new member new build

Hello everyone!

My name is Ferdinand from the Netherlands.
In advance i would like to apologise for any writing mistakes.
This Dutch guy is very exited to have find ur guild!
I whas looking for info about medieval croasbows and ran into this great source off skill and experiance!
My first build is done and i must say it has been a lot off help reading and watching pictures here.
I'm still trying to post pictures but no succes yet!
Any suggestions?
My first build is what i believe to be a medieval style "war"-crossbow.
It is fully functional and shoots fast and strong!
I didnt make it to detailed because i figured that would not be correct for a common soldiers bow.
I look forward to comments from experienced builders to hear what u think!
Unfortunatly i couldnt do without some screws for the lockplates and "arrowclip" but i hope u forgive me!
Most parts were made by hammer and fire, including artowheads.
Some parts like te thing u place ur foot in are strip-metal but with riffets to join them.
The blade is a piece of car spring blade(dunno the name).
The arrows i made and fletched myself, they shoot really nice.
Hardwood nut, and other pieces.
Made u curious? I'll try to upload pictures as fast as poasible!
Thanks for the inspiration amd facts!

Ferdi

Can't wait to see you work, Ferdinand! Posting photos isn't hard, there's pretty good instructions in the "sticky" topics- though I admit it took me a while to figure it out, even with the great instructions! The easiest option, I think, is to upload your photos to a hosting site, like photobucket or whatever, copy the url and paste into your post using the "image" button.

Welcome to the forum!

Gnome

http://hyves.nl/hybrid/#/media/002b977901292fd8c091fc157b383ca1d3?s=218735723064

12'' bolts, pine with oak varnish and leather bindings.
Feather are seagull and one a pigeon my cat ate!(the grey ones).

Here is my crossbow!
35" pine stock.
30" steel blade.
Pins and riffets i forged by hammer and flame out of old bolts or steel rod.
Brass lockplates. Never mind the screws.
Hardwood nut covered by arrow-clip made of sheet-metal by my own design.
Hardwood inlay arrow groove, also to reduce wear on te soft pine.
Give me ur thoughts and comments please!
What period would u place this in? Late 14 or 15century?
http://hyves.nl/hybrid/#/media/008560bb22225e15a35682627f564d1b45?s=2C4A61A41868

Hi and welcome!

Don't worry about the language barrier...those who want to understand - will understand and even help out with the terminology translations.

Project sounds interesting, but I'm having trouble viewing the pictures. I did a little tutorial topic and video on how to post pictures here, so please check it out > Link

Glad to have another crossbowyer from abroad amongst us. Thanks for joining, always welcome to stop by.

Ivo

welcome to the forum. There is a lot of great information to be found here among the pages. Looking forward to seeing your project.
jds6

Thanks Ivo!
Lots off work to do this from a mobile phone
Hope u like it.
Drawstrengh is about 75lbs if i did not mention that before.
Now a sight and its really done!
Cant find a good and cheap source for wax but white wealbearing grease works for me!
Anyone know if a sight is medieval or did they not have any?

Very nice! You did a great job with this crossbow. The bolt head I like a lot.

Perhaps Geezer can address sights. I used the tip of the bolt as a sight, with no rear site at all. That is historically correct, but meand more practice time, which is a good thing

Dane

Nice bow, I really like the design of the bolt clip.
The bolt heads are nice also. Did you forge them yourself?

What kind of hard wood did you use for the roller nut? I have made only one from wood, but it didn't work out so well. Had the grain going on the wrong direction.

Thanks for the pics!

jds6

Payne Galloway talks about medieval sight methods, I don't have access to that book at the moment but I seem to recall there was a piece of wood added to the stock that had guides to place your thumb for different elevations, and the knuckle of your thumb functioned essentially as an adjustable rear sight, with the tip of your bolt as the front sight. Sounds simple, but I've never tried it for myself. I learned to shoot with a 70# aluminum prod with no sights at all, and just using the bolt worked pretty well for short ranges. You could put metal sights on this bow and they would probably work better for you, but in my opinion it would spoil the esthetic- looks like a pretty straight-up medieval example to me. Love it, by the way, and the bolts look wicked!

Gnome

Ferdi,

sights are common on target shooting bows of the renaissance and modern times. Medieval bows and war bows don't seem to have had them.

I have found that with enough practice the bolt just goes where you want it to go. It's like throwing a ball.

Have you got Egon Harmuth's book? http://www.amazon.de/Die-Armbrust-Handbuch-Egon-Harmuth/dp/320101298X It's expensive, but useful. The text is in Deutsch, but you have Nederlands and English, so you will be OK. You may be able to get your library to loan you a copy. He shows how to make the string end loops.

Mac

jds6 wrote:Nice bow, I really like the design of the bolt clip.
The bolt heads are nice also. Did you forge them yourself?

What kind of hard wood did you use for the roller nut? I have made only one from wood, but it didn't work out so well. Had the grain going on the wrong direction.

Thanks for the pics!

jds6

Thanks for all the nice responce guys!
Boltheads i forged myself!
I cut 5 pieces of 50mm long and 10mm thick steel rod.
Drilled a 7mm hole in the bottom end 10mm deep exactly.
Now the weight will be the same wich is important for accuracy.
And then just fire them up and beat the shit out of it!
Never forged steel before but did a good job i think without grinding them in shape later!
For the nut i used an piece of garden fence pole.
The common dark red/brown ones, old ones are best quality.
I dont know the name but i can try to find out.
It is real tropical hardwood wich is hard to come by these days.

(i looked it up, its Azobé, red/brown with white and yellow dots in the wood)

mac wrote:Ferdi,

sights are common on target shooting bows of the renaissance and modern times. Medieval bows and war bows don't seem to have had them.

I have found that with enough practice the bolt just goes where you want it to go. It's like throwing a ball.

Have you got Egon Harmuth's book? http://www.amazon.de/Die-Armbrust-Handbuch-Egon-Harmuth/dp/320101298X It's expensive, but useful. The text is in Deutsch, but you have Nederlands and English, so you will be OK. You may be able to get your library to loan you a copy. He shows how to make the string end loops.

Mac

Deutsch is German, i understand most of it because its our neighbouring country. And also because of my work i need to read manuals wich are mostly in technical english and german. So that wont be a problem anyway i can get it. Vielleicht versuch ich es zu kaufen.

Ferdi,

I just looked around on the web for used copies of Harmuth. I could not believe how expensive it has come to be!

mac wrote:Ferdi,

I just looked around on the web for used copies of Harmuth. I could not believe how expensive it has come to be!

I'll see what i can do, maybe i can get a copy from the library. Although i seriously doubt if they have it.
Nice links u have, are the armours made by u?
Damn nice, wish i could make a living by doing that!
An uncle of my dad had an entyre old blacksmith behind his house, the man whas old and dum and took it down and wrecked it and sold the metal and tools for scrap. He whas over 90 years old and had no qlue of the value, for him it was just an old building.
Damb the fool! I whas very young at the time so didnt make much if it. But now i would have loved to take it down myself and rebuild it here af my place.
Cant turn back time unfirtunatly.
And these things are not that uncommon or rare in europe so they are not protected by law.
There is a " open air" museum village near us wich has a blacksmiths. I can imagine u would use some modern tools asswel these days?!

Thanks for reacting and inpiration!