I’ve been having a freakish love affair. Not with a person. With tubing.

It started with my first plumbing repair years ago when I was still shy about how I looked in a tool belt. I was clumsy and tentative. My fingers shook when I touched the flux. The fierce heat of the propane torch made damp spots bloom on my temples.

And even though my first few solders were unskilled and messy, I persisted, because I realized that if I could get proficient at plumbing, I could build just about ANY structure out of copper pipe using a selection of elbows and tee-connectors.

And so it came to pass that I fell deeply in love with tubing and built many copper trellises, gates and pergolas.

But then copper got pricey and my ardour dissipated faster than foot odour in a hurricane.

Pipe for the picking

But true love never dies. I recently discovered the joys of constructing stuff with PVC tubing (a cheaper alternative to copper). After a few perfunctory stabs at design (camp stools and hockey nets), I can now turn a few lengths of pipe into forts, tents, dog houses, bird feeders and princess pavilions.

Kids go crazy for these projects, and since school is almost out, I thought I’d share a few tips and ideas for some PVC fun this summer.

For three to five year olds, buy a length of 3/4-inch PVC pipe. Cut it into shorter lengths (i.e. 2-, 4-, 6- and 8-inch pieces). Put them in a bag with at least 10 elbows (45- and 90-degree) and some t-connectors. Kids love connecting and reconnecting the pipes to make squares, rectangles, triangles and hexagons. And if you give them a couple of marbles they can race the marbles through the tubing.

On hot summer days, drill some holes in a length of PVC pipe and hook it up to a hose for an instant mass sprinkler or bike wash. (See this idea in action at http://bit.ly/NMLxTw)

Make mini-marshmallow shooters (free plans online at http://bit.ly/MaRi9p)

Make a DIY cabana with filmy curtains to act as an outdoor lounge (free plans online at http://bit.ly/iiQY2)

Make a PVC periscope (free plans online at http://bit.ly/KvJ7Hq)

Make the fantasy princess castle pictured using my design (free step-by-step plans with lots of pictures online at http://www.lowes.ca/pdf/kids_castle.pdf)

Cutter buster

Cutting PVC is really easy. First, place the pipe in a vise to keep it from rolling while you cut, or secure it to your work surface with a couple of clamps. Then use a hacksaw or a Japanese style handsaw, which cuts on the pull stroke. Take smooth, easy strokes. Avoid using an electric saw which throws a lot of particulate and also heats the plastic. PVC releases toxic vapours when it’s overheated.

The cutting process leaves little curly-cues and burrs on the cut edges, so sand them off with 100-grit sandpaper.

If you want to remove the black stamped-on lettering that’s all over the pipe, use sandpaper (100-grit to scrub off most of the lettering, followed by 150-grit to smooth it down).

Some hardware stores have woefully understocked PVC sections, so call ahead to make sure they’ve got lots of stock. Ask for Schedule 40 PVC (not CPVC, which is more expensive).

If you’re making a permanent structure (like a cabana, for example) consider screwing the pipes and connectors together with short sheet metal screws rather than gluing the pieces together. The solvent-based glues that are widely available for PVC are not only stinky, they’re messy, staining, and bad for your health.

(There’s one alternative that I’m excited about but haven’t been able to find in Canada yet — Gorilla Glue’s PVC cement; it’s low-VOC and ultra-low odour. This will be a breakthrough product because traditional PVC adhesives are evil. There, I said it.)

And by the way, I’ve put together a whole bunch of projects for you and your kids or grandkids to build together; they’re online at http://lowes.ca/kidsvideos.

If you make one of them, send me a photo would you? (mag@toolgirl.com) I’m putting together an album to show off what kids can build. Thanks.