The Arbalist Guild

Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

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

Latest topics

» 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


+2
phuphuphnik
zammerak
6 posters

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    avatar
    zammerak
    Fresh Blood

    Doesn't mean
    I'm new to crossbows


    Fresh Blood Doesn't meanI'm new to crossbows


    Posts : 6
    Join date : 2015-07-03
    Location : MN

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by zammerak Fri Jul 03, 2015 1:19 pm

    Hello, I have been eyeing up a crossbow for sometime and am considering making it one of my summer projects.  Now since I have never made a crossbow before I have a few questions. 

    I am planning to base it off of the plans found here: http://www.alcheminc.com/plan.gif  I was going to get the parts from the same site. Side note* I wanted to use Bow Irons rather than the string or cord bound style.

    Questions

    1. What draw weight would be recommended for SCA target shooting? I would like it to be powerful enough to take longer range shots with ease but not too powerful that it's a pain to shoot or a danger to everyone around me. 

    2. How does one make the tiller? My plan was to get 2 Pieces of ~1 inch thick walnut and glue it together with dowels, but the real question is how to cut the space needed for the nut, and lever mechanism. (if anyone has a template I can print this would be wicked helpful)

    3. What tools would be required to make this build easy on myself? and am I missing anything major that I should be aware of?

    Thanks for looking, if anything need clarification, please let me know (^_^)
    avatar
    phuphuphnik
    Workshop Savvy

    Did you see my tool collection?


    Workshop SavvyDid you see my tool collection?


    Posts : 151
    Join date : 2013-12-02
    Location : The wastes West of Chicago

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by phuphuphnik Fri Jul 03, 2015 2:24 pm

    Howdy! Welcome.
    I make about half of my bows with 2 parts. I'll use a forstner bit to make the hole for the nut.
    My daughter (9) used a 1/4" chisel, hand drill and a block plane to make hers. I love block planes. A drill press is really handy, but if you're careful not needed.
    For the tickler (lever) channel I use a chisel. I make a paper template of what the tickler will look  like, set it on the wood. I'll use a pin at the pivot point and see how wide the channel needs to be. Follow?
    Now, Where in Mn are you? In a week I'll be passing through Duluth and on up to Tower for a week and will have some bows with me. Perhaps we can meet up, but Mn is a big state.
    avatar
    zammerak
    Fresh Blood

    Doesn't mean
    I'm new to crossbows


    Fresh Blood Doesn't meanI'm new to crossbows


    Posts : 6
    Join date : 2015-07-03
    Location : MN

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by zammerak Fri Jul 03, 2015 2:33 pm

    I am in Central MN so Duluth is appx 2.5 - 3 Hours away but depending on when you come I will be at "Dub-Dub"
    twedzel
    twedzel
    Fresh Blood

    Doesn't mean
    I'm new to crossbows


    Fresh Blood Doesn't meanI'm new to crossbows


    Posts : 47
    Join date : 2014-01-08
    Age : 51
    Location : Vancouver Island BC

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by twedzel Fri Jul 03, 2015 11:30 pm

    I am going to qualify this and say I don't have a ton of experience with tillers as I am also making my first crossbow! But I have made gun stocks. So here is my advice. You'll probably find a 2" wide stock is a bit large unless you are unusually gifted in  body mass. I would pick up a 3/4" board and laminate it so you'll be starting at 1 1/2" inches. This is where most rifle stocks start their life at. When looking for a board, check all the angles for warping, try to get the straightest piece. Most likely it will have to be the best of the lot rather than perfect. Highly figured wood is most often the prettiest but weakest wood. I would look for something that has grain lines echoing your tiller design or at least putting strait grain where the pressure of shooting will be the greatest.  I would get a single long board cut it in half and mirror the wood grain so the natural pressures of the wood work against each other. It'll help prevent the wood from further warping once the tiller is done. It will also help you square up any current warping in the wood (assuming you don't have a jointer that will square up the wood for you). You can do all the cutting out work first, the key is to have some kind of registration system so it all fits back together easily when you go to glue it up. Glue up is simple if you pieces fit together well, painful if they do not. You won't need dowels with a good wood glue like Titebond 2 or 3, just well mated surfaces. 

    To do the job you would need a saw, sharp chisel, drill, clamps, and something to hold your work on. A plane and square would really help you to square the bits that need to be square. I find that is the toughest part of using hand tools getting thing square. A good rasp and cabinet scrapers are wonderful for shaping the wood where it needs to be shaped. I use a saw rasp (without the dorky handle from the link) cheap, very effective, and doesn't clog up much. Forstner bits are great for making pretty round holes. Drill presses, bandsaws, and plunge routers are all great tools that allow you destroy your work much more quickly than you can with standard hand tools. A good sturdy vice is a gift from the Gods. The one I use most is an angled drill press vice anchored to piece of plywood and then clamped to my work bench. Its very versatile and allows me to quickly pivot my work piece, rather than try to contort around it. But saying all this, most medieval style tillers are pretty simple from a design stand point and only need a minimum number of tools to get done. Other tools will just get it done quicker.
    avatar
    phuphuphnik
    Workshop Savvy

    Did you see my tool collection?


    Workshop SavvyDid you see my tool collection?


    Posts : 151
    Join date : 2013-12-02
    Location : The wastes West of Chicago

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by phuphuphnik Sat Jul 04, 2015 6:31 pm

    Twedzel speaks true.
    avatar
    zammerak
    Fresh Blood

    Doesn't mean
    I'm new to crossbows


    Fresh Blood Doesn't meanI'm new to crossbows


    Posts : 6
    Join date : 2015-07-03
    Location : MN

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by zammerak Sun Jul 05, 2015 8:36 am

    Wonderful insight Twedzel, thank you!  Follow up question; Will 1 3/4" be enough if I use a 1 1/8" nut? On the thinnest spot that would leave only 1/32" on each side to hold the nut (check my math =P ) Plan: http://www.alcheminc.com/plan2.jpg front: http://www.alcheminc.com/plan1.5.jpg.
    avatar
    phuphuphnik
    Workshop Savvy

    Did you see my tool collection?


    Workshop SavvyDid you see my tool collection?


    Posts : 151
    Join date : 2013-12-02
    Location : The wastes West of Chicago

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by phuphuphnik Sun Jul 05, 2015 9:28 am

    Short answer is yes. The long answer is the wood, not the pin holds the nut usually.
    avatar
    zammerak
    Fresh Blood

    Doesn't mean
    I'm new to crossbows


    Fresh Blood Doesn't meanI'm new to crossbows


    Posts : 6
    Join date : 2015-07-03
    Location : MN

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by zammerak Sun Jul 05, 2015 9:47 am

    phuphuphnik, could you elaborate please?
    avatar
    phuphuphnik
    Workshop Savvy

    Did you see my tool collection?


    Workshop SavvyDid you see my tool collection?


    Posts : 151
    Join date : 2013-12-02
    Location : The wastes West of Chicago

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by phuphuphnik Sun Jul 05, 2015 11:55 am

    Yes, sorry, had to do some work and just hit send. You usually want some overlap in the nut channel to hold it in, not flat sides. (Ivo posted this picture eons ago) Questions before I start my First Crossbow 3164941856_c0914fac55
    This holds the nut in, the pin or string keeps it from falling out. That said, if you use side plates of metal, a light bow (~100 lbs) should have no trouble having it held by the pin.
    Also, check out the diagrams here:

    https://thearbalistguild.forumotion.com/t22-medieval-crossbows-photos-drawings-diagrams
    twedzel
    twedzel
    Fresh Blood

    Doesn't mean
    I'm new to crossbows


    Fresh Blood Doesn't meanI'm new to crossbows


    Posts : 47
    Join date : 2014-01-08
    Age : 51
    Location : Vancouver Island BC

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by twedzel Sun Jul 05, 2015 1:14 pm

    This is where someone who knows tillers would be better qualified to answer these questions. Keep in mind you can always laminate more wood or reinforce areas with metal/wood plates if you need to add strength.

    Just a note I am really bad with fractions and hate the imperial system so I will use decimals and force you to do the conversions. I measured my own tiller and of course it is contrary to my own advice. My antler nut is 1.195", the nut hole (man that sounds bad) is 1.275" (opps bit of a gap), the tiller itself is 1.7" which leaves me with .2125" wood on either side of the roller nut. This seems like plenty to me, but 1/32" would be pretty thin without any reinforcement. However according to my math you actually have 1/8" on either side of your nut which may be enough without reinforcement. someone who knows tillers better could shed more light on this.
    OrienM
    OrienM
    Workshop Savvy

    Did you see my tool collection?


    Workshop SavvyDid you see my tool collection?


    Posts : 195
    Join date : 2014-08-01
    Age : 48
    Location : New Mexico, USA

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by OrienM Mon Jul 06, 2015 8:58 am

    With this type of arrangement the nut itself is really the axle, not the small center hole through it. Most of the force is borne by the front side of the round recess (or nut hole  Razz ) in the tiller, and the little 'axle' through the nut is just to hold it down (with a pin, or cordage binding) so it won't hop out when spinning.

    I'm not sure how much, if any, side force is exerted on the tiller recess...however, I chose to narrow my nut a bit (1" wide, in a 1 1/2" wide tiller) to give more thickness to the 'cheeks'. If forced to have them only 1/32" thick, I would add metal sideplates. (Edit: as I read your dimensions, you actually have over 1/4" on each side, which is fine, I think.)

    on my last build, which was a 2-piece tiller, I used a 1 1/2" hole saw in a drill press to cut out the recess, and chisels and knives to remove the waste and make the tickler (trigger) slot. A forstner bit would have worked maybe a bit better, but I didn't have the appropriate size.
    Geezer
    Geezer
    Master Crossbowyer
    Master Crossbowyer


    Posts : 1194
    Join date : 2010-01-12
    Age : 76
    Location : Austin, Texas, USA

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by Geezer Mon Jul 06, 2015 10:04 am

    I used a hole-saw and simple hand-held drill to make nut-sockets for a number of years, but a forstner-bitt in a drill press works better.  Simple spade-bits don't work worth a darn on a partial (2/3) hole.  They'll drift out... never cut straight. Don't bother to try them.  Geezer.
    avatar
    zammerak
    Fresh Blood

    Doesn't mean
    I'm new to crossbows


    Fresh Blood Doesn't meanI'm new to crossbows


    Posts : 6
    Join date : 2015-07-03
    Location : MN

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by zammerak Mon Jul 06, 2015 10:35 am

    This is all very good information! Thank you all very much.  I think I have a good idea of how to make the tiller and a good base of tools that will be needed.  Now for the easy question.  What draw weight would everyone reccomend?
    avatar
    c sitas
    Crossbow Junkie

    I live here!


    Crossbow JunkieI live here!


    Posts : 547
    Join date : 2012-11-24

    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by c sitas Mon Jul 06, 2015 10:49 am

    A single forstner bit that size is not all that expensive. It would give guranteed performance on the partial hole. Need a drill press though.With a drill press , it is nice to be able to control the depth exactly.

    Sponsored content


    Questions before I start my First Crossbow Empty Re: Questions before I start my First Crossbow

    Post by Sponsored content


      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:45 am