Gnome Bow #8

The goal was a simple, robust build designed around a SloBows sourced steel prod rated at 120-140 pounds.
 
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.



That bit on the end of the tickler is a safety, it locks into a notch in the tiller.








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

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

Todd

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.
Gnome

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

Chaz

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.


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.

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.

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.
Gnome

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 ).  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...

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.

Beautiful, Gnome!   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!

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.
Gnome

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.
Gnome

Gnome wrote: It's like a hybrid bodkin/broadhead.
Gnome

A broadkin?    

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. 

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.
Gnome

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