PVC Conduit Yumi

[nana]

Konichiwa- Hope everyone is doing well! Just wanted to tell you guys about my crazy Baron here that's made a PVC Conduit Yumi Bow for me.

He's been experimenting with a heat gun and heard I was looking for someone to make me a Yumi. He had to have someone make the string for me since it's crazy long, but the total cost of PVC Conduit according to him was about $2.

I think he's got the poundage up to about 30# or so. I get to experiment with it tonight at practice. I intend to cover it in leather or cloth once we get the poundage up to about 35# or more.

;D Please excuse the 5'7" cheesy blonde in mundanes. She's been getting little to no sleep as of late.

Nana

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[Saionji Shonagon]

Interesting idea - do keep us posted on how it works out.

BTW, paint works on PVC just fine, though my sewer-pipe taiko needs a touch up after bouncing around inside my truck.

[Yawata Saburou Tadamori]

This is very intriguing. I would love to hear how it holds up to lots of shooting.

[nana]

;D Alrighty- Back from practice where I got a whole lot of teasing, funny looks, and giggling for the PVC bow. I was expecting it and it was all in good fun.

I definitely need longer arrows, found out the poundage is about 30#, and we are going to cut down the bow about 3 feet or so to get the maximum amount of poundage possible. (keep in mind I normally pull a 45# recurve)

I really need to learn the proper technique to shoot the yumi. The disadvantage I feel with the conduit is that it is heavy and awkward. I'm sure if I had bamboo or fiberglass it would be much easier to keep steady and straight.

I'm thinking of getting some more PVC Conduit and modifying it from a rounded shape to more flat to get more out of the bow and to make it last longer. According to some of my research (I'll pretend to sound smart) it is much stronger when you flatten the PVC. I will continue to update you on my progress.

Attachments:

[Lash]

www.medievalcollectibles.com/p-3881-japanese-yumi-style-bow.aspx
thinking about playing with one of these

[Sō Haruko]

While this is not a *cheap* yumi, it's the least expensive I've found in the US so far.
andoverarchery.com/Products/longbows.htm -- scroll down. Also seems to be actually designed with the proper curves -- the one Lash-dono linked to doesn't seem to have any recurve to it at all. Yumi are recurve bows.

[nana]

I guess I should say I'm not trying to be a tightwad- this is just for experimental purposes. I'm just the only one in my area that's nuts enough to try it. Saving well over $400 doesn't hurt either- especially when you don't have $400 to spend on a bow. Thankyou Haruko-dono for the link to that Yumi. It looks beautiful. I'll definitely look into getting that once I have the funds.

[Lash]

i know it doesnt technically look like a yumi but im not going to take a real yumi into combat so is a good substitute.
target archery on the other hand i use a 59lb howat coranado recurve that i have hunted with for years .
i will be buying a real yumi for target when i can find a proper kyudo dojo and after i have been given permision.
im kind of wierd that way lol its also why i dont caryy live steel as part of my kit . when my semsei allows me to use live steel i will wear a katana. but now i wear a wax wood bokken . i get strange looks but i dont mind.

[Yawata Saburou Tadamori]

Apr 13, 2012 0:28:28 GMT -5 Lash said:

www.medievalcollectibles.com/p-3881-japanese-yumi-style-bow.aspx
thinking about playing with one of these

I bought one of those a couple years ago, not from that particular site, but it looked like that. It shattered after 50 shots.

The bow is effectively a self-longbow that they moved the hand hold down on. So the force of your shot is not evenly distributed across the bow in the slightest.

[Kano Hiroyoshi]

I think it's neat idea. Years ago, my father made a yumi out of a thin piece of rattan, though it only had a draw weight of about 25 lbs. I was thinking of trying something similar.

Once I learn correct technique and can afford it, I planned to buy a fiberglass bow here:
sambu-kyugu.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_6_19
It's a Japanese company, but they have a few bows that ship from the US so postage won't be as high. The prices are listed in yen, and with the current exchange rate most bows are in the $400-$600 range. Not cheap, but also not cost-prohibitive.

[nana]

Pictures to follow but about 3 feet were cut off the Yumi this last week (now sits at about ear lobe level on me) and the ends were tapered to make it easier to string. Accuracy and poundage strength has been improved greatly, but the arrows spiral wildly when shot. Freaks out the other archers when I'm on the line. Takemori- dono was kind enough to lend me his gigantic arrows and they work great with it. They are the longest arrows they make locally so I think they will work out fine for me until I get a real Yumi.

I need to cut grooves into the conduit to keep the string from wearing out and to help the pull be smoother.

Also- for your interest there are some videos of a gentleman in Hawaii that makes his own bows out of PVC. I've been in contact with him over the past month or two. He's just posted videos this week on making a Hankyu Yumi. He even has his own book on making PVC bows that I'm hoping to pick up sometime in the future. I'll probably make one by myself in the coming weeks.

Part 1/3
www.youtube.com/watch?v=snGaJJCu6Bo&feature=relmfu

Part 2/3
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2l7zMENfmw

Part3/3
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve3S5m-s0xs&feature=relmfu

Enjoy!

Nana

[roninpenguin]

I'm watching this with great interest. I think a PVC Yumi would be awesome for Combat Archery.

[Sō Haruko]

Hmm, I may have to check this out. There's no way in heck I'm using a real yumi without instruction (similar to Lash-dono, I think it would be disrespectful), but PVC for combat archery could be fun. (:

... 'course, I still need *armor* for that too ...

Edit: Oooh, dang, that's nice, and light enough for me to use even with my shoulder injury. I may have to do this sooner rather than later. Thanks for posting this!

[nana]

Exactly- supposed to be fun and interesting. I have this problem where I like to figure out how to make something or do something because I am that stubborn! No disrespect intended or meant at all.