Cover Image: The PVC Pipe Book

The PVC Pipe Book

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Member Reviews

Where I live, and in most of the countries where I work, PVC pipe is bright blue. All of the coldwater grades (3 where I live) are blue. Its so often blue that "PVC blue" is a real color name. Hot water pipes are orange. I was surprised to read that PVC in the USA is usually white and that different grades of cold water pipe are different colors. Odd, but not particularly important.

The pipe projects in this book are ok, but let's face it, PVC is kinda funky and certainly will not fit in well with a formal décor. But for kids' rooms and other informal uses it's fun. Mr. Peterson gives careful instructions on how to choose and prepare pipe, how to cut and finish.

Most of the projects seem useful but I have reservations about a few of them. The chicken feeder, for example. It's important for chickens to have fresh food all the time. With this feeder, the hens can't peck to the bottom of the pipe. The new feed should not be dumped on top of the old feed because the old feed will spoil. Good chicken management requires that the old feed at the bottom of the tube be dumped out every few days, wasting time and feed.

There are only a few of these projects that I might enjoy looking at, but your taste is different from mine. Take a look inside and see what you think.

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Excellent directions and pictures of projects..
I love the greenhouse.. Another possible project is the storage bin rack, book shelves and birdhouse.

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This book has a lot of genius tutorials for making a bunch of useful items using PVC. The instructions are very thorough, and although I have never really built anything, I feel like I could make the projects in this book. I received an arc copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

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This has many great projects. My rating 4.5.

This book is direct and easy to follow. Peterson opens with an interesting history of the material polyvinyl chloride. The introduction identifies fittings, types, sizes and grades. It then proceeds to a PVC toolbox indicating items that are needed or useful for projects, including zip ties and glue cement. There are explanations for working with the pipes including some homemade techniques.

There are practical projects and fun projects. Some of the projects particularly caught my interest as there were chicken feeders and waterers. The difficulty ranges from easy to medium to hard. The projects are introduced by a description of reason, purpose and summary. Then there is a detailed list of needed tools, materials and cuts that are needed. Next there are step by step instructions with many illustrations. A couple projects offer quick variations to expand the numbers of results available.

We have some unused PVC pipes and elbows in our yard and garage. I wish my Hubby was able to work on these projects; maybe my son or s-i-l could. If I had a bit more time, I might even try some of these! I certainly recommend this to those interested in D-I-Y projects. Take a look at the table of contents and you can see there are projects that can attract almost anyone.

Source: 2019 NetGalley.

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The PVC Pipe Book by Chris Peterson includes over 50 projects made with PVC pipe. Many of the projects are quite clever. I know my dog would love the pet wash. Several of the items are not very cost effective and also take more time than I want to invest in something made from PVC. Some exceptions are the safety gate as it would be easy to adjust the size and the photographer's helper. The just for fun section has projects that would be great to make along with children. I found the book to be inspiring, and it made me think of PVC projects in a new light.

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After reviewing this book, I want to make everything in it! Organized by category--from storage to just for fun--each project includes step-by-step instructions and photos. You can make your own hanging herb garden, DVD storage rack, puppy pen, and more. Includes general advice on measuring, cutting, painting, or even staining for a wood grain look. Could be fun for kids and parents to work on these projects together.

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I was unable to view this file which was disappointed as I was very interested in the subject matter. Would have been better as a Kindle file.

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I have an entirely new respect for PVC pipe after reading this book! There are so many different things you can make using the pipe and a little elbow grease, and the PVC Pipe Book is a great way to get started. The book offers a good variety of useful and fun ideas, with something that should appeal to everyone. I may need to put the marshmallow gun on my "to do" list! This is an easy read with good illustrations and clear instructions.

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I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and Voyageur Press and I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.
I loved this book from the moment I put in a request to review it and was accepted. It is filled with easy and useful DIY dream projects. Some are very simple projects and some are a bit complicated All in all a great way to introduce the beginner to making some great and very handy and useful items. The Yard Caddy is my favourite project. Not only useful in the yard but in the house and picking up items from the grocery store. The Hoop Frame Greenhouse also looks like a great project to aid the gardener who wishes to protect seedlings and herbs from the elements. Loved this very clever and helpful project book and can highly recommend it.

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This is a neat little book that could be great for kids who want to learn to build things but also helpful for adults. It features a wide range of PVC projects, from work tables to marshmallow shooters. Full color photographs are provided of the steps and there are supply lists and detailed instructions. Some of the projects seemed pretty complicated for me but others seemed like they'd be great for my kids to try or for us to put together for around the house. I have to admit that the furniture projects were not really my style, but my 15 y/o son has been looking at making a new computer desk and I think he'd really like making his own with one of these plans. There are also some really fun ideas for things to make for kids, and a wide range of projects.

I do wish the author had given any kind of general idea of how much the projects would cost. I know prices vary quite a bit but I haven't ever bought PVC pipe and had no idea for most of the projects if the finished cost would be more than if we just bought similar items used, built with wood (especially scrap wood) or got something at Ikea. I know that in a lot of the cases the fun is in building but in other cases I'd probably only do the projects if they were a frugal alternative. I ended up googling PVC price estimates for similar projects in a couple of cases just to see if it would be worth the cost. In the case of the drafting table, I found a similar project on a DIY site where they said it cost them $74. In the case of a sand and water table (not like any featured but a standard PVC project), they said it was about $60 to build but half of that was the tubs. Knowing those numbers helped me decide if I wanted to let my kids loose with the book to find projects to try. :)

All in all, this is a fun book that would be well suited to kids who wanted to learn to build with PVC pipes or adults who wanted to make some fun projects for around the house and yard.

I viewed a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

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An interesting different kind of “craft”/DIY book. The book begins with a bit of background about PVC which was actually pretty fascinating and informative. In fact, the book as a whole is pretty informative. It not only gives background, but also explanations for tools and supplies I didn’t even know was necessary. What I expected was a simplistic explanation of making things from PVC. What I got was an eye opening manual that only does that, and does it well, but educates.

The books entails projects that are practical, easy to make and use, and are a benefit to anyone’s home. They projects are easy enough that they can be fun family projects complete with clear images and instructions.

Definitely a great addition to anyone's library.

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This book might have tipped me over into a PVC pipe frenzy! Clear and concise, with defined projects, it is a great find! Although some of the projects are a bitty outlandish - I do not think I will ever have a use for a fishing rod holder or a PVC tube table lamp, but I have already built for myself a very impressive (non-rotting) potting table for outside the greenhouse. Just using pipe offcuts that were lingering in the garage plus a few bought connectors and I was away. The introduction gave the PVC tube novice some great tips and my next project will be a photo box. I think I might also know someone who’d appreciate a water cannon and a rocket launcher...

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Who knew you could do so many things with PVC pipe. I'm hoping to do a few of these projects at my library branch where we already have created a puppet stage our of pvc pipe.

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I really liked this book, the instructions were pretty good to follow. There were some really fun projects in the book.

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Overall, The PVC Pipe Book was a quality book. I did not build any of the projects, but the instructions for each project seem clear and doable. Some of the projects were a stretch as far as usefulness goes. The Homestead Helpers (outdoor) and Just for Fun sections were my favorite. They offered outdoor projects and games. (Think hoop frame greenhouses, rocket launchers, etc.) Around the House was not for me. Yes a chair and coffee table can be built from PVC pipe, but why?? If you have excess PVC pipe or a scout troop this book would be a great resource.

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This book showed up at just the right time. We had been trying to figure out how to make some set pieces for a youth theatre production and this book held the answers to our questions. My only request would be more pictures but for me that seems to be a recurring issue with how to books: I always want more pictures.

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Our family was so sad that we couldn't open this file on my kindle. I have finally learned to not download a book unless it says kindle mobi file. Thank you for the chance though!

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This book is full of quick and easy projects for use around the house.
There are 4 or 5 that I want to start now!
Step by step instructions are easy to follow and photos are great.
There are even "Quick" projects to use up your pieces after you make the main projects.

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The PVC Pipe Book is a book of step by step instructions with full color photos for completing projects using PVC pipe. Some projects seem useful, and some are cute (bird house, book shelf, bike rack.)

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This is a clever book. Never thought to make some of these items. Will definitely give some of these projects a go. Check this book out, you will not be disappointed. I received a free download of this book from NetGalley and would like to thank them, the author and publisher of this book.

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