Crafti

PVC Pipe Builder Software

Build PVC pipe projects in 3D, from cat beds to dog wheelchairs. Only fittings that really fit snap together, so your parts list matches what you buy.

Start a Project

Pick Pipe, Then Fittings

Start with a length of PVC pipe, click its open end and choose the next tee, elbow, cross, coupling or cap. Crafti lists only the fittings that fit that end.

Snap, Drag and Resize

Fittings seat onto pipe ends at their connection points. Drag a handle and the connected pipes resize together, so the frame stays joined while you change its size.

Lengths and Counts as You Go

Every pipe length and fitting count lands in a parts list next to the model. When you're done, fill your cart at McMaster-Carr, The Home Depot or Lowe's, or take the list to any store.

Start a PVC Design

Only Fittings That Fit the Open End

The hardest part of a PVC build is often the store aisle: dozens of fittings that look alike, in sizes that are easy to mix up. A 3/4" tee won't take 1/2" pipe. CPVC looks a lot like PVC, but much of it is made to different sizes, so the two don't always mix.

In Crafti, you click an open end on a pipe or fitting and the parts drawer shows only the parts that fit that joint. The library holds 2,243 PVC parts in Schedule 40, 80 and DWV, plus 773 CPVC fittings, and the choice starts from the joint you're working on instead of a long catalog.

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The Fittings Most Frames Use

Most PVC structures, from a pet bed to a garden frame, are built from a handful of fitting types. Knowing what each one does makes any plan easier to follow.

Tee: joins three pipes in a T. Use it where a crossbar meets a leg, or to branch a line.
Elbow: turns a corner. 90-degree elbows make the corners of a rectangle; 45-degree elbows make angled braces and gentler bends.
Cross: joins four pipes in one plane, where two rails meet in the middle of a frame.
Coupling: joins two pipes end to end in a straight line, to extend a run or repair one.
Cap: closes a pipe end, keeps dirt and water out and gives a leg a finished foot.
Reducer or bushing: connects two different pipe sizes.

To see them at work, the double cat bed is mostly 4-way fittings and elbows, and the PVC guitar rack is built from tees and elbows.

Schedule 40 or Schedule 80?

The schedule number describes wall thickness. For the same nominal size, Schedule 80 pipe has a thicker wall than Schedule 40. The outside diameter stays the same, so the extra wall takes up room on the inside. Schedule 80 is stiffer and rated for higher pressure, but heavier and usually more expensive.

For most frames, carts and stands, Schedule 40 is the common choice and the easiest to find. Schedule 80 makes sense where a part takes knocks or extra load. DWV parts are made for drain, waste and vent lines, and their bends are shaped for flow.

One more tip: the nominal size is a name, not a measurement. 1/2" PVC pipe measures more than 1/2" across the outside, so match pipe and fittings by nominal size and schedule, not with a tape measure.

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Measure Twice, Cut Square

A PVC frame is only as square as its cuts. Mark each length with a fine marker, cut straight with a fine-tooth saw or a ratcheting pipe cutter, and remove the burrs inside and out so the pipe slides fully into its fitting. Our guide on how to cut PVC pipe covers the tools and the technique.

Dry-fit the whole frame before you glue. Once solvent cement sets, the joint can't be taken apart, and a mistake means cutting a new piece. If you want a frame you can take down later, read how to connect PVC pipe without glue.

Build a Frame Step by Step

A typical build in Crafti goes like this:

Place a first length of pipe and set its length.
Click its open end and pick a fitting, such as an elbow for a corner.
Click the fitting's free end and add the next pipe. Repeat until the frame closes.
Drag a handle to make the frame wider or taller. Where the structure allows, connected pipes resize together.
Click two points to measure a clearance before you commit.
Open the parts list to see each pipe length and how many of each fitting you need.

Choose One Pipe Size for the Frame

Pick the pipe size before you place the first part, and keep the main frame to that one size where you can. Fewer sizes means fewer kinds of fittings to buy and fewer chances to grab the wrong one.

Small sizes suit light, hand-held builds: the marshmallow air gun uses 1/2" pipe. Frames that carry weight go bigger: the utility cart uses a 3/4" frame with steel axles. If a design needs two sizes, a reducer or bushing joins them, and the builder will only offer the ones that fit.

From Pipe Lengths to a Cut Plan

PVC pipe is sold in long stock lengths, and a frame needs many shorter pieces. Choose your stock length and the cut plan lays out every piece along each length, with the leftover shown, so you know how many lengths to buy before you go.

Numbered assembly guides then show which parts join at each step and where they connect. That helps when you glue a large frame in stages.

Joining PVC to Other Materials

Not every build is all PVC. The library also has copper, brass and black steel fittings to connect to, plus lumber, screws and bolts for shelves, seats and tops. Threaded adapters are the usual way to go from PVC to a metal thread. Read can I connect PVC with metal threads? before you mix them in a line that carries water.

Missing a fitting? Tell us. The team adds parts based on feedback.

Plumbing Runs and Project Frames

The same builder handles water lines and drains as well as frames. For plumbing layouts and more about the PVC catalog, see PVC and plumbing design software for DIYers. To watch a frame come together from the first pipe, follow the PVC soccer goal tutorial.

PVC Builds to Open and Change

Each of these projects opens in the builder with its pipes, fittings and parts list. Change a size, add a brace or swap a fitting, then check the new list. You can design for free; Crafti Pro unlocks some features.