I recently shipped my first one-piece bow in trade to another Tradgang member. Wow! Way more difficult to package and way more expensive than shipping take-downs. I ended up cutting up and creating my own triangular box from honeycomb cardboard. Some of you must have some advice about packing one-piece bows securely and efficiently to keep cost down.
I keep thinking there must be someplace to buy light cardboard tube or something similar?
Scott
Call or drop an email to Tom Clum or his sons, Tommy or Dan at Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear, a sponsor here. They sell and ship many bows nation wide.
3 or 4inch PVC. I cut 1" wood that will fit inside the ends of the PVC tube and secure it with screws.
Or try Mudd's method. http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=128801
I've shipped in PVC, square cardboard and triangular. Seems like it was easier in the triangular box though the square wasn't bad either. PVC is definately a PITA. What I have done recently is used the gray foam pipe insulation tubes to slip over the limbs and the grip area. You will have to secure it with some tape in some areas but it seems to offer a lot of protection inside the box.
(http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/zz313/Petemcm/008_zpsc922144c.jpg) (http://s839.photobucket.com/user/Petemcm/media/008_zpsc922144c.jpg.html)
I ship in PVC tubes. Due to the pain in the azz of packaging one piece recurves, I only own one piece longbows, two or three piece longbows and recurves now days.
If you can make or buy round wooden plugs to slip inside the ended of pvc tubes, go that route. You just secure them with screws, screwed in from the side. Don't think usps and ups can't and won't knock a cap off the end of a pvc tube; because, they can and will.
If I were gonna use PVC and caps, i'd screw them on too.
1 hour ago, I rec'd (new to me) a tremendous HH Kramer Tembo lb I've been waiting on for 2 weeks. It came in a triangular cardboard box that somehow had managed to be cut in half at the middle by the time it arrived. Lucky all is OK with the bow!
PVC is cheap & sure & you can cover the ends with tuna or tomato cans & duct tape. Tougher than ten dollars worth of jawbreakers!
I hate shipping long one-piece bows, but so far have not had one damaged. I have decide to never own another bow over 58" in a one piece unless I was sure I was not going to sell it or trade it off anytime soon. Recurves in general and LB's over 62" are hard to deal with for finding boxes. I have had people ship me bows in two triangle priority boxes taped together and even just a piece of corrugated cardboard folded in half. They all got to me fine, but scared me when I saw how they were packed.
Do a search on PVC tube and you will likely get more about them being damaged than any other packing method. I will not use them. They roll off equipment and get damaged in shipping.
Go to a UPS store and get the right size and shape box for the job. Put in a lot of loose packing and add layers of extra cardboard or foam board to the sides if you can. Make sure to have extra material in the ends of the box, and wrap the bow good with cloth or with bubble wrap. Make sure to pad the tips a lot. Insure. Good luck.
Shipping one-piece bows try to keep the package under 84",that is length plus girth.If you go over 84" total you will be hit with an oversize surcharge.And keep the weight within 5-6 lbs.,some of the heavier PVC pipes can push the weight upto 10 lbs or slightly more.Also shipping rates have changed.When I ship a bow I measure the package and weigh it and then use the online postage calculator to get a close estimate.It cost more to ship to some zipcodes depending on where you are shipping from.
Heres one I made in 10 minutes or so. Worked flawless!! :D
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d34/kennym/kennym/SANY0106_zpsaed9b71b.jpg) (http://s32.photobucket.com/user/kennym/media/kennym/SANY0106_zpsaed9b71b.jpg.html)
I've had the PVC end cap break and the tip damaged by USPS. Last longbow I shipped was in a cardboard tube like they use for carpeting with enough bubble wrap that it wouldn't come out even with nothing on the ends. I cut some cardboard circles for the ends and taped it.
I run down to the local home improvement store and ask for their empty carpet tubes. Then I cut to length and cut cardboard pieces to fit the end caps. Lots of duct tape on the ends. Inside, the bow is in a bow sock and a little extra oadding is nice, too.
This is lighter and cheaper than pvc but still pretty strong.
Edit: just saw that normf posted the same thing before me. Great minds think alike.
I concur
The SIMPLEST ,cheapest way is this:go to your local office depot,order a few ups triangular boxes(they are free),once u get em, connect two together,you are done.indestuctable.
for longbows i use carpet tubes they work great for me
I use green sewer drain pipe, cheaper and lighter than pvc. Cut bottom off two cheap plastic cups from dollar store, bubble wrap bow, put in tube, stick cups in ends and duct tape. Done, I've even stuck a few arrows around bow from one end to send with bow before.
For longbows I get the cheap 3" pvc and 2 caps. Wrap bow slide in pvc, slide caps on. I then have some long rectangular cardboards boxes about 3x5", slide pvc tube in box, tape up and send on way. This has worked out very well for me. It doesn't weigh as much as sch 40 pvc and won't roll on conveyors.
Pete,
That is a great idea with the pipe insulation and being a plumber most my life I should of thought of that years ago...I do use heavy cardboard carpet tubes and make wood plugs and screw them on and loads of package tape and bubble wrap when I do a trade or sell a bow but that pipe insulation is even better as far as protection inside a tube or box...Good tip Pete :thumbsup:
I've had the PVC end cap break and the tip damaged by USPS. Last longbow I shipped was in a cardboard tube like they use for carpeting with enough bubble wrap that it wouldn't come out even with nothing on the ends. I cut some cardboard circles for the ends and taped it.
same here.
Again, never use a round tube of any kind pvc or cardboard they roll on the conveyors and get crushed, also the triangular boxes dont work that well either . Kenny Ms got the right set up next best is a sturdy cardboard box that lays flat and can be stacked .
Last longbow I shipped, I used a rectangular downspout. I bought a pool noodle and put it over the tips. Like the pipe insulation above, but the noodle is bigger, and holds the bow tighter in the tube
Wow. I knew I would get some great ideas, and I did. Thanks. I cut and pasted several ideas I really liked and saved so that next time this will not be such a chore. For sure I would never have thought about the pipe packages being in greater danger of being crushed than ones that do not role and lie flat.
Appreciate all the advice.
Scott
Rob our moderator did a great write up on boxing bows. It is most likely in the classifieds.
I've shipped over 3000 longbows in plain square boxes, and never had one broken. I wrap the bow in butcher paper, and pad the ends and middle with newsprint paper.
I've shipped about 100 bows in pvc tubes and had 2 of them broken, because the tube obviously slipped off the conveyor belt.
Even if you use a plastic tube; be sure and tape a square or triangular box over it.