How to Make: PVC+Fiberglass Recurve Bow (Mark I)
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- My first attempt at the art of fiberglass reinforced PVC recurve bow making. Not 100% what I was hoping for, but still very effective once you learn to shoot it. Made of 1", 3/4", and 1/2" PVC pipe, two fiberglass rods, and some paracord.
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I came across your vid by accident and thought I could impart some advice as a traditional bow maker. It's not just about draw weight, bow 'speed' is also a factor. In other words, the elasticity of the material wanting to go from a stretched state to a relaxed state. Different types of wood have different elasticity. I.E. Say I have two bows, one ash and one oak and both are 50lbs. I fire them and get 12" penetration with the ash bow, but the oak bow only gives 6". Even though they are the same draw weight, the elasticity of the ash bow is exponentially higher which translates to a higher arrow velocity. Bow makers perform what's called "backing", which is essentially layering a different material on the back of the bow in order to speed up or slow it down. I.E. sinew speeds it up while linen slows it down.
Your fiberglass core is very elastic, however it is being severely slowed down by your pvc which is strong and flexible, but a much 'slower' material. I'd suggest if you want to speed up your bow, add your material to the outside back of the bow rather than the core. Remember, when drawn, the back stretches while the belly compresses so you want slower material on the belly and faster material on the back.
Hope this info helps you.
that is very interesting. thank you for the info :)
+antagonizerr Fascinating. Comments like this is how everyone learns, thank you for the info.
So if I was going to make my first traditional bow what type of wood would you recommend?
Peyton Ivie
ash, elm or hickory. Avoid things like oak or maple as, they will work, but they are hard to work with and oak is pretty unpredictable. Don't worry about the fancy osage or yew woods. They're just expensive and your chances of wrecking your first bow are pretty high. And don't worry about laminating either. My first 'successful' bow (after about half a dozen breaks) was a solid ash bow that sits at around 55lbs at 28" and can get 8" penetration on archery targets at 100 feet. Still have it and shoot it.
+antagonizerr alright, thanks for the help!
Considering how your builds are advancing one after another, I think a ballista is in order.
I completely agree!!!!
+Grim Gram that would be fucking awesome.
Then he needs to make a tank. Out of nothing but PVC pipes.
They're illegal
+Worldadventure Lehderp daedric bows....i think
5 years later and I’m still waiting for another recurve bow video lmao
he makes swords now
6 years
Still waitin tho lmao
7 years
8 years and same
Well, the instructions and video with fast forward make this one of the best PVC bow DIY videos I have seen so far. Thanks.
thanks for your videos. I love to make homemade projects and this just inspired me to start working on my own bows out of PVC. made my first one yesterday not extremely excited about it but there's more to come for sure.
I wait very impatiently every hour for new videos to come out. Then when they do, I am so excited.
Pretty good man! You made it much more complex than it needed to be but oh well.
Also, and important thing: DONT heat the pipe with the fiberglass rods inside. Heat makes the fiberglass brittle and prone to snapping and causing dangerous situations...
+HomemadeWeaponry BTW I still want to send you a bow... but the last time I sent you one, it was sent back...
Awesome! You're a good speaker too, not annoying to listen to.
Whichever fan made that recurve is pretty fucking talented
I can't offer an informed opinion on the efficiency of the recurve, but I note that it's an arc of a circle, since a baking pan is used as the template. People who know more than I do may want to comment on what kind of arc might be more efficient.
Watch your fucking language.
No clue if this has been said but one thing that would increase a performance is use a string that has no flex in it. Modern nylon bow strings have no give or stretch and para-chord has a good bit of stretch to it and that takes away from the overall power of the bow. But none the less 5.5 inch penetration is nothing to scoff at. Hopefully any info I can give well over a year after the build can help Mark II. Love your stuff man, I am a fellow craft/creator and I really appreciate the methods you use for doing stuff. Hope you read this and it helps!
Love that propane tank behind the target, that's fuccin' genius mate.
thats for special FX if the bow succeeded in a grand way :P
Your dumb, there is NO way an arrow would cause it to explode.
Mike Hunt there's always a way.
Jimmy Cothran not without fire or a complete inaccurate shot
even with an ordinary gun, propane tanks don't explode. According to the Modern Rogue, there is always an external ignition source. (But it still looks really cool, no matter how it's done.
Finaly a good looking PVC-Fiberglass bow.
Recurve Tip:
When you string a recurve bow, the "end of the curve" needs to be parallel with the string, that is, in line with it. If you lay those two bows down and compare, yours is not bent enough, your string is too long.
If its properly strung, that will give you the last bit of power you seem to be missing right now....
I approve if this bow! well done my comrade!! Can't wait for a mark 2!!
Never figured out a mark II? I'd love to see an improved version
The less width of the limbs the faster they go more energy with less power in the draw he might've just went to big on the pvc pipes I cant say fir sure
Not bad. I hope he grows his channel in the next couple of years or something.
wow that subscriber bow is pretty sweet!
I love your honesty. Great job 👏
Actually, my grandma builds one helluva pvc bow.
lol
This is a new proper tecnique, making arrows from pvc👍👍
Dude, I know this is an old video, but I wanted to make a suggestion - and I hope you see it (someday!).
Why don't you mark your arrows with inch ticks using a Sharpie? Then you could just look at the arrow to determine the depth without needing to measure it each time.
Just a thought.
Rockne Oliver that's a good ideas
It's a good idea, unless he wants to use the same arrows for other purposed, appearance is an issue. I would use the suggestion, and reserve arrows for the penetration test. In other words, it's a good suggestion if one has enough arrows.
Eli keep doing what you do
You are great at it
So many people think that they're first...
+Markastrophe
Ikr. I was first.
+ZednoughtAlpha Can you make a BTS for the rest of ur vids?
+ZednoughtAlpha When is the next AlphaMail? I didn't send you any drugs...
+ZednoughtAlpha Are you ever planing to make a crossbow?
Or maybe, I was LeTheFirstPersonToRecieveANotificationFromZedsChannelCauseImOnIpadiOS8.4.1 Proof😭😔😮😮😮😒😳😐😩☺️😴😔
um hey Eli just wanted to tell you that i have made my first pvc bow and arrows all inspired and learned from you i really hope you read this it means a lot to me and keep up the awesome videos.
Nice bows! I love traditional weapons made with modern materials (has that post apocalyptic styling people would have to resort too).
have you perfected your schematic yet, and does the person the made you the original take orders?
Thanks for your videos, they're great!
You made a valiant effort. To me that's very inspiring, your next one I am sure will turn out more to your expectations.
said you'd put the link to Dan's video in the description, well
You have good taste in music, I think I have majority of the music you have in your videos already in my music playlist :D
Hey try adding more string tension. This should improve the bows performance. Just a tip.
Mr. Zednought, sir, I love this, thank you so much for your awesome videos, they're awesome and very inspiring--no matter what the 6 haters that disliked this one say.
if you use a bow with a higher draw waght you have to use a heavier Arrow
Nope, as long as the bow can output its energy properly, such as pushing an arrow to exert its force, then the bow is fine. I'm sure there are recommended weights for certain draw weight bow's, but I think it should be fine. I would be glad to be called out on this as Im not an expert, but I feel like Im not wrong.
not necessarily, with modern arrows, as long as you use an arrow which is rated for the specific poundage of the bow, or slightly above, it should be fine.
fuck's a waght
@@OnehandedAbortionist There is some good theory about what OP said, but it is not a necessity:
One thing is that not every arrow will be good enough to deal with increased force. It might break, or get so much force applied it bends too much. But taking an arrow of another, stronger material, even though at same weight, might work just fine. The result would then be an increased start speed.
So this is where OP is wrong.
But he is right, and you wrong, with regard to another aspect.
The effectiveness of increased start flight speed. So,
The higher the flight speed, the higher the air resistance. This means, that, even though you may desire a greater start speed, it may not be effective.
What you want is enough energy (that is what counts!) ON your target. A heavier object at same speed, will transition more energy on target. So both speed and mass are factors here. (and penetration, etc, but for the sake of this, we limit to these 2).
Now considering you lose more energy with increased flight speed, you may want to keep your flight speed constant and increase mass of the arrow. Increased mass, does not have the negative effect of the air resistance, thus delivering a bigger punch on the target.
+Red Rook already got at this, but I figured I'd go into it a little more. I think I may have an answer for you about the difference in performance. You made an absolutely wonderful bow, you really just made a neat long bow rather than a recurve bow. The curving in the bow's ends doesn't come from shaping, those curves come from the natural tension created when a bow is pulled backwards from it's resting position which would resemble a strung long bow without the string. As I'm sure you know, the power of the bow comes from it's potential energy (PE) due to the tension the bow string forces on the bow at rest. That energy is exacerbated by you pulling the string and then released when loosing. With true recurve, there's significantly more PE because the bow isn't trying to straighten (more or less), it's trying to revert to it's original curve shape. This may lead to the bow being "faster" as others mentioned because it's journey is beyond a 180 degree or 5 and 175 degree rest but more like a 20 and 160 degree rest (if not more). I'm not sure a true recurve is possible with PVC material; I would worry it would be too much stress for such a weak material. However, you may be able to accomplish it! I truly enjoyed watching the video, and congrats on your wonderful weapon!
am i the only one who didnt know aluminum foil had a shiny and dull side
Jack Shifley not at all 😆
I am pretty sure I heard it before and then complelty forgot about it.
Jack Shifley It doesnt have a shiny and a dull side. Maybe if you buy some super expensive yuppie foil then it might but I have never used foil that had 2 different sides to it. Its ALUMINUM FOIL. Does aluminum have 2 different sides to it? Does glass? No...His statement is what you get when upper middle class Mom still stocks the pantry. One day 2 sided foil and thick toilet paper will be a distant memory.
JackstandJohnny Yuppie foil... lol
Jack Shifley I didn't know well kinda but I never saw it till now
My friend I too am a bit of a pvc expirimenter and I just wanted to suggest using dust masks when working with PVC. Your body cant get rid of it so any you inhale just stays there for ever.. meaning 2000 years after you are dead there will still be a little chunk of pvc! :) Hope this idea helps you!..
How hot is the pvc when malleable it is safe to touch for a second or two?
+Knifed34 Yeah definitely.
+Knifed34 It's best to use work gloves so you can mold it by hand, but just poking it you should be fine.
+Knifed34 ive used boiling water to bent pvc so id guess like 150 or a little less < 150
+kyle bacon what kind of water like tap water or oil? why is it able to reach over 100
+MrSatelit28 he was probably talking about Fahrenheit considering were all american here
congrats on getting past two hundred thousand subscribers! You really deserve them. I'm glad you've finally became a professional UA-camr.
you should do a collab with joergsvrave from theslingshotchannel one day.
your vids have a nice adventurous and fun vibe to them. keep it up.
Mark II?
Keep making bow videos! Love them! Awesome channel!
I noticed that the distance between the string and the center of the bow is bigger in the subscriber's bow, than in the one you made. Do you think this affects the power/draw weight?
that's what I was thinking
If they are evenly hard then yes it would
That's a fair point Eli. You should re string your bow so the resting gap is about 7 inches. That's a good brace height to use if you don't feel like doing the math.
***** Thanks!
wow... that was a very great video and i am going to try making this very soon
I think it's because the subscriber bow has a higher draw length, so it doesn't need a higher draw weight for the same ammount of power.
Makes a lot of cents if you look at how far it was from handle to string on sub bow and his bow his is shorter
im sorry but the make a lot of "cents" reply had me laughing so hard
yeah
no idea where you came up with the idea of making bows out of pbs but it is great. think you for sharing these videos.
So, the fiberglass doesn't go through the curve? I think you might not get the benefit of the recurve, then.
+Carson “wolfman” Wolfe That doesn't answer the problem
+Carson “wolfman” Wolfe I don't think there's any precedent of a bow in which the recurve arms are significantly weaker than the core. But I think we're both just guessing here, until someone molds some fiberglass for us. I'm lookin' at you +ZNA productions...
You should still get some added energy from the recurves, regardless of whether or not the material is uniformly strong along the length of the bow. By my thinking, the recurves are not static but working, so they still flex and add tension during draw. It's true that, by virtue of being weaker, they could create a potential point of failure, but if they prove stable during testing, why not proceed, ya know?
Badger0fDeath
It depends on what you mean by "stronger". If, by stronger, you mean draw weight, that's not true. Basically, you're saying "you can't increase a bow's draw weight without increasing its draw weight". You can improve a bow's performance without increasing its draw weight. Certain materials will be more efficient at converting potential energy into kinetic energy, as will certain shapes be inherently more efficient than others...which means that if two bows are made from two different materials but are identical all other aspects, one can send arrows down range faster. Likewise, assume we have two bows made from the same material that are both with the same draw weight, a recurve will be faster. Why? Because the recurves store more energy when put under stress. The nature of the recurves can also contribute mechanical advantage, just like cams, especially when they are forward tilting.
From wikipedia: "A recurve bow stores more energy and delivers energy more efficiently
than the equivalent straight-limbed bow, giving a greater amount of
energy and speed to the arrow"
While you may be correct that the force you put in is in relation to the force taken from the bow the recurve allows a more efficient arrow launch.
As GrimGram stated,we want you to make a ballista after this!!!
the pvc shrinking due to the heat gun - dont factor that in to the rest of the bow. thats just backwards thinking. all you have to do is have the piece be an inch longer than you want on each end, and then after it cools, see where its at, and cut off the excess from each end, so that way you have the 3 inches left on each side.
I loved this, you should make more bow vods
Mark II please!
The advantage your bow has over the subscriber bow is the fiberglass rods. Plain pvc bows can start to lose power over time because they retain the bow shape from being strung and used. the fiberglass should help prevent that from occurring. Good build at any rate.
+ZNAProductions hurry up and make Mark II.
You did pretty good on that bow
In case of zombie apocalypse, expect me to be knocking at your door.
+Joshua Militar That's reassuring.
Man I love to see you and your videos bro.... keep it up buddy
LAST! YES! LOOK AT ME NOW MUM!
+James Bond Not any more!
Not even you!
+Golden Freddy Denied.
Trolololol
):
The best thing I have ever seen was that look of sheer confusion, and Dan's laugh at the confusion.
I know this sounds obvious and douchey... but why don't you just ask the subscriber?
+nubbyboy24 i was wondering the same thing!
I like him that way. It makes him sound less pretentious and douchey.
Question is: who the hell is the subscriber???
He probably wanted to try and figure it out first
Nice video man, I like all of your work
+BackyardBowyer is your man for PVC bow build guides. He even has a few books on it I believe.
Lol pcp
Leo Mizuraki
I've fell victim to autocorrect yet again!
+OceanKing6725 once more too, unless that was sarcastic irony
Austin Moss
Nope, it got me once again...
I shoot wooden handmade bows myself. Something you might try is shortening the length of your string. Something else you could try is putting in 4 pieces of fiberglass markers instead of 2. I would also add a back to the bow. My recurve bow has a bamboo back.
for those who will use PVC glue dont try to smell it or you will drop to the flour , my father use that sh1t , hes a plummer and he used to glue PVC pipes , the first time i smell the can i almost fall to the ground and my nose lose sensitivity for like 2 days , TAKE CARE ...
bro you're like a mad genius Eli this was awesome trying to figure out how your gonna do this
why not just follow a BYB tutorial? he seems to be able to make bows more powerful than those without any fiberglass core.
+skintstudios The fiberglass insert is probably there to ensure that the bow remains stiff no matter how much UV deterioration the PVC undegoes.
exactly. I've made almost every bow BYB has a tutorial for and they're all awesome. plus some of my own. up to 35+ bows, never used fiber glass markers and they're all outstanding.
PVC primer is so satisfying
Why not invite the sender of the bow to instruct you on recurve making?
Very cool ! Keep us updated !
Obi Wan Kanabo?
No, Obi Dan Kanabo
this is so cool. You are talented, at making stuff like this.
that was such a bad test at the end
Your videos are amazing Eli . I never get to make any of these cuz I'm 12 but you are really entertaining . Keep up the good work.
tf? leafyishere?
A recurve bow has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung. By definition, the difference between recurve and other bows is that the string touches a section of the limb when the bow is strung. A recurve bow stores more energy and delivers energy more efficiently than an equivalent straight-limbed bow, giving a greater amount of energy and speed to the arrow. A recurve will permit a shorter bow than the simple straight limb bow for a given arrow energy and this form was often preferred by archers in environments where long weapons could be cumbersome, such as in brush and forest terrain, or while on horseback.
Recurved limbs also put greater strain on the materials used to make the bow, and they may make more noise with the shot. Extreme recurves make the bow unstable when being strung. An unstrung recurve bow can have a confusing shape and many Native American weapons, when separated from their original owners and cultures, were incorrectly strung backwards and destroyed when attempts were made to shoot them.[1]
The unqualified phrase "recurve bow" or just "a recurve" in modern archery circles usually refers to a typical modern recurve bow, as used by archers in the Olympics and many other competitive events. A reflex bow is a bow that has curved or curled arms which turn away from the archer throughout their length.
he looks like leafy except with a reseeding hairline
nope, this person looks much more mature than leafy
For the guy who made the PVC bow and found it did some strange things, here is the reason.
I you look at the recurve you were sent you will notice that the centre of the string is a lot closer to the handle on your bow that the other.
Open your hand to its fullest strech and place your thumb on the grip ( handle) of the bow, the gap between the handle and your little finger should just touch the string at this point and that is the correct distance between string and grip when the bow is strung.
The other thing was that when you strung the long bow , or non recurve bow you should put the bottom of the bow in the curve centre of your left foot if right handed or right if you are left handed.
Now with the firstbtwo fingers of your right hand, put them behind the string loop, pull atbthe grip and push with the right hand, with a well waxed string the loop should slide up until it drops into the string notch that you cut, doing it the way you did it is likely to get you
a broken centre with the other half through you thigh, very painfull.
When you loose a bow string your draw hand should stay just were it was when you let loose the arrow, this will improve your sighting beyond belief,
my grouping is usually all the arrows in contact with each other in the target, that is on a good day without too much wind.
But none the less I was impressed with the end job of making the bow, it looked tidy and had a good draw weight.
who else wants to do this but dont have the fucking materials?
order them
fucking genius
sarcasm
+francois qian i do
+francois qian i need a heat gun
+francois qian and some fiber class
hey mr. Eli you should do a camping special where you go camping and make weapons, ect from just the tools you have on your campsite ^ ^
I noticed near the end of the video that when they two bows were seen side to side, the arms on your bow had a much shallower curve than the one a fan sent you. It's likely that the difference in power, at least in part, is due to this. The easiest fix, as other people have mentioned is a shorter string; that will bring the depth of the curve more towards the fan-made bow. I'm not sure about the idea that making it out of three separate pieces has any bearing, though I could be mistaken; my reasoning is that composite bows are also made from multiple parts buy don't suffer the same decrease in power. Granted, in composite bows the separate pieces of the arms are layered one atop another to increase the draw weight and thus the power of the bow. Still, as long as the three pieces of PVC are securely bonded - which they should be thanks to the PVC cement - it should allow the bow to flex properly.
The comment about the arrows may also have some basis and usually you can get the draw weight checked for a fairly low price, if they charge at all (it depends on the person and how they run their business as to if there's a cost). Either way, I'd say it's worth looking into.
Guys, shooting at the same time means one of the arrows hits first and its easy to see one is hitting a moment before the other and that one is rocking the target, thus the second to strike doesn't get a clean hit.
thats clever bro, well done
Very nice job, looks way cooler than any of the bows I've made so far. I really like the idea of having the limbs made out of the bigger pipe. So far I've only put on bigger pipe as the siya on the tips of my limbs.
I too have had trouble getting a pvc-fiber-glass bow to increase significantly in penetration performance. But if I'm not mistaken, you're using field tips.
For penetration tests you should probably use sharp tips, but of course, don't do anything that'll damage your arrowhead, not worth it.
Great work bro
I thought i subbed already. I've been missing out. Keep it up bro!
"like a little white hot dog". Words to live by gentlemen, words to live by.
Awesome Eli
1 minute ago... Glad I refreshed. Nice video, by the way!
A recurve bow is a bow with limbs that curve away from the archer
when unstrung. A recurve bow stores more energy and delivers energy
more efficiently than the equivalent straight-limbed bow, giving a
greater amount of energy and speed to the arrow
Also light weight limbs(low mass) snaps back faster resulting in more arrow speed. By adding fiberglass rod you made the limbs heavier. Fiberglass rods work better in a no heat round pvc bow as it keeps it from collapsing at the handle
I would say using a para-cord string is the first problem. Para cord does stretch. b-50 Dacron string can be bought at places like bass pro. There are several videos online on how to make it. Even back yard bower has one. Good video
Very nice job my friend, I would use it no doubt about it. Think I'm going to take my time and effort to make a good bow for hunting.
I think that this is how the bow of the customer is one piece so better flexing and therefore has greater speed
The key to a recurve bow is an aggressive deep curve on the recurve part. The goal should be that the bow is pulling on an end perpendicular to the pull all the way through drawing back. The more your recurve faces inward like a straight bow, an exponential amount of energy will be lost for the same draw weight.
you do very good vids,young man bravo!
Lol this song has been stuck in my head all day.
what!? you already have 200k subs? I remember subbing when i saw home-made weapons and that isn't too long ago. Keep it up buddy, good luck on the tubes I r8 8/8 m8
i was so hype for this vid!!!!!!
Hey Eli, I think the reason the arrow is flying funky is because it's either to stiff or to flexible. You may want to try using different kinds of arrows as some of them are meant for higher or lower draw-weights.
The reason that a recurve Bow has more penetration than your longbow is because the "curved" tips of a recurve bow gives it a stronger initial power with a less draw weight whereas if u where to shoot at a longer range the longbow would be better as it has a higher draw weight and the recurve bows arrow would drop very fast over longer ranges. Hope this helps. P.S I might be slightly wrong I'm only 13 XD
If you want to add some flare to your bows you can use "furniture grade" pvc. It comes in various colors.
dude youre a genius!!!
"i don't remember dan standing on the power lines up there" XD I'm dying. I will now subscribe