Author Topic: Roman crossbow, refurbished  (Read 4400 times)

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Offline Dane

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Roman crossbow, refurbished
« on: August 05, 2014, 11:49:36 am »





Hi, kids. It has been a long, long time since I have posted anything, although I do occasionally visit this site. Most of you probably don't know me. So hello.

This was a project from two or three years ago that came out very well. I had posted then, but redid some of the work, and improved it as well. It is a late Roman crossbow based on some conjecture and one grave marking in Gaul. It was a very fun build. I used red oak for the stock / tiller, cocobola for the handle (turned on my wood lathe), olive for the binding block, and moose antler for the nut. Trigger is brass. The prod was made by a specialty manufacturing company,  and is very light, thus I was able to get away from using brass for the tickler / trigger. If it had been a heavier draw, I would have made the trigger out of steel. The prod is bound on with long strand hemp, really much higher quality and stronger than you get in a craft store or big box store.

A gentleman in Scotland purchased this, and I put it in the mail today. I figure he wont mind my sharing it with you guys. I went ahead and totally refurbished the weapon - stripped the old poly finish off, painted the stock a nice shade of red, and put a Tung oil finish on it. I waxed the nut socket, polished and waxed the steel side plates to reduce rusting, and found appropriate bolts for the weapon.

one of these days, I will build another for myself, as it is such a strange design, fun to shoot, and very light and handy.

Any questions, just ask.





Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline Cade

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2014, 12:08:12 pm »
I may be thinking of this the wrong way, but with the prod being lower than where the string will rest on the stock when it's cocked, does the prod want to twist from the torque?

Offline Cade

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2014, 12:11:43 pm »
One last thing. I would love to make something like this, but don't quite understand the trigger mechanism. Could you please explain?

Offline Onebowonder

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2014, 12:41:50 pm »
I have to admit, I love the look of that, ...though I bet a few of my Celtic progenitors were cut down by such in a most unseemly and cowardly manner as was commonly noted among the ROMANS!  :o

OneBow

Offline Dane

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2014, 01:10:11 pm »
Thanks, OneBow. Romans didn't particularly play well with anyone.

cman3, it is confusing at first. The prod socket is cut so you have about a 6 degree angle, more or less. You don't want the bow / prod parallel to the stock. The string height at full draw pushes the bolts foward, no nocks, and is centered on the bolt ends. The string at brace is just lightly touching the top of the stock. There is no real torque issue with them. Hope that makes sense.

As for the trigger, it is an s-shaped piece of metal. One end is the part you push up, somewhat like a caulking gun. You drill a hole in the center of the S for the tigger axel, so the sear end of the trigger bar move down as you push up on the business end. Fitted into the bottom of the rolling nut is a steel sear. The string at full draw is held back by the two lugs in the nut, and the nut is kept for rotating forward by the trigger bar end; when you push the trigger bar end up, the sear end moves down, allowing the nut to rotate forward, releasing the string and bolt, and hopefully killing whatever you want to kill.

The photo is a trigger bar before the axel hole is drilled and the sear end is faced with a very slight convex facing, so as you push the bar down, the nut doesnt rotate backwards or forwards. The axel will go about between my thumb and that black line down near the bottom of the shot.



The second picture shows the inside of the nut socket. The little cutout area is where the trigger sear end will go.



Hope that makes sense. I dont have a picture of the nut sear or I would post it as well. And, I forgot to mention a spring for the trigger. In medieval times they used leaf springs, but I use a regular coil spring, and drill a hole into the stock directly below the sear end. After you shoot, the spring pushes up and returns the sear end up, so it rests on the bottom of the nut. Then, when you draw or span again, the nut rotates backward, the sear end slips into the sear, and you are ready to shoot again.
« Last Edit: August 05, 2014, 01:26:48 pm by Dane »
Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline Pat B

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #5 on: August 05, 2014, 01:14:56 pm »
Good to see you back, Dane. Cool crossbow.  8)
Cman, do a search here on PA for Crossbows. Dane has made a few over the years with lots of pics.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Dane

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #6 on: August 05, 2014, 01:20:56 pm »
Pat, great to see you! Just sort of passing though, but it seems archery is coming back into my life again. Not self bows probably, as I don't have much talent for tillering (unless my goals is to make a few atlatls or some kindling), but crossbows are still fun for me.

My big focus is cigar box guitars and historic banjos now. I should post a few sometime.
Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline Pat B

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #7 on: August 05, 2014, 01:30:25 pm »
Looking forward to seeing them when done.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Dane

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #8 on: August 05, 2014, 01:36:57 pm »
A lot are done, actually :). I'm building a minstrel banjo right now with Nylgut strings, and have a bunch of diddley bows and other fun stuff either finished or in progress. Started a little company, but since I dont advertise on PA, I wont say what it is called. Got a workshop coming up at a festival in VT next month, too.
Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline mullet

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #9 on: August 05, 2014, 02:32:09 pm »
Great to see you back, Dane and still building cross bows.
Lakeland, Florida
 If you have to pull the trigger, is it really archery?

Offline Dane

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #10 on: August 05, 2014, 02:35:43 pm »
Thanks for the welcome back, Eddie. Did you get promoted to moderator ? :) Yes, still with crossbows, and still wrestling with that huge 800 lb. monster crossbow. Much closer to finishing that sucker, by next month, if all goes well.
Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline Cade

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Re: Roman crossbow, refurbished
« Reply #11 on: August 05, 2014, 06:18:20 pm »
Thanks. I understand a lot more now.