PVC and Pipe Engineer

Interesting book that contains several projects for the do-it-yourself enthusiast. The instructions are easy to follow, and the finished projects are functional. This may not be "furniture" you'd want to use to decorate your home, but completing the projects will be enjoyable and simple enough. I would honestly try the rainfall shower head as my first DIY project from the book. The pictures are straightforward and the required materials lists are comprehensive.

PVC + Pipe Engineer, due out 01 Dec 2017 from author Jordan Bunker and Rockport publishers is a trendy DIY book set up in a photo-tutorial format with 17 projects ranging from small and portable to large garden and furniture projects. Many of them are super practical (hanging bike rack, bike trailer, wall shelf) and a few are strictly decorative (candle holders, a 'bamboo' Japanese style dripping fountain, etc). I like that there are quite a few added practical bells and whistles for the projects in the book, for example, the hanging bike rack has storage for bike gloves and helmet designed into the project for added functionality.

The book starts with a table of contents and a good introduction of tools and materials along with photos. The introduction also includes practical advice for avoiding some of the limitations and undesirable aspects of some of the materials (for example how to avoid rust when using iron pipe and pipe fittings).

The projects chapters are separated into 4 basic categories: Gadgets, Lighting, Furniture and Outdoors. Each of the projects include a supplies list, tools list, and a photo tutorial. The photographs are well done and easy to follow.

We all know that there's a very fine line for design and fashion between cutting edge awesome and 'WTF'? I really believe that many of these designs (a strong majority) are well on the 'that is so cool!' side of the line. There's also a fair bit of zaniness (foam 'nerf' launcher, super powered squirt gun, etc) which is always fun. I'm spending the weekend with my daughter making a canopy bed out of pipe, and it looks awesome and is very solid.

Several of the projects remind me a lot of the philosophy and design of the Bauhaus movement, and besides being practical and do-able for the average DIYer, have some serious design chops. I can absolutely see the table candelabra (included in the book), in a trendy design studio being sold for a gazillion dollars. It belongs in a repurposed industrial residential loft in Manhattan.

Nicely designed, stable, well made projects with well photographed and illustrated tutorials.
144 pages, softbound, due out 1 Dec, 2017.

Four stars

An interesting book that contains several projects for the do-it-yourself enthusiast. The instructions are easy to follow, and the finished projects are functional. This may not be "furniture" you'd want to use to decorate your home, but completing the projects will be enjoyable and simple enough. The pictures are straightforward and the required materials lists are comprehensive.

PVC and Pipe Engineer: PVC and Pipe Engineer: Put Together Cool, Easy, Maker-Friendly Stuff is a wonderful book for some funky easy to build ideas with a diverse group of projects.  Great for anyone who wants to make some fun household items without a lot of DIY skills needed.

I received a copy of this guide in exchange for an honest review. Wow. What can I say? Not only does it have step-by-step photos, it also has a list of EVERYTHING you will need (including tools and helpful hints) at the beginning of each project. There are safety notes and suggestions to go along with this tutorial. I really enjoyed the bike trailer, chair, yurt, and modern ceiling light projects. I cannot wait for my husband and I to make a few things using this guide. Since the guide gives you a material list, it also provides measurement conversions for each piece (inches vs mm). This DIY guide is easy to follow, has some amazing ideas and lays everything out for you at the beginning of each project. No more guessing how many of what, where it goes, how long/short it needs to be, etc. Honestly, just follow the instructions and everything will come together nicely.

What a fun and useful book this is. Well explained I shows a myriad of item that can be made with the simple pipe being PVC or metal. I love the bedside lamp, the four poster bed and the water feature the best, but there are some really quirky ideas as there are very sophisticated pieces of furniture, which would feel right at home in the popular industrial look. Love it

I am not much for PVC pipe construction but I love black iron pipe. This book uses both. You will be most comfortable with this book if you have some experience with tools and general construction principles. Here you will need carpentry and pipe work. The instructions are clear, as is the discussion of the tools needed. The introduction to pipe grades and finishes is comprehensive.

The 17 projects presented range from funky phone speakers to rainfall shower heads. I like the iron beds and lamps, but the cleverest, in my opinion, is the bicycle hanger cut from a single capped PVC pipe. Simple, modern, and cool.

With this book I feel encouraged to start doing projects in threaded iron. I'll let you know how they turn out.