For this project I followed an instructable by handful of dust for making a recurve bow out of a pvc pipe.
This is the pipe I used. It's been sitting around for over a year not doing anything. I later learned that it's actually pv conduit, not pvc plumbing pipe like the instructions suggest but it seems to work fine.
I cut the pipe to 5 ft and measured out markings each ft and at the center with 3 in to each side.
Then I heated the ends on the stove. Probably this gives off toxic gas but I'm outdoors already so everything is well ventilated. I'm not sure if I got way more scorchmarks because it's conduit or because I'm using a propane stove instead of a heat gun.
Squashing the ends to make the siyahs.
Squashed end to make a siyah. Each end was flattened twice, the second final flattening perpendicular to the first.
Both ends flattened.
Markings to cut the siyahs.
Using the pull saw with a custom handle to cut the siyahs.
I sanded the edges and heated the edges to close them up.
Some bend in the bow. I adjusted the bow again to bring back the ends on the second day and it became much easier to draw the string back.
Target built from a really thick crappy piece of free wood from town nailed to a pallet with a spray-painted bullseye.
Using this driveway which isn't in use right now as an archery range.
I got some bruises from the kickback on the street from the first volley of arrows I fired so I made this arm guard out of a left glove, a seatbelt, and some bicycle inner tube. Later I built an arrow rest so the glove part shouldn't be necessary anymore.
Target with some arrows in it. They don't always stick in this wood, sometimes they bounce. I'm also out of practice since I stopped shooting arrows after I pulled a chest muscle from shooting arrows too much last year with my 2 previous diy bows.
I painted the bow red.
And I added an arrow rest and some loops of wire as a bow quiver. Both are attached with bicycle inner tube that I can remove or adjust.
