Medieval crossbow - slightly off topic

[kiltedcelt]

I say probably slightly off topic because this bow does have a metal prod and technically it's anything but "primitive", however I hope the admins let it stay. If it's too far off the scope of Primitive Archer I'll understand. Anyway, this project began as one of those "I wonder if I can do that?" kind of things. Since becoming interested in archery I've become interested in almost all aspects of archery, historical aspects in particular. I'm interested in all manner of human powered missle throwing weapons and that includes everything from bows to atlatls and of course I think crossbows are a valid instrument to be included in that list and they played a major role in much of European history from their inception. I don't know when I first got the idea to try to build a crossbow but I remember a Popular Mechanics book I had as a kid that actually was probably a book of my Dad's. It had all kinds of projects in it and one was how to build a crossbow using a vehicle leaf spring for the prod. Well, a quick look around the net revealed a handful of guys making medieval crossbows. I purchased the working parts for the crossbow from a company called Alchem Inc. The prod (the bow part) is rated at a 100# draw weight. The stock or tiller as it was called in medieval times is made from two pieces of walnut glued together. The roller nut is made of delrin which is a suitable substitute for horn which would have been a more period appropriate material. The top of the tiller was originally supposed to be cherry, but a mistake in laying everything out meant I had to install an overlay of something else. I chose to use some Baltic Birch plywood finished to give the appearance of bone or ivory without the hassle of trying to make bone overlays. The new top also served to  cover where I had to drill holes through the top of the tiller to chisel out for the tickler (trigger lever) recess. Needless to say, there were a lot of things I would do differently the next time around in order to make construction go more smoothly. However, I'm extremely pleased with my first effort at creating a shooting replica of a medieval crossbow. This a rather more ornate than a military bow and so likely would be more of a sporting bow used by someone of means for hunting. My next project is creating a set of suitable quarrels (bolts), and a quiver for them. I have shot the crossbow using a cut down 11/32" arrow with a 125 grain tip. Man, does it have a serious twang to it and a very satisfying thump into the target!

Here's a full shot


A close up of the prod binding and the stirrup binding. The stirrup binding is asymmetrical so I'm going to re-do it.


A close up of the serving around the eyes of the skein (string) - I'm going to make another skein and serve the eyes with the same serving twine I used for the center serving.


A close up of the roller nut and binding that holds it in. The nut has a filled in area in the middle where the sear was originally a 3/8" bolt, but I had problems with that so I replaced it with a metal shim and filled the hole with epoxy.


A view of the bottom showing the tickler and decorative overlay around it.


Another full body shot.


Lastly, a nice side-on shot.

[canoeroller]

I like it, and have been thinking of making one for myself.  An injury to my left arm has left me unable to use a bow for the last couple of years, and I was thinking that a crossbow might fit the bill.  Thank you for the post.

[kiltedcelt]

Well, it was certainly difficult in some respects but not as difficult as had thought initially. There are some tools that would've made it easier, but I made do with basic hand tools - ie. spokeshave, draw knife, scraper, files, rasps. The only power tool I used was an electric drill to bore the hole for the roller nut and to drill a couple other holes here and there. I know a lot of states allow crossbow usage during bow hunting season for hunters with qualifying disabilities. Other states don't seem to have any restrictions. For me, I see future crossbows as a way to explore other aspects of archery related woodworking - namely ornate carvings like many fancy sporting bows would've had.

[cracker]

Not exactly my cup of tea but excellent workmanship and design.Ronnie

[orcbow]

Very beautifully crafted! Thanks for sharing.

[kiltedcelt]

Thanks for the praise guys. I do like a regular old wood bow simply because they're so much less in the way of headaches and engineering. However, I think I'll be building more of these simply because they provide a great platform to make what amounts to functional art.

[luke the drifter]

the crossbow is an EXCELLENT piece of work.  i made one myself.  very crude but made along the same techniques as yours.  where did you get your metal prod?  a neighbor of mine gave me a leaf spring from an old wagon buggy seat and that is what i used on mine.  it shoots dead on target from about 10 to 15 yards.  i am guessing the draw weight is a little over a 100 lbs..  not quite sure though.  all in all, i wish i had your skill.

[kiltedcelt]

Thanks for the kind word Luke. I bought the prod, roller nut, stirrup, and tickler from Alchem, Inc. They sell all manner of stuff for making your own crossbow. My prod is 100#.

[M-P]

Hi,  I've got a cross bow ~ 3/4 built, but I know its not going to look even half as nice as yours!  It looks like wonderful workmanship.    Ron

[kiltedcelt]

Ron,
Thanks for the compliments! It didn't start out being so nice. Originally it was going to be a stripped down military version as a crossbowman of the 100 Years War might have used. However, mistakes early on in construction necessitated some later revisions in design which led to making what is now a sporting bow instead of the original military version. The more I look at it and shoot it, the more proud I am of my own craftsmanship. I really enjoyed making it and I have big plans for some even more elaborate ones coming later.