Boron nitride (BN) nanotubes were synthesized by an arc-melting method from boride-based powders in N2/Ar mixture gas, and various structures were confirmed by high-resolution electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. NbB2,YB6 and YB6/Ni could be good catalysts to produce BN nanotubes and bundled BN nanotubes by the arc-melting method.