Machine tools.

If you build crossbows,sooner or later you are going to want to be able to machine parts.Apart from a drill press,the first machine acquired is usually a lathe.A milling machine would be nice to have as well....................I can feel the pain from here,because now,we are talking big money!.Or are we?I used to think we were,untill recently.If we don't have a machine tool to perform the operation we need,we usually look for something we can make to do the job with the materials we have on hand or know we can buy or acquire easily.What we usually end up with,is something makeshift that can not be used more than a few times.Would you like to own a machine tool that will do just about anything you want,and pay nothing,or next to nothing for it?.if you would,Google multimachine.net and investigate the website.This post may seem like a commercial,it isn't,I have no connection to the website other than to have found it on the internet.I.m sure there will be feedback on this,and I am looking forward to getting it.!
                                       Hermit.

It happens that I've been active on the Multimachine mailing list for several years.  It is a beast of a machine capable of taking on quite daunting tasks, but there is a quite large amount of work to build one.  I think that Costas spent the better part of a year getting his up and running, and he worked on it pretty much daily.

I'd love to see more MultiMachines in the wild.  As of a year or so ago, the only complete builds I'm aware of are Pat's original machine, and Costas' one.  You might count George Ewen's engine-mill, since that is what the MM is derived from... Ewen's machine is less versatile, but smaller and quicker to build.  It looks like this:



For comparison, if you don't want to make building machine tools a new hobby,  I can buy a poorly made import milling machine for under a grand right now (treat it as a kit of castings, tear it down and spend about a month to rebuild it into something useful).  If I'm willing to shop around for a used chunk of old-iron, I would probably pay less for a better built machine.  Personally, I run a little Sherline mill and lathe for small projects, they're probably adequate to machine any parts that a crossbow would need.  I'll acquire bigger machines when I move to a place with more shop space.

PierrC, I'm of your same thoughts. I run a table top Taig mill that I converted to cnc  and a 1943 6"  sears crafstman lath.  I love these things. Being small just makes you take your time. A plus here is, I dob't nee to hire a crane if I want to move my stuff around.