial arts and have been wanting to do traditional Korean archery. Thanx!
Thanks for the suggestion. For the next one I already made Link’s bow, but I’d love to make a korean bow in the future. I’ll add it to the list of PVC bows to make. Cheers!
How do u paint them
Robin Hood!!
leviathan’s breath from destiny 2
I just tried to make this. i made mine slightly longer to bring the weight down, but i cant even string it! Only thing i can think is it isnt flat enough? its a straight taper to the end, but that leaves it fairly round before the siyah starts.
I think you hit the nail on the head-you just need to taper the limbs more
Can you please do the bow from the hunger games. Either the district 12 longbow or the mockingjay bow I’ve been trying to find a video to go off of to make one, if you can that would be really helpful. Thanks
I already made links bow for that video. One of those bows is the Hoyt Buffalo and the other is the Martin Savannah. You could make either in PVC but you could also make a much better reproduction from any basic commercial fiberglass bow kit such as the ones from bingham projects. Those will come with detailed instructions.
Make me one ;)
I make self bows for sale and will be setting up a website soon. Contact me at dansantanabows@gmail.com for custom builds
Hawkeye's hoyt game master II recurve bow
Thanks for the comment Joseph. This video was a while ago and I ended up making Link’s bow but I’ll definitely be considering this for the future.
Question: What would the cost be to you make a left-hand version for someone.
Exactly the same. From what I can tell, this bow is ambidextrous.
This got me to thinking (my most dangerous pastime). _What If_ you made a jig the length of the bow, with a channel routed into the bottom to get more of the cross section of the English longbow?
I wonder how it would shoot? 🤔
It believe it would concentrate the stress on the ridge of the belly, same as with wooden bows. A flat belly would perform better with pvc, because the belly is the weak link and not the back
By the way I’m almost done editing my next pvc bow tutorial it should come out soon
Please build Connor's bow from assassins creed 3.
Connors bow is basically a stacked shortbow with some impractical curves and a weird tiller. After streamlining it for function it’s pretty similar to the juniper shortbow I made in a recent video
A bow from Horizon series? Aloy the main char has like 3-4 different types :D
I almost made a video on this but the bows are too ridiculous- mostly gimmick designs that only make sense on screen. A few of them are conventional designs with some random scrapyard junk fastened on for no apparent reason. I couldn’t bring myself to make a bow and then make it worse. The few designs that are plausible are still gimmicky, so all in all I think this game is better for a cosplay tutorial and not really a bow making tutorial
Mongolian style bow
Pvc wood sias survival takedown bow and arrows
PVC Mongolian bow plz
Already made Links bow for that video but would love to make a mongolian bow in the future
Guess I'll have to be your 200th sub!
Keep the good work going!
Thanks Miguel, appreciate it.
Hey dan i enjoyed ur video alot i know this is a far request but would u everr sell any bows id like to get 2 for me an my oldest son i had to sell most of my tools after my accident but id love to find a good set that had the take down power an the pvc would be great in the florida weather. I hope this doesnt aggrivate u im sure u have been asked this before im sorry if it did. Anyways thanks again for the video keep grinding brother the world needs more REAL MEN an even if u dont sell the bows thank u for the idea maybe ill get around to making us a set the more i heal lol or maybe let my son do it. Thanks again
I don’t sell PVC bows since it’s very hard to get my time back. If you don’t mind modern materials you could get an entry level fiberglass bow that would be much better for less money. If you do want a PVC bow there are many suppliers on ebay that have them very cheap
Is this the fat one or thin pipe
3/4” schedule 40 pvc
¿Cuánto mide la tubería de pvc?
Es el mas comun aqui. 3/4” Schedule 40
@@DanSantanaBowssi pero ya tengo el tubo PVC cedula 40 de 3/4 pero, digo de largo ? por que lo corte de 1.40 cd de largo y no se que, tan largo es ?
@@eternoakashadecimus6818 48”
Pvc recurve bow please.
See my other tutorials
Mongolian horse bow
Awesome, I’ve made two pvc bows by following the backyard bowyer. But my concern is releasing toxic fumes when heating the material. My suggestion is a plains style horse bow. Or snipers bow from The video game tf2.
If it even smells like plastic the PVC is probably too hot. If you heat gently and keep everything moving you’ll minimize any possible fumes, but I haven’t noticed any unless I scorch the pipe.
great suggestions. vote here for the plains horse bow
and here for the sniper bow from tf2
Please do Katniss’ bow!!!
Easily one of my top choices. I’ll definitely be making making more of these suggestions in the future
Make Katniss's bow for the next one! #girlpower
I ended up making Links bow for that project but I’ll cover this at some point. Great suggestion
No horses were injured during the production of this video.
Arrow
MiC TRANZITZ Thanks for the suggestion I definitely want to try making a lever bow in pvc.
Can I pay you to make me a bow?
Definitely, I’d be glad to. I’ll be setting up a website soon but for now you can contact me at dansantanabows@gmail.com
Make Link's bow from Ocarina of Time!
Awesome suggestion, I’d love to do this one.
Make sure to have good ventilation! PVC is toxic!
Good advice. I keep a big door open to the outside and a big fan exhausting the air. If the pvc starts smelling noticeably that’s a good sign you’re heating too aggressively or unevenly. If properly heating there’s little smell
In China, there is a family of archery called ”JuYuanHao”（聚元号）
Is that the name of the bowyer? From a basic search it seems like he makes a beautiful bow
@@DanSantanaBows They are an ancient bow-making family
朱晓宇 I’ll have to look into them more. thanks for the tip!
That doesn't look like 40lbs
What does 40 pounds look like 😂
I measured it on the tiller tree. It’s a little over 40# at 28”