Projects often need pulleys to transfer force from a motor into machinery, they are also useful for gearing purposes to either increase or decrease speed. They can be difficult to find in the right size or expensive so this simple tutorial will teach you how to make some out of old PVC Pipe offcuts.

Supplies

Parts

PVC Pipe (larger the better)
PVC Cement

Tools

Drill (drill press recommended, but a hand drill will work)
Threaded bar or a long bolt
Washers
Saw
Spanners
Hole saw or jig saw
File or sandpaper
Something flat such as a sheet of plywood or a chopping board.
A heat source such as a mini oven or gas camp stove.
Acetone or fingernail polish remover
Rags

Step 1: Cut the PVC Pipe

The first step is to cut your PVC pipe into sections that can fit inside your mini oven. The PVC pipe you want is something larger as that has the best wall thickness.

You can cut PVC using nearly any saw, such as a handsaw or circular saw.

Step 2: Flatten the PVC Into Sheets

Turn on your mini-oven or camp stove and carefully heat the section of PVC pipe. You must keep an eye on the PVC during this process so you don't burn it! Also this should be done in a well-ventilated area as plastic fumes are probably harmful.

Once the PVC pipe has become soft place it between two flat surfaces and put something heavy on top or stand on it. Wait for the PVC to cool down and you will have a nice PVC sheet.

Step 3: Cut and Smooth the Discs

Use a hole saw to cut out a few discs of PVC. If you don't have a hole saw then you can use a compass to mark a circle and then saw the discs out that way.

The discs are normally a little rough at this stage, so the easiest way to clean this up is to use a piece of threaded bar to bolt the discs together. Put the other end of the threaded bar into your drill and either use a file or sandpaper to smooth up the edges.

You can use sandpaper on a flat surface to buff up the sides of the discs.

Step 4: Assemble the Parts

Use a piece of threaded bar or a bolt to centre the three discs that make up each pulley. Put a small amount of PVC cement between each of the discs. Lastly, put a washer and nut on and tighten this down.

A small amount of PVC cement will probably squeeze out, you should wipe this off with a rag. A splash of acetone (or finger nail polish remover) on the rag will help clean this up.

Once the PVC cement has set you can return the pulley to the drill to give it a final sand or file. Using a round file or some sandpaper wrapped around a stick can round out the inside of the pulley.