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How To Build A PVC Bow Stand

By July 20, 201517 Comments

One of the more enjoyable aspects of archery, for me anyways, is the ability to constantly tinker with your gear. ย Whether it’sย something simple like installing a pair of colorful string silencers or something more complex such as walk-back tuning your new rig there’s always something to keep us tinkerers busy.

With the fall hunting seasons quickly approaching I’ve been doingย quite a bit of backyard shooting lately and like many others I’ve been plagued by not having a good spot to hang my bow or hold my arrows. ย Strapping on the hip quiver and resting the bow on the ground or a piece of patio furniture just wasn’t cutting it any longer so I decided to build myself a PVC bow stand. ย What better way to spend an hour or so on a steamy Midwest weekend?

Now I’m certainly not the first guy to ever take on this endeavor, nor will I be the last. ย A quick Google search for “PVC bow stand” will yield plenty of results with a variety of ideas including different shapes, sizes and of course colors. ย For the purposes of my PVC bow stand build I went with a classic H configuration for the base and a T configuration for the bow support. ย I’m not entirely sure why I chose this method rather than some of the rectangular shaped bases I’ve seen but it works just as well. ย A quick trip to the local home improvement store and I had everything I needed for around $30. ย I used predominantly 1 1/2″ PVC for this job and its plenty sturdy to hold 2 bows and a pile of arrows.

A quick and easy DIY archery project, this PVC bow stand safely holds 2 bows and a dozen arrows without difficulty.

A quick and easy DIY archery project, this PVC bow stand safely holds 2 bows and a dozen arrows without difficulty.

Material list:

  • 2 –ย 8′ sections of 1.5″ PVC pipe
  • 4 –ย 1.5″ tees
  • 2 –ย 1.5″ 90 degree elbows
  • 2 –ย 2″ to 1.5″ reducer
  • 1 –ย 5′ section of 2″ PVC pip
  • 4 –ย 1.5″ caps
  • 1″ self tapping screws (optional)
  • PVC primer & cement (optional)
  • Foam pipe insulation
  • Super glue

Tool list:

  • Tape measure
  • Hacksaw or reciprocating saw (I call it a sawzall, but you get the point)
  • Cordless drill (optional)
  • Bench vice (optional)

Fortunately working with PVC pipe is relatively easy and just about anyone can do it. ย I like to put the pipe into my bench vice while cutting it as it makes it easier to have both hands free, however if you don’t have a vice it’s easy to enough to hold with one hand and cut with the other. ย I find that a cordless sawzall makes the cutting job a little easier and for some reason I can get straighter cuts. ย However a good old fashioned hacksaw makes quick work of the cuts if that’s all you have.

First things first I cut down all of my PVC piping and build the base on the garage floor. ย The base requires the following lengths of 1 1/2″ PVC pipe.

  • 2 – 16″pieces
  • 2 – 18″ pieces
  • 2 – 8″ pieces

I used the 16″ pieces for the front of the stand and the 18″ pieces for the back. ย I personally wanted a little extra room between my bow and the arrows so there was no chance of them clanking into each other as I took them in and out. ย My bow standย is a little big so if you were looking to shave some weight and make the entire thing more compact you could safely trim 2-3 inches off each of the base legs. ย However I feel the width of the base is just about perfect with the 8″ cross braces which are connected in the middle by a tee.

Yes, my bow and arrow setups are color coordinated.  WHAT OF IT?!?!

Yes, my bow and arrow setups are color coordinated. WHAT OF IT?!?!

Next I cut the piping for the vertical tee which holds the bows. ย This too is made from 1 1/2″ PVC pipe. ย The vertical support is 42″ tall and the hangers themselves are 12″ wide. ย Height-wise it feels great however again if you’re looking to trim a little weight or space the hangers could easily be trimmed to 9 or 10 inches without issue.

For the arrow holders I used the 90 degree elbows on the back of the base followed by the 2″ to 1.5″ reducer. ย This allowed me to make the vertical holders out of 2″ PVC which gives a little extra room for more arrows. ย These holders are 18″ tall and hold 6 arrows without a problem. ย I typically don’t practice with any more than that so it’s perfect for my needs. ย If you wanted to you could expand that out to 2.5″ or 3″ PVC to hold even more. ย Finally I capped the front support legs and the bow hangers and the PVC work was done.

A also drilled a few drain holes in the base of the stand, allowing water a place to escape since it will be left outside most of the time.

I also drilled a few drain holes in the base of the stand, allowing water a place to escape since it will be left outside most of the time.

In my particular case I want to be able to disassemble the stand for storage during the winter months so I opted to not glue a number of fittings. ย I did glue the legs of the base to the tees and also the hangers to the tee of the vertical support. ย I also glued the vertical support into the tee in the base. ย However I did not glue that tee or the two on the sides of the base. ย Instead I opted to run a 1″ self tapping screw through the tee and the pipe inside to hold the vertical post upright. ย This will allow me to remove those screws come winter and fold the support down.

A self-tapping screw holds the base tees together and prevents the vertical support from accidentally falling over.

A self-tapping screw holds the base tees together and prevents the vertical support from accidentally falling over.

I also opted not to glue the arrow holders on just in case I want to change them later to something larger, possibly to use a 45″ elbow to angle them back for easier arrow storage. ย Also, this allows me to remove the elbows for storage purposes.

Using 2" PVC for the arrow holders allows me to fit in a couple extra arrows without things getting too tight.

Using 2″ PVC for the arrow holders allows me to fit in a couple extra arrows without things getting too tight. Here you can see the 2″ arrow holder being reduced to 1.5″ to match the base. A single screw prevents the holder from falling over.

The final piece to my puzzle was using a couple pieces of foam pipe insulation on the tops of the hangers. ย Although it’s probably not needed it will help protect the bows that are resting on it. ย I used some basic super glue to hold these in place.

The foam pipe insulation ensures my precious bows won't take a beating while I'm getting ready for the season.  Although come October that may be a different story.

The foam pipe insulation ensures my precious bows won’t take a beating while I’m getting ready for the season. Although come October that may be a different story.

All in all I’m pretty pleased with the way my PVC bow rack turned out. ย I’ve seen a few other folks out there come up with creative ideas for attaching small parts trays, can holders and other gizmos so I may continue to “upgrade”ย this stand as time goes on. ย While I’ve seen photos of some pretty fancy painted or camo stickered bow stands I’m going to stick with white for now. ย However I have a feeling my stand will be littered with the plethora of hunting and archery decals that are strewn about my garage looking for a new home.

If you have comments, questions or suggestions for improvement post them below!

Justin Zarr
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General Manager at Bowhunting.com
Justin has been bowhunting for more than 30 years and co-hosting the popular bowhunting show Bowhunt or Die since 2010.ย  He lives in the NW suburbs of Chicago with his wife, 3 children, and semi-smelly dog.
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