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Crossbows (Read 1700 times)
Hobb
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Denver, CO
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Crossbows
Aug 23rd, 2004 at 4:14pm
 
Any crossbow enthusiasts?  Advice for beginners?  Crossbow craftsmen?
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english
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Re: Crossbows
Reply #1 - Aug 24th, 2004 at 4:27am
 
I am a crossbow craftsman.  Well, I'm quite good.  I did a little post asking for advice ages ago.  It all depends what crossbow you would be looking for.  Are you looking to make or buy a crossbow?  I have tried to produce some difficult mechanisms, but they are very difficult to do without metals, horn, ivory, or exotic hardwoods.  But, there are some authentic, easily produced mechanisms.  Go for the earliest mechanism - the rising pin, (sometimes called the "notch" mechanism, and some other things.)  Basically, you have a notch in the stock, which the string is held back by, and the string is released by pushing an attached pin up through a whole in the stock at the point where the notch is.  The problem is that the bolts cannot be nocked onto the string, so pointing the crossbow down is difficult if you don't want the bolt to fall out.  However, this can be solved by putting a little piece of springy metal on a platform behind the notch to press down on the bolt, so that it won't fall out.  This doesn't affect the performance of the bow.
   The prod is the second most difficult piece.  I have a piece of wood seasoning at the moment for sinewing so I can put it on a higher performance crossbow.  Getting the prod to affix to the stock is not difficult - just make a hole through the stock and push a thin dowel through it, and then tie the prod to the dowel.
   I like crossbows, because if you are good with them, and there are no strong winds, then you can be very accurate.  And if you have made it yourself, then so much the better.
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Hobb
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Re: Crossbows
Reply #2 - Aug 24th, 2004 at 11:26am
 
I haven't decided yet if I want to make or buy one.  I'm hesitant to make my own, given my abysmal wood-working ability and a complete lack of a model to go by.  I'm also hesitant to spend hundreds on something I could make myself.  I guess I'm looking for a cheap alternative, like a kit of some kind, or detailed directions for making my own, or at least some way to get my hands on a working crossbow to use as a model.
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english
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Re: Crossbows
Reply #3 - Aug 24th, 2004 at 4:31pm
 
Well, if you are a novice wood worker then it will be difficult to do.  The groove is quite difficult, technically.  The mechanism is also a difficult thing to get right.  If you want pictures and examples, then www.atarn.org has a good piece on crossbow mechanisms, if you can find it.  (Should be in the Chinese section, I think.)  And there are plenty of other resources on the web.  I'm sure there are kits out there.
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