In my tech class we have a project to make a wooden toy or building. I want to make a crossbow. It needs to be relatively small, maybe a 12 or 13" long prod(I think that's the name of the bow part
). The prod would probably be made out of maple, possibly backed (either linen, maybe some other material
), or I may try to make a small laminate bow( to make it look good, for extra marks
). We will have about 2 weeks to work on it in the wood shop, and I can do some at home. I have a few questions about making the crossbow. Should the prod be stiff handled and the widest part of the bow? That makes the most sense to me, because if the handle bends it would make a lot of noise and could cause things to come loose. Also how should the prod be attached? Screwed, nailed, glued, Should I cut a notch and fit it in? And how should i make the firing mechanism? That's the really hard question, I have a few ideas but I'm really not sure and don't know how to do them. And finally the bow would only have to have a fairly light draw weight and will probably be less than 20# @ 5", oh and ! more thing, if the prod is 13" long should it be drawn 5"?
Thanks
