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Crossbows - Everything about Building, Modding, and Using your Crossbow Gear

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» 12th Century Chinese Crossbow Chronographed
by stuckinthemud1 Fri Nov 24, 2023 3:50 pm

» Crossbow Stock
by kenh Tue Oct 31, 2023 6:19 am

» Colletiere a Charavines continuing experiment
by stuckinthemud1 Sat Oct 07, 2023 5:36 am

» Cocking - how
by stuckinthemud1 Thu Aug 03, 2023 4:24 am

» Questions around heavy crossbow lath buildin
by stuckinthemud1 Wed Apr 26, 2023 1:10 am

» Arab Crossbow
by stuckinthemud1 Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:57 am

» prod angle, and lever trigger for sale anyone?
by stuckinthemud1 Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:54 am

» flexible string
by jasper1978 Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:25 am

» [solved]Skane/Lillohus crossbow thread
by stuckinthemud1 Sun Mar 19, 2023 7:44 am

» jens sensfelder
by jasper1978 Wed Mar 08, 2023 11:58 pm

» 400lb Windlass crossbow bolts weight and accuracy shooting high.
by stuckinthemud1 Sun Mar 05, 2023 2:53 pm

» Codex Löffelholz crossbow
by stuckinthemud1 Tue Jan 24, 2023 4:14 pm

» Digitar prodsc
by stuckinthemud1 Sun Jan 15, 2023 2:42 pm

» Troubleshooting
by Andy. Fri Jan 06, 2023 12:29 pm

» Wood Prods
by stuckinthemud1 Fri Dec 30, 2022 12:47 pm

» Colletiere a Charavines crossbow
by stuckinthemud1 Fri Dec 30, 2022 8:54 am

» Simplified Löffelhotz speedloader
by stuckinthemud1 Fri Dec 09, 2022 4:05 pm

» Fiberglass H-bows
by c sitas Sat Nov 12, 2022 8:44 am

» Bad Antler
by drawknife Sat Nov 12, 2022 3:48 am

» Anyone make their own bolts?
by Juniper Mon Oct 17, 2022 8:20 am

» Josef alm in English
by Juniper Sat Oct 15, 2022 4:22 am

» Qin/Han lock drawings
by kenh Fri Sep 23, 2022 8:16 pm

» stirrup dimensions?
by stuckinthemud1 Thu Sep 01, 2022 1:49 pm

» Skane/Lillohus lockbow information needed
by stuckinthemud1 Sun Aug 14, 2022 6:23 am

» need help contacting le musee Dauphinois Grenoble
by stuckinthemud1 Sat Aug 13, 2022 3:22 pm


5 posters

    Gnome Bow #8

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    Gnome Bow #8 Empty Gnome Bow #8

    Post by Gnome Mon Sep 16, 2013 6:44 pm

    The goal was a simple, robust build designed around a SloBows sourced steel prod rated at 120-140 pounds.
     Gnome Bow #8 DSCF0801_zps521687b8
    The tiller is Brazillian Cherry, left over from a previous build. The tickler was formed from 3/8" mild steel rod, the stirrup from 1/4" rod. The bold clip was formed from a broken Sawzall blade. It works really well, but makes an annoying SPROINGGGGG noise when fired. I'll have to see if I can dampen that, or at least make it more musical. Rather than using metal lockplates, I added wooden "cheeks" to the lock area. It looks like I drew an X with a sharpie on the wood, would you believe that mark was in the grain of that piece? The roller nut is a cream-colored ABS blank I got from Alchem way back for my first crossbow, when I got tired of waiting and orderes some Delrin on my own.

    Gnome Bow #8 DSCF0806_zps86842ce4

    That bit on the end of the tickler is a safety, it locks into a notch in the tiller.
    Gnome Bow #8 DSCF0809_zpsa8c254c6





    Gnome Bow #8 DSCF0804_zpsd311643e

    The prod is lashed with about 20 feet of paracord. This is my third attempt at it, it gets better looking and more secure with each try. I'm sure to get it right next time.
    Gnome Bow #8 DSCF0810_zps11474072
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    Post by Todd the archer Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:19 pm

    Very nice job. How long did it take to get your prod?

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    Post by Gnome Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:01 pm

    Thanks, Todd. I've had that prod on the shelf for over a year, but as I recall it took a couple of weeks to fulfill the order once I placed it, and I ordered a couple of prods, bow irons, and stirrups all at once. I did contact him before hand to find out what was in stock, and he kept in prompt communication throughout the process.
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    Post by chaz Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:12 pm

    Gnome,

      Nice build ! I take it the tail piece of  the tickler is the safety. I like the "cheeks" of the lock area,
    only adds to the design.  Nice

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    Post by Gnome Tue Sep 17, 2013 4:32 pm

    Here it is in ready mode, with cocking rope and cross-body shoulder strap. This one is fairly easily spanned by hand, but my long suffering and mildly arthritic fingers still like a little help. Rather than cut the extra length, I knotted the excess as you see and tied it on the end so that it still travels freely for centered draws yet is secured so that I'm not going to put it down and forget where every time I shoot it. I do that a lot. I also added thin leather washers to the screw anchoring the bolt clip and changed the shape of the clip slightly to lessen the downforce. It's much quieter now, though still a bit too noisy, but the leather also helps hold the clip in place firmly while still allowing it to be turned out of the way for hand-spanning or nut maintenance, without the screw getting loosened. I'll probably replace the plastic rope handles with wooden ones.
    Gnome Bow #8 DSCF0813_zps36159dd7

    Here's my first prototype bolts, I have two more of each type just waiting for feathers. The shafts are 13" long, 3/8" diameter white oak dowels from the local home improvement big box store.
    Gnome Bow #8 DSCF0820_zps9978ce56
    The points I'm pretty tickled with. On the left is a heavy bullet point I've had so long I can't remember where I got them- same place I got my 1/2" forged quarrel bodkin points, a nice company in the UK. I found out about them someplace else on this forum.  Anyway, the one on the right I just got from an Amazon vendor called Sososhoot, a Chinese outfit, I believe. They say it is their own design and they have some other intersting looking points. This one has three faces, weighs about 160 grains, and has an outer collar diameter of 9mm, perfect for a 3/8 inch shaft after it's been sanded down. I'm getting a "muzzle velocity" of about 194 for the bullet point and  192 for the... I'm not even sure what to call it. The company refers to it as a broadhead, but English is definitely not the first language of their copy writer. Check them out if you're looking for something different, I know I'm going to order more from them. Took close to a month to get it, but I giggled like a little girl when I opened that package up.
    Gnome Bow #8 DSCF0814_zps67a8e29c
    I did take a few "in progress" photos on this build, if anyone is interested in more detail on construction. Did I mention how happy I am with the string? I'm finally starting the get the hang of string making, after only a dozen or so! Good thing, too, serving string is expensive.
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    Post by Hotspur Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:08 pm

    Beautiful bow.  I like how you managed the cocking aid (I never quite know what to do with mine - wrap it around my neck, hang it from a tree, hold it in my teeth Smile).  Love the safety on the tickler, the shoulder strap...its a great looking bow!  Nice lines and yet business-like looking!  Nice bolts as well, inspiring me for one of my many next projects...
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    Post by Hotspur Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:23 pm

    Just out of curiosity, why did you choose paracord for the prod lashings? I have messed with paracord a bit for bastard strings ect... and find it very stretchy.  I always imagined artificial sinew as the thing for prod binding.
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    Post by Scotty Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:43 pm

    Beautiful, Gnome!Cool   I love the cocking rope groove and the folding safety.  I also like those unusual bodkins.  They appear to be hollow ground with actual edges?  Nice rig!
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    Post by Gnome Wed Sep 18, 2013 4:24 am

    Hotspur wrote:Just out of curiosity, why did you choose paracord for the prod lashings? I have messed with paracord a bit for bastard strings ect... and find it very stretchy.  I always imagined artificial sinew as the thing for prod binding.
    I agree that paracord is not the best binding material, I chose to work with it because it is cheap and readily available. It is also easily re-used- I've re-bound this prod several times using the same length of cord. It's come out better each time, I don't know if the stretch is getting worked out of the cord or if I'm just getting better at it each time, or both. I used it on a pistol size crossbow with good results and wanted to see if it would work as well on a full size weapon.
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    Post by Gnome Wed Sep 18, 2013 2:13 pm

    Scotty wrote:I also like those unusual bodkins.  They appear to be hollow ground with actual edges?
    Scotty,
    Actually "hollow ground" is putting it mildly- the cross section up to where it widens out for the socket looks like a Y . And the edges aren't really sharp at all near the point, but get sharp just near the end, furthest out from the center. It's like a hybrid bodkin/broadhead.
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    Post by Scotty Wed Sep 18, 2013 6:22 pm

    Gnome wrote: It's like a hybrid bodkin/broadhead.
    Gnome
    A broadkin? Laughing   

    I looked at amazon, and the seller appears not to currently have any exactly like that, but I'm keeping an eye out. Thanks for the info. Cool
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    Post by Gnome Thu Sep 19, 2013 2:09 pm

    Scotty, this is the very thing:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BSOJCME/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=APIW0SLUWS9F8

    Broadkin. I like that.
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    Post by Scotty Thu Sep 19, 2013 5:48 pm

    How did I miss those?scratch   Thanks a bunch, Gnome.

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