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TA-03 · September 2026

Adjustable PVC Joint

An adjustable joint that inserts into the ends of PVC pipe and lets you set the angle between two pipes in 22.5° steps.

Range
180°, 9 positions in 22.5° steps
Fits
Any PVC pipe size; mixes sizes
Design
Parametric Fusion model, 3D printed
Status
Complete; files published
Two black 3D-printed joint halves locked together at an angle on a cutting mat.
Test joint, set at an angle

01Nine positions

The joint has 9 positions across 180°, running from a right angle on one side, through straight, to a right angle on the other. It won’t bend tighter than 90° either way.

I designed it as a parametric model in Autodesk Fusion for personal use (opens in a new tab).

3D model of one joint half: a round plug for the pipe end and a toothed, indexed hinge face.
Joint half, in Fusion (parametric)
Three white PVC pipes with black printed joint halves inserted in their ends, toothed hinge faces showing.
Fitted into pipe ends

02Works as a reducer

The hinge interface is a fixed size, so pieces made for different pipe diameters connect to each other. You can join, say, 2" pipe to 1" pipe through the same joint.

03Built for a giant spider

I designed it for the legs of a large spider prop, but it works for any PVC-frame project: props, costumes, displays, frames, and supports.

I printed the joints on an Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 (opens in a new tab) with Elegoo Rapid PLA Plus (opens in a new tab).

A printer bed full of gray joint halves.
A batch in the printer
Dozens of PVC pipe pieces in several diameters standing on end.
Cut leg segments
A spider leg laid out on the floor: PVC segments joined at angles by printed joints, next to two cordless drills.
Assembling a leg
An assembled leg standing in a yard, bent at two joints, beside a large black ball.
Leg test
The unpainted spider standing in a workshop: a large black ball body on eight jointed PVC legs.
Test fit, all eight legs
The finished spider painted black, standing on a garage floor with its legs spread.
Painted
The spider mounted high in a tree at night under purple light.
Installed in a tree

Print your own: Printables (opens in a new tab), MakerWorld (opens in a new tab), or Nexprint (opens in a new tab).