PVC Innovation Features

MacGyver Would Be Proud: DIY Canoe from PVC Pipe, Duct Tape and Plastic

What would MacGyver do if he was stranded on a trash dump in the middle of the ocean? If he had the right supplies, chances are he'd come up with something very similar to this PVC and duct tape boat. C'mon, we all know MacGyver always has duct tape on him!

News: How to Make a Turkish-Style War Bow from PVC Pipe

This is a build-along for making a flattened PVC pipe bow. This style of bow made with PVC is more durable than the non-flattened kind, and looks more authentic. This bow, when finished, drew about 80# at 28".

News: PVC Pipe Bike Rack

Simple, yet snappy. This is another Rolph design put together by yours truly. Everyone needs a Rolph in their life.

How To: Make a Self-Watering Greenhouse

I've been hell-bent on complete self sufficiency for a long time now. There was a point where I was living in a self-sustaining community in the mountains in Colorado, and we had a very large greenhouse there. Dragging the hose around to water plants was a real pain, and that stuck in the back of my mind even after I left the place. It would have been much easier to integrate watering into the frame at construction time than doing that hose dance every day.

How To: Make a DIY PVC Spindle that Turns Newspaper Into Yarn

I have to admit that I am an environmentalist wacko. That may sound strange, considering my life is tied up in PVC, which is considered one of the most poisonous materials on earth... but it's true. I love this planet, and I want it to be inhabitable for as long as the sun is in this phase of its life.

News: PVC Pipe Easel - Self Explanatory

There's no how-to here, but I think anyone can figure this out. Great idea. I will probably make one for myself.

News: Do-It-Yourself Foam Dart Guns - Really Nice

This guy is serious about home made dart guns. He's got some cool ones on here.

Build Outdoor Monster Props: Tutorial

It's a little late for Halloween, but I'm thinking about making a creepy lawn ornament for the Holidays. Nothing says Christmas cheer like something a little weird.

News: Build Your Own Van De Graaff Generator

I know, I know, I've already posted one of these. Sorry, but this one's cooler than the last, so I had to put it up. This also has a great in-depth tutorial that shows exactly what to do and why you do it. There are photos for every step of the process, so you can actually make this one without too much head scratching.

News: Monster Tubulum How-To - From Start to Finish

This video shows how the maker of that Monster Tubulum actually put it together. Between this, the FAQ on his blog, and a whole lot of intelligence, you'll have all the information and insight you need to put together your own super awesome PVC instruments.

News: The Cryptex - Combination Safe Made from PVC Pipe

This guy has figured out a really cool way to make a personal combination safe from PVC pipe. This is the ultimate stash box, and it can be scaled up or down to a variety of sizes.

News: Helical Stand

This one's freakin' snappy. I'll post a how-to for at least one of these once I have the time.

News: PVC Misting Tunnel based on a Self-Watering Greenhouse

This misting tunnel was at the World Maker Faire in NYC this September. It is based on a design for a greenhouse that has watering integrated into the frame. We used a tool called a PVC Bendit to make the bends.

News: PVC Pipe Camp Chairs For Kids

These are cool!

News: The Toot-O-Phone - PVC Pocket Sax

This is the bastard love child of a clarinet and a saxophone. And it shows you how to make them.

News: I Hope This Doesn't Catch On...

A DIY car laptop mount that uses the cup holder... You think texting and driving is bad, wait until it's true multitasking and driving. Ouch.

News: PVC Skein Winder

This goes through to a how-to on how to make a skein winder. For the uninitiated, a skein is the default unit of thread, and it's that windy log that yarn comes in as well. With this snappy tool, you can wind your own skeins as well. If you combine that with the newspaper into yarn concept, you can make your own yarn and wind your own skeins when you're done.

News: Baby Chicken Play Pen!

With some PVC Pipe and little mesh, you too can have backyard chickens!

News: Organic Structures, PVC and Powder Printing, and Architecture

I've had a few short chances to see 3d printing in action, namely at the World Maker Faire in New York this year, and I have to say, the technology is very interesting.

The Tabletop Demonstrator: A PVC Filmmaking Contraption

This video shows how to make a camera setup for filming what you're doing on a table. It's a great video even if you don't intend to make one, but if you're trying to teach someone how to do something, this is an awesome setup. Either way, it's entertaining to watch. The creator, Paco Warabi, says:

News: PVC Pipe Wine Bottle Holder

News: DIY Rock Ledge for Shark Tank

This guy shows how he made a hidey hole for his sharks in a 300 gallon aquarium. Very cool.

News: Bird Art for the Garden

Today, I'm on an art kick, and sadly (happily) I'm finding things that are cooler than the things I make. I love seeing waste turned into art!

News: PVC Pipe Trellis for Gourds

This is a vine trellis made using bent PVC Pipe.

News: Tom Price's PVC Cherry Blossom Forrest

Tom Price used nothing more than PVC pipes, nylon cable ties, and a large hot plate to melt together the blossoms.

News: Triple Helix Table

Here's a nice example of some snappy furniture that I've made with PVC.

News: Thrifty and Chic - PVC Pipe Mirror Frames

This is very similar to the PVC picture frame, but it's interesting enough to post it as well. I like circley [sic] patterns, and this little idea fits into that beautifully. This one also contains a better how-to than the picture frame article, so if you liked that concept but found her instructions a little hard to follow, this one is right up your alley.

News: Captive Tinkerer vs. PVC Pipes

These guys always make cool things, and when you give them a stack of PVC pipe, it is no exception. There's a rough how-to here that shows concepts without walking you through the actual projects they made. Very cool stuff.

News: Make a Robot Witch Stirring a Hanging Cauldron

Halloween is getting close. I'll try not to be too gratuitous with this, but I love it. This article shows how to set up an animated framework that you can drape with your own costume to make a unique lawn ornament.

News: Dinosaur From PVC

This was designed and built by B. Rolph Kruse. He was the designer for all four of these projects, I just built the first three.

News: Animusic Pipe Dream

This is amazing. The machine may not exist now, but someone needs to do this.

News: Super Powered Water Blaster

I really like home made squirt guns, and some of these people go completely nuts in their designs. Here's another.

News: Great Discussion on Finishing PVC

This forum has a discussion about painting PVC that has some opinions from very accomplished people, including Volpin Props. They go over primers, adhesion promoters, sanding and more, and if you see these people's work, they are the go-to guys for informed ideas on this subject.

News: Billboard Earthbag Project

This project is intended to reuse PVC that makes up the images on billboards and make them into houses for disaster and poverty stricken people. While the images are definitely cg mockups, the concept is awesome. I've personally been working on disaster relief shelters, but my concepts all involve using fresh PVC pipe. These guys have taken it a step further by taking vinyl sign material that is headed for landfills and recycling it into homes.

News: Six-Foot Coat Rack

HA HA HA! Get it? Six feet! And six feet! HA HA HA HA HA!

News: Theo Jansen Again...

I know, I know, you've probably seen entries about Theo Jansen's Strandbeests here before, but this goes straight to his url and has the smoothest video I've seen of them yet.

News: Robotic Unmanned Submarine

This is what happens when grad students start playing with PVC pipe. This stuff is really cool for prototype robotics applications. This article is a how-we-did-it as opposed to a how-to, but if you've got all of the crazy instrumentation and software that they do, you can start to play on levels that a lot of us (myself included) can't even imagine.