PVC - Pipe is Very Cool

I know, I know!  That was a horrible acronym.  I did not want to just say Polyvinyl Chloride.  PVC pipe is a wonderful thing however.  Not only does it funnel your used water away from your house but it also is cheap and great for building various crafts.  I thought today I would share some of the many things you can make out of pvc.

The first non-aquatic project I used PVC for was to make a ladder golf set several years ago. Sets were being sold for exorbitant prices and friends had sets made out of wood but I decided to make one for $15 out of PVC.

The most recent project came from an issue that arose last week that I realized I no longer had a small microphone stand for recording.  I told Kristen I was headed to the music store to purchase one.  She said, "Why do you need to buy one?"  I responded, "I need a small microphone stand low enough to record guitars, guitar amplifiers, kick drums, etc."  She said, "You can't build one?"  Something about that statement screamed CHALLENGE to me.  Of course I CAN build one, I just don't want to take the time to build it when I need one NOW.  After a quick google search and a few thoughts I realized I could stick with my trusty friend Mr PVC!  I realized that not only would it be cheaper, but the music store is 40 minutes away and Home Depot is only 4.  I could go to Home Depot, purchase PVC, come home and cut the pipe and put it together in probably less time than it would take to drive to the music store.  Challenge excepted!

Supplies:
10 ft 3/4" in PVC
4 - 3/4" couplings
3 - 3/4" tees
1 - 2' 1/2" PVC 








I cut the 10 ft pipe into 1 - 19 inch section, 4 - 6 inch sections and 2 - 4 inch sections.  The longer 19" section serves as the height for the microphone.  The shorter sections were cut to be a base for the stand.  I used the coupling for the feet and the tees connected them all.

The 1/2" pipe fit into the 3/4" and I can slide it up and down for easy height adjustments.  I used some epoxy and attached an old microphone holder to it to hold a microphone in place.  I drilled holes through the pipe so I could stick a small dowel through to hold a microphone at various levels.  Unfortunately, I could not find a small dowel around our house so I found a small screwdriver that would work well and now he is doing two jobs for the moment!

Once assembled, we spray painted it black.  Although I plan on only using this for recording purposes and it probably will never see anything but a studio, the black looks a little classier than a white pipe with "Charlotte Pipe" written all over it.

Though I have misplaced my receipt, I know that I spent under $8.00. The cost of feeling like you won a challenge and saved money and time however, is priceless!

I have a feeling using this won't be the last time I use PVC for an awesomely creative and dirt-cheap project.  Speaking of awesomely creative, I recently came across this project - check out those kids playing in the awesome sprinkler! 

via

This fishing rod holder is pretty awesome.  I have not done anything quite this extensive.  You can also make a great fly rod case out of pvc.  This is very helpful when traveling especially if you have to bring your fly rod on an airplane.  This website shows you how to make it very easily.  The best thing too is that it costs under $5 which is a fraction of what most fly shops would charge...it would be an awesome Father's Day gift!

Do you have any cool PVC designs you use?  Maybe you have some much cooler acronyms at least.  Please share!  If you're interested in other amazing PVC possibilities, this website has amazing ideas and inspiration.

 - JOHN