Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Dane on January 24, 2012, 07:57:56 am
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Hi, everyone. Here is a thread regarding my third crossbow project, a medieval-style (rather than an exact replica of a particular weapon) sporting bow.
If this seems to wander a bit, these kinds of projects can do that. There is no particular "right" or only way of approaching something like this, and essentially, there are three elements that make up a crossbow; the bow, or prod, the tiller, aka the stock, and the trigger and lock mechanism consisting, in this case, of a antler rolling nut and a tickler or trigger. The kind of trigger that will be illustrated in this project is a single axle system, very typical of medieval armbrusts / arbalists / crossbows.
For this project, I actually begain by creating the antler rolling nut, and will start there. As in life, there are many ways to skin a cat (PatB knowns all about this), and this is not the only way to manufacture a rolling nut. Modern materials such as Delrin, a high-tech plastic, can be purchased in round bar form, it is cheap, and from a few feet away, mimics antler nicely. Some crossbow builders have made nuts successfuly from hard woods such as walnut for lower powered weapons. I used moose antler, an ideal material, if not the cheapest, as it is light and flexible, and anter is what they used back in 1400. I have found in this case, as in so many, even if you aren't sure why a certain type of material or method was used, there was a good reason for it, and many hundreds or thousands of years of development that lead to that material or method must have been for a reason. Ya know?
Basically, I purchased a nice 8" moose antler stem from Moscow Hide and Fur. I own a little benchtop 4x10 lathe I got from Harbor Freight. A neat little machine, not overly expensive, and lots of fun to use, it is not an aerospace-accurate lathe, but not being a rocket scientist or an evil supervillan builiding a fleet of giant robots to enslave humanity, I can live with it.
The photos show the basic sequence, starting with the untouched stem, then (not shown) cutting it up (technically, the term is dismembering it :) ) and prepping it for the lathe, which I did using a small 9" bandsaw. After mounting in the lathe in the three-jaw chuck, I began turning the stem. It took about 2 and a half hours, approximately, to finish this step, and as I got closer to the final outside diameter of 1.25", I used a digital caliper to ensure that I didn't go past this and so require much drinking and therapy, or at least remorse that I ruined a $90 hunk of antler.
What I was left with when I removed that antler workpiece from the lathe was a nice 1.25" outside diamter rolling nut blank, long enough for about 4 nuts. Squirrles and crossbow builders both agree that you can never have enough nuts, as you will later see when I screw up a simple tapping procedure. :)
I did a basic polishing job after ensuring I was happy with the blank by putting it back in the lathe and using fine grain sandpaper glued to flat sticks for even pressue, then red polishing compound and a bit of leather glued to another stick. When it gleamed enough to satifsy lepricans that it is treasure, I cut the nut blank apart on the bandsaw, and then faced all eight sides of the four nuts I got out of the blank, put the lathe away, and went and celebrated.
Next entry, I will begin the process of building the wooden tiller or stock, in this case, from a thick maple board with a bit of curl.
Dane
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Very cool rolling nut. I would think that could really be polished!!
And makes me want to go to Frieght Harbor and check out thier lathe. I don't have one and didn't want to invest much for one ....but seems it would be handy for various projects.
Looking forward to more progress reports!!
I made a crossbow a few years back from a build-a-long here on PA. I used ebony for the nut.
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Lowell, thank you. If you get a chance, could you share photos of the crossbow you built? Bet an ebony nut is very heavy, but tough. Working it must have been labor-intensive.
These little lathes usually run about $475 or so, and they generally have sales, so keep your eye out for those, and save an additional $100 or so. They do weigh about 75 or 80 lbs., so keep that in mind if you move it around a lot in your shop area (watch your feet). They are nice to have for small projects, and you can adapt them to turning wood, making pens, stuff like that. Also, building killer robots to enslave humanity if you really wish, and miscellaneous Steam Punk death rays and infernal contraptions. I’m going to use this one for making miniature catapult and onager parts, and maybe death rays once I find my goggles and white lab coat. I always try to buy tools I can find multiple uses for if at all possible.
I will get into this later in this discussion, but the most critical thing to consider when making the rolling nut is that it fits precisely in the accompanying socket built into the tiller / stock. A wobbly rolling nut equates to an inaccurate (and less safe) crossbow and less than optimal craftsmanship. The way I am doing it for this weapon is perhaps the simplest way to proceed, and that is to bore the socket directly into the wood. The area directly in front of the socket will take the force of the draw, and there is more than enough strength there for a 190# bow.
You can make a separate reinforced and lined unit that will drop into an accompanying space chiseled into the tiller, then pinned and glued into place. That allows for a strong socket for very powerful crossbows, up to and including a 1,000 lb. monster (and very attractive to contemplate) siege bows.
Probably anyone reading this will have guessed by now that some metal working is going to be required in making a crossbow, specifically the tickler, stirrup, and trigger sear. Not a gigantic amount, but unavoidable, too. However, all of it can be done with hand tools and some sweat. There are all-wooden crossbows which are an option that don’t use a rolling nut at all, but a push dowel type system. The Chinese or Manchurian repeater works on the same principle.
If any of this is confusing, all will be revealed in time.
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Nice bit of antler, lovely and light, I bet that will give a slick relase.
The solid steel nut on my bow weighs a ton :(
Wish I had a lathe, haven't got the room in my pokey little garage.
Del
BTW. I think letting the Leprecauns into the workshop is a big mistake.
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Thanks for sharing your progress look forward to following allong!
Josh
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Thanks, Josh. Glad you are enjoying it.
Del, antler makes for very light, and that means very fast, nuts. Heavier materials like brass and steel are very durable, but they are very slow too upon release. As you know doubt know.
I've seen your shop, bigger than mine. The lathe tucks away nicel when not in use.
As for allowing the wee people in, won't they take me to Tír na nÓg? Mmm, maybe that is the fairies who live there.
Dane
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Dane , Here is a couple pictures of the bow I made in '09.
I hurt my shoulder and could not bowhunt that season so thought if I had to go to a crossbow I wanted it to be primitive and one I made. The prod only came to about 70# and would have had to make it stronger to be legal here. My shoulder healed up and was able again to hunt with a selfbow and never did more to make the crossbow legal. It was a fun project!!
Seeing it again reminded me that I think the center of the nut was maple with ebony outer layers. The stock was cherry and curly oak. The prod was osage. Maple was also the track for the bolt. Just had fun with a bunch of different woods.
Have fun with your project too and will keep an eye out for progress reports!!
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Good to see you back posting and working another crossbow. Anxious to see how this one looks.
George
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Now I want to go get myself a lathe...LOL's
Can't wait to see what's next.
BTW.....if I see "little people" in my garage, I'm switching to decaff ::)
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I'm looking forward to following this build a-long. I've had the urge to build a small crossbow in a pistol kind of style, meaning it would not have a stock that rests agains my shoulder of say 50-ish pounds. I've been wondering what to use for a rolling nut. I was thinking dogwood, but not sure how to orient the grain--across the grain or sort of follow the circle of the growth rings. Any advice here would be appreciated.
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Lowell, I remember that weapon now that i see the photos again. Great job! It looks like fun, even if you don't go hunting with it.
George, thanks. Jpitts, go get a lathe...I dont get a commission for each one sold, really. lol. And as for little people, if they are helpful, let them stick around.
Hedgeapple, not sure about a nut made from dogwood. You have to have a very, very hard material, as the forces are pretty signficant when even a light bow is drawn. Really dense hardwoods such as ebony or walnut can be used, but antler is the traditional choice. In the end, experimentation will give you your answers.
Dane
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Building the Tiller – First Steps
The stock is called the tiller in crossbow lingo, and I can only assume it is because it resembles a ship’s tiller. I found a live edge maple board in a retail woodworking store that was about five feet tall, between 12 and 15 inches wide, and 1.5” thick. One of the big advantages to laminate construction is that you don’t have to find a very large piece of hardwood, and you can lay out and make the rolling nut socket, tickler channel, and dill the prod binding hole, nut binding hole, and tickler pivot pin holes before you begin shaping the tiller.
The shape of the tiller is entirely up to you, and what do you like? This is a Central European design, so it has some really nice curves and tapers, but if you choose a slab-sided style such as the kind of crossbows popular in Northern Europe, that is fine. What kind of hardwood you choose is up to you, and may be determined because of availability or fancy. I love the look of maple, but cherry, oak, walnut, elm, and even some exotics would make into a beautiful tiller.
The length of the tiller is important, and one factor to keep in mind is how tall you are. Keeping the tiller the length of your inseam is not a bad idea, as you will be bending down to span or draw the weapon, and a very long tiller means it will jab you in the stomach, which is never fun. I chose to make my tiller 29” long, as I am short, and I like to shoot the crossbow holding it like a carbine or rifle. For the very long military style bows, you lay the tiller over your shoulder and press it into your clavical, but this is a small, handy sporting bow, so short is good.
I used a skill saw to cross cut the board so I had about 36” of material, then ripped the board so I ended up with two pieces approx 3.5” by 1.5” by 36” long. I saw approximately, as I then fed them through a thickness planer until the two pieces were about 3” in height. The most important sides to each piece were the side I would laminate together, and as this was going to be a style of tiller with lots of nifty curves, carving would take care of the rest. The most important glue line is going to be the bottom of the tiller. The top glue line is going to be what is called the table of the crossbow, and I was going to make a bone top for it, so if the glue line was not perfect it was no big deal. The two ends you want to have a decent glue line on, as they will be visible as well. Monkey around a bit with a hand plane until you are satisfied. I had to do this a bit, maybe spending an hour until I was satisfied.
At this point, I laid out and made the rolling nut socket and the tickler channel. The tickler channel in particular is a beast to make if you use a single solid piece of hardwood for your crossbow, and incorporates electric drills, chisels, and very black language, so keep the kids far from the shop area.
The nut socket is laid out 11.5” from the end of the tiller the prod or bow will be bound to. I purchased a steel bow from a vendor (making a bow, and the various types can be a broad discussion we may have later), and the specs are a 3.5” brace height and a draw height of 8”which comes to 11.5”. Leave enough wood in the “muzzle” end of the crossbow for the prod socket, perhaps an additional inch or a bit more wood. More is best, as you can remove but you can never put back. I’m sure all of us have experienced this life lesson :)
The nut socket was made using a 1.25” fostner bit in a drill press, and each half of the socket is half the width of the nut, which I had already made and so knew the exact dimensions to. You can do this socket and not have your nut already made, of course, and adjust the nut rather than the socket depth. I wanted the nut to be about 1/3 above and visible, and 2/3 inside the tiller, so I marked a spot 1/8” down from the top edge or table edge. If you make your nut to some other dimensions other than 1.25”O.D., adjust accordingly. I clamped the tiller half into my drill press and drilled down half the length of the nut, test fit, and did the same thing to the other half.
The tickler channel was simple to do, since I am comfortable working with chisels. If you don’t have much experience with them, practice with scrap wood. The channel is a shade wider than the total width of the tickler, which is made from thick gauge steel. Brass ticklers are very handsome, as well, and they can be purchased or made in your shop. There are regional differences in the profile of the ticklers, as you will find out by doing some research. I purchased my tickler from the same vendor as the prod, so the hard work was already done for me.
I used chisels (from a 1” mortising chisel to a 1/8” general purpose wood chisel) and mallet to form the channel, and it was not hard, and in fact, relaxing work. Once I had finished it to my satisfaction and tested the tickler to make sure that I had sufficient clearance to get the tickler in and out (sharp bends and curves can be your enemy here, trust me), I determined the placement of the tickler pivot hole, and drilled that. The pivot pin is going to be fashioned from steel threaded rod, for good reasons, and that will be discussed later.
Glue up was straight forward and not too stressful. I used four clamps, and the glue used was Tightbond III. I had to take care that I kept the rolling nut socket true, as if they two sides didn’t mated perfectly there, I would have a bad socket and no end to troubles. That happend to me on my first crossbow, so I speak from experience. It wasnt a break situation, but the performance was never going to be optimal.
24 hours later, off came the clamps and I was ready to begin carving the tiller.
To be continued
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Lovin this. Keep it going.
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Thank you, Parnell! Here you go....
Building the Tiller Part II
Rough carving was done primarily with a beloved hand-forged adz. It looks pretty (highly) crude at this point, but I could see inside the wood to what it was going to look like. There is an old saying that if you want to carve a horse, you simply remove all the wood or stone that doesnt look like a horse, and you are done. That applies sorta to this. Each stroke means more of the non-tiller looking wood is ending up on the shop floor.
As I came closer to what I had in mind for the tiller, I switched to a draw knife, wood rasps, a farrier’s rasp and various kinds of flat and half round metal and wood files, and finally cabinet scrapers as I defined the various angles, bevels and curves. I kept some notes and images on the workbench of historic examples that appealed to and inspired me, but remained flexible to the whispering of the muses.
I should mention that I did rough cut the side profile of the bow before the glue-up, to save time and have less wood to hew off, but if you begin with a blocky tiller “blank”, you are still good to go. Think of the this thing in front of you as a canvas. And remember, if you go with something with curvy sides like a German style bow, you will have to work in three dimensions, and think that way too. You can get one half of the tiller just the way you want, but then you have to match the other side perfectly. Taking you time, and having adult beverages at hand to calm your nerves may help at times, but please don’t mix margaritas and German beers with sharp tools. :)
I completed the bulk of the carving over a 3 day period, BUT continued to define and refine the shape up until the very last moment. As with bow building, a digital camera is a great tool to have, as you can see areas you missed or lopsidedness on the screen that the naked eye just didn’t catch.
Once the tiller was completed to my satisfaction, I used cabinet scrapers with a light hand to smooth the wood. In the medieval period, sandpaper as we know it (essentially an early 19th century invention), was unknown in Europe, and the idea of using sharkskin is both unworkable and to me, unethical. Instead, a finish that is achieved just using scrapers looks authentic and satisfying. Using a bone to burnish the wood was my last step, and while perhaps not necessary, this is a look I find appealing.
The last two shots are drilling the binding hole in the nose of the tiller. I used a 1" fostern bit in the drill press, and although it probably would have been easier to place and drill this whole while the tiller was still in two halves, I wanted to be very sure about where it was going to go, so I waited.
In part III, I will illustrate and discuss laying on a table surface. In my first German bow, I used holly wood for the table, and for this one, real bone. That is worth a chapter all by itself, so stay tuned.
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Just cause, here is a preview of the bone table surface treatment.
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WOW.....I love it. Keep it coming Dane
The bone table is awesome...beautiful work
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Before I could start the bone table work, a few more steps needed to be completed. Next, I made the dovetail slot for the quarrel or bolt rest. I am not sure you can tell, but the nose of the crossbow slops downward from around just before the prod binding hole. There are essentially two systems for medieval crossbows, one being a groove to guide the bolt as it is shot, and a more sophisticated quarrel rest coupled with a slightly downward sloping “nose.” The primary advantage to this style (besides looking more elegant and “cooler”) is that much less of the bolt is in contact with the tiller, thus reducing friction and improving velocity. A secondary benefit with an adjustable bolt rest (vs. one that is permanently glued on) is that you can then adjust the bow for windage. Since this bow (and almost universally historic bows from the medieval period) will not have a rear site, adjustment for elevation is accomplished by raising or lowering the bow by the shooter.
The much simpler bolt groove that was typical of earlier crossbows had the primary advantage of more robust construction, but at a cost of more friction to the bolt, which rests at all times along the interior of the groove. Lining the groove with bone will help in reducing velocity-robbing friction, so that extra step is one to consider.
It wasn’t too hard to make this, and basically consisted of cutting a dovetail slot with a small saw and chisels and finishing the slot with a 60° triangular file and small flat files for the base of the groove. A router would speed construction of the slot, but at the risk of making a single fatal error and ruining all the work you put into the tiller up to this point. If you are like me, chisel work sometimes looks pretty ugly until you done, so don't dispair if you think things are not shaping up well. They really are.
After making the quarrel rest out of cow bone, I changed my mind and will be fashioning a new one out of a nice contrasty hardwood for a bit of added style and contrast to the color of the other tiller components.
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Next, it was time to cut my prod socket. Notice there is a lot of extra wood I left on the nose of the tiller just for this purpose. The back of the socket will be exactly 11.5” from the center (give or take a wee bit) of the rolling nut socket, and another point of measurement I used was where that slope ended and the table was flat all the way back to the butt end of the tiller. You will need the prod to be not at about a 6 degree angle, with the bow tips pointing up, toward the ceiling, rather than down, toward the ground (how is that for exact engineering language?) That is because of string clearance on the top of the tiller. Hopefully, the photos will make sense, but perhaps saying without that angle for the prod, the string would rest hard against the top of the tiller all the way through the draw, wearing out the string fast and causing hideous friction. You would have a beautfiful looking club, but not much of a bow. Ideally, when strung, the string never touches or barely touches the table top all the way through the draw from brace height. Once you string the bow, you will then be able to see if adjustments have to be made to the prod socket, perhaps wedges or shims, or judisious wood removal. But that for later, and for now, a 6 degree angle should be just right.
I laid the prod on the tiller, making sure I had equal amount of wood both above and below, and had left enough extra that I could monkey around a bit. I drew the outline with a pencil, and used a protractor to ensure I had a 6 degree angle at the back of the socket. I used a band saw to cut away the waste wood and then used chisels and rasps to do the rest. Notice perhaps that there is some curly figuration in the wood, and that means the wood was a bit harder to work, more brittle, and just a little more demanding than clean grained stuff. The price to pay for beautify, I guess :) So, the socket edges are not quite as precise as I would have liked them to be, but on the other hand, most of it is going to be hidden by a prod binding block (I will get to that simple component later), and the binding itself, both for the prod and the stirrup).
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Now things got dicey – aka time to think on your feet and not despair. As I mentioned before, I had used holly wood for my last medieval crossbow’s table facing material. It looked great, and was very similar in appearance to bone or ivory. But it wasn’t bone or ivory, and I had wanted to use the “real deal” for a long time. Be advised that you can have no special table surface material at all, and you will have a very fine crossbow.
That being said, I found an online vendor that sells preshaped bone scales in various sizes all ready to go. Knife makers use them for handle scales. I purchased 14 pairs that were 4” x 1.25” by 1/8” thick. They came about a week after ordering, and looked great, and thus I had found an easy way to get a killer bone table.
However, and this is a big however, the scales were thick enough that not enough of the rolling nut would be there to properly string the bow. My big concern was that with the bone plating, the top surface of the crossbow would be too high, and thus interfere with the operation of the nut. In other words, the bolt would be riding too high and the notch in the nut would have to be so high, the lugs would not be sufficient for stringing the crossbow.
I had two options; 1, sand down the bone to half their thickness, or work down the top of the tiller. Being of sound mind and body, the thought of sanding and filing down that volume of bone was out of the question and in the stone cold crazy column of crossbow building. So, out came the old farrier’s rasps and the cabinet scraper, and I began what turned out to be a not too horrible task of reducing the height of the tiller.
And to think,, all this would have been unnecessary if I had had the bone scales at hand when I was laying out the initial dimensions, and I could have adjusted the socket hole depth without all this bother. A lesson there, for sure.
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(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tablrrasp0132.jpg[img]If you haven’t used a good, sharp cabinet scraper, you have no idea what an amazing tool it is. I was pleased with how quickly and easily this went overall, all things being considered. I tested the flatness of the table top by placing bone pieces on top and eyed the edges, and my worklamp helped in seeing light peeking between the bone scales and the wood. The joints between individual bone pieces should be crisp and flush, too. Another lesson – trimming the bone pieces close to the edges of the tiller will save you quite a bit of work down the road with rasping and filing. I didn’t, you should. All that extra material had to be hand rasped and filed off, and it introduced some chipping and cumbling that, while it didn't damage the project, did introduce some new problems that needed to be solved. More on that later. [img]http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/table0052.jpg)
Once all was set, I liked the pattern I had developed, and I felt that the wood was as flush as I was going to get it, it was time glue it all down. I used two part epoxy, stuff I got at a big box store that said it was “professional grade.” Most likely any type – 3, min., 5 min, 7 min, etc will work. The used a few wood clamps, but mostly I used bicycle inner tubes cut into long strips to help glue this all together. It was easy to do, and I just tied on the tube strip where I wanted it to begin, wrapped, and then slipped the end into the next adjacent already tied tube.
It looks like a rubber mummy, a bit, and the scent of the inner tubes reminded me of when I was a kid and used to go to Pep Boys for those little Monkey inner tube repair kits.
I only glued a few bone pieces at a time, with a 24 hour wait between gluing operations, and thus, I got the job done.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bonelaminate0012.jpg)
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Next posting, I will continue with the bone surface treatment, aka why the $#@#&**% didn’t I just settle for a plain table? :)
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Haha Nice work and very good write up! I think the bone table will be a great addition to this, cant wait to see it done!
Josh
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Dunno why that girl is laughin' at your rubber strapping ::).
Del
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Danke, Josh.
Del, poor thing. It is her frozen death cry. She only looks like she is laughing. Her body is missing below her shoulders. Her leg I shoved among the bloody mess, thus it sticks up. I had to do it because she was mocking my rubber bands, and she is only two dimensional. She is in a better place now, composting valhalla.
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And so we continue. About six gluing jobs later, I had the entire table covered in bone. Everything looked good, so I began rasping down the waste bone with a farrier’s rasp. While not a great deal of fun, it got the job done relatively quickly.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/surfaceworking0022.jpg)
As I got closer to the wooden edges, I realized that not every glue line was prefect. Maybe 3 or 4 inches total in various places had tiny gaps, with a few being not pretty at all.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/surfaceworking0032.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/surfaceworking0042.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/surfaceworking0042.jpg)
After fretting and wondering what do to, I mixed some bone dust (you will generate gobs of it) with white school glue and made a kind of thickish paste. I pushed this stuff into the gaps, let it dry, and sanded. While not prefect, it did pretty much take care of the gaps, and I doubt anyone will spot the little areas. The big lesson here is to be very sure you have a perfect joining surface. I probably should have caught those areas, but didn’t. Sue me :)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneedging0042.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/kyudo1612.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/kyudo1622.jpg)
I did a bunch of filing, sanding, more sanding, more filing, more sanding, and yes, more sanding. I used a hand held belt sander carefully, but mostly it was sanding blocks and sweat that did the job. Graduating to finer grades, I ended up with steel wool, and was pretty pleased. Nice and shiny, those surfaces.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/surfaceworking0052.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/surfaceworking0062.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/surfaceworking0072.jpg)
Now, recall I said you will be defining and refining the tiller until the very end. Before adding all that bone, I didn't see a few problem areas, ie lopsidedness. Here is an example of just how off you can get and not even realize it. I drew lines, rasped and filed, and you can see how much better it is afterward.
(http://http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/surfaceworking0082.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/definingedges0032.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/definingedges0062.jpg)
After that, more sanding and polishing, not only the table but the rest of the tiller. I decided to just toss historical accuracy to the winds with this one and use new fangled sandpaper. Just dont tell the "thread nazis."
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/nailing0142.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneedging0012.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/nailing0122.jpg)
it was time to glue and nail the plates down. Many historic bows from this region of Europe used pins or nails, and they look is very handsome. I used a 1/16” drill bit to drill through the bone and into the wood about half the length of the pins. I then coated the pins with super glue and tapped them in very, very carefully with a small hammer. If you slip, you can risk damaging the bone, and that would be bad indeed. An bent pin would not be great, so you may want to guide the pin in partially with a pair of need nosed pliers.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/nailing0202.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/nailing0222.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/nailing0232.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/nailing0262.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/nailing0272.jpg)
And that is that. Bone tables in five easy steps :)
Next posting soon.
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Nice!!!!
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Good Grief!!!
That Bone Work is Bleeping Awesome!!!
And your attention to detail and "thinking on your feet"!
Not like I don't already have enough projects going, now I have the distinct urge to build a Crossbow...
Then again, if I were an Evil Genius, I'd have my Minions do the sanding... :)
Excellent Build Along!
Thank You!
Regards,
-gus
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Thanks to both of you. I am glad you like the bonework. It was a ton of work but really worth it. Ever worth the hellish stink.
Dane
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Let’s finish the rolling nut. What it still needs are two lugs to hold the string and a steel sear as part of the trigger.
The sear is a Cat 8 3/8” threaded bolt with a sear step cut and filed into it. Yes, I know that hardened steel rod would be better, but not easy to find, and probably as I build stronger and stronger weapons, a stronger sear is going to be needed. For 200 pounds and under, this method is reliable and easy to install. Actual medieval weapons had a piece of steel joined or inserted as the sear, and that is a very viable option, particularly if you can machine the slot into the nut. Making that precise a inlet into antler is going to be a real challenge, but then, they used to do it 700 years ago with only hand tools.
Case hardening is also something I am still looking into. At the very worse, you will eventually have to replace the tickler and nut as one or the other wears out and you start to get misfires. And that is something I will worry about when the time comes.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bluingh0102.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bluingh0172.jpg)
I used a 5/16” drill bit to drill the hole for the bolt / sear. Then, I used a 3/8” NC tap to tap the hole for the sear. You can buy cheap taps at places like Harbor Freight, which is fine for this kind of project. I hope NASA sources their tools elsewhere, however. :)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newnut0012.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/nailing0062.jpg)
(please note this is the deceased nut I am drilling, not the second one. Read on).
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newnut0172.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newnut0182.jpg)
Now, see what happens when you don’t carefully ensure that your tap is entering the hole correctly?
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newnut0072.jpg)
I killed the rolling nut. But, it was a lesson learned, and I did have extra nut blanks. Out went the lathe, cut it to correct length, faced it, polished it, etc. It actually wasn’t that bad a situation, and this one came out much better, though I can’t say why. Maybe it just feels like it is better. In any case, I successfully tapped this one. A bit of advice on tapping. As you turn the tap handle, reverse every revolution of so to clear the threads so little chunks of antler don’t become little gremlins.
I tested the bolt / sear, it looked great, and so I then made the lugs. I measured very carefully, and used the end of a bolt / quarrel (not a hardware bolt, but a deadly sharp bolt) to ensure the bolt slot was not too big or too small. It may be hard to see here, but this is a common kind of bolt end for actually medieval bolts (and much to the shagrine perhaps of the warbow community with very few actual medieval war arrows surviving, there are hundreds of thousands of medieval bolts that have survived to today). The bolt kind of wedges into the nut and then presses lightly against the string. Later, I will do a posting on bolt / quarrel making.
So, files and care took care of the lug notch. I then cut out the sear notch, which is my own kind of lame term. I used the end of the tickler to make sure I had enough antler removed to allow for a perfect fit of the tickler against the sear. Then, I epoxied the sear bolt into the nut, and finally, used a 1/8” drill to drill a hole through the sear bolt to allow for the nut binding cord.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newnut0192.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bluingh0172.jpg)
What? Did I hear someone ask what in the world a nut binding cord is? The nut rotates freely in the nut socket, and doesn’t have a metal axel. The socket is deep enough to keep it in there, except as it rotates forward when shooting the bow. The nut can then pop right out and get lost, and that would be a drag.
But with the binding cord, you keep it. I am using dried gut for this weapon, but have used artificial sinew in the past. Any tough, small diameter stuff will work. Real sinew would look great, I think. Gut is tougher, and yes, you can eventually have the cord break. Guess what happened when that happened to me at a big event I host each October at my club? I set the crossbow down on a picnic table among a bunch of atlatls and spears and other cool stone age stuff, and walked away, with the nut just sitting there next to it. It wasn’t operable in any way, so I wasn’t worried about someone shooting themselves, but I should have kept the nut in my pocket. It then walked away, never to be seen again. Maybe it became a hunter gatherer with a borrowed atlatl and is even now seeking the woolly mammoth.
Next posting soon.
PS I still need to download photos that show making the lugs, and I will do that when I post my next posting. Thanks for the patience.
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Wow Dane,
This is soooo cool. I love how you fashioned the bone table and the sear. I really appreciate you taking the time to show us each step. fantastic stuff
Thanks
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I bet tapping in those brass nails was a bit nerve wracking.
You could always case harden the sear to harden the face. It's a good trick as you can fettle the sear to get the angle spot on and even shoot it it a bit, and then case harden.
I just found this discussion about case hardening compound, it includes 'recipes' for making your own compound from bone ash or leather ash.
May be of interest.
http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=64390
With a small piece like the sear it would dn't take much to get it up to orange heat and dip it in the compound.
BTW. why do metalworking books talk of heating stuff up to 'cherry red' when they really mean bright orange??? It seems to be a common mistake which has just been purpetuated. Cherries are a very dark red.
Del
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Great progress Dane and excellent work!
Josh
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Thanks for the info, Del. And I agree, cherry red would be a very dark color, and in the case of some species of cherries, nearly black. If you went by the blossoms, it would be white hot. :) I should make up one of those tiny coffee can forges so I can do little stuff like this. A full sized forge is out of the question. The wife would toss me in it and the neighbors would complain about the stink of me burning up.
Josh, thanks man. It will be a little while before I get back to this thread, as life stuff got in the way. Just finishing laying down a new kitchen floor, etc. I will see this thread through to final completion and shooting, however. Promise.
Dane
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Well, kids, for you following this, you may be wondering what has taken so long. I just laid down a new kitchen floor, and also, mega disaster struck. Adios and vaya con Dios, one maple tiller. Here are the photos. I think I mentioned that the very figured, burly wood toward the nose of the tiller was going to be either a blessing or a curse. I have heard the term chaotic grain, and that nicely describes this kind of grain.
So, I felt like the prod (bow) socket should be deepened about 1/8”. It should have been an easy job, but….
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/ruined0672-1.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/ruined0662-1.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/ruined0652-1.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/ruined0642-1.jpg)
….and what do you do when a bow explodes or fails during tillering? Do you scream, moan, cry, crack open a case and drink it all at once? Do you assume the fetal position and turn your electric blanket up to 9? Do you wimp out and crawl away from the workshop, never to return?...
…or do you luche libra out!? Si! With gusto. I put on my metaphorical mask and cape and drank a shot of not metaphorical tequila (reposado, as I was all out of silver), and decided that this is a great excuse to go to the hardwood yard and look at all the pretty things. My rolling nut is just fine, as is the tickler and stirrup, my tools haven’t gone away, and although there is no way to recycle the bone, it wasn’t terribly dear in the end. I am lucky in that I have an amazing dealer here that has an immense and wonderful stock. There is an immense selection, including flame birch, tiger maple, blood wood, zebrawood, yellow heart, and many more (including really delicious tropicals), but the black walnut decided to adopt me, so I picked up more than enough for another go.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/dealer.jpg)
The stuff I purchased is really primo Q1 8/4 stock, and was about 4” deep. This is absolutely IDEAL for a single crossbow tiller. The bugaboo facing you of course is hewing out the tickler channel. On later weapons, I plan to do just that, but as before for the purpose of this project, I wanted to do a laminate construction jobbie, as I did with the late, great maple tiller. That means of course a whole lot of very nice black walnut was going to be wasted, and yes, that was more tear-inducing than losing the entire maple tiller. The next thickness for this particular wood was 1”, and while a tri-lam is very tempting (and would look fantastic; imagine a tiller made of flame birch and zebrawood, or lemonwood and osage?), I decided to keep things relatively simple and go with a two wood lamination.
Of course, if I had a really good band saw I could re-saw this material. Something to think about.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/blackwalnt0252.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/blackwalnt0402.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/blackwalnt0492.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tillerglued0022.jpg)
Notice my high-tech way of laying out the tickler channel after making the first one? It works.
Then, the other side is chiseled out. You can see my big, fat Russian autowinding watch. I love mechanical watches, and sometimes weird Soviet-era technology. I can always, if I miss my target, throw this watch and kill it dead.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tillerglued0032.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tillerglued0052.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tillerglued0062.jpg)
It went well, I got my two boards planed so I would have a good, close glue line both on the table (top) and bottom of the tiller, rough cut in the slope for the nose, bore the rolling nut socket, and created the tickler channel, as before. I drilled the prod binding hole in one of the boards and did the same for the tickler pivot pin, and drilled both sides for the nut binding holes. The main reason I did the half holes is to make sure I had enough drill bit shank or shaft. Last time around, I almost didn’t for the prod binding hole. Plus, having the half holes will ensure I get the other halves nice and straight.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tillerglued0072.jpg)
Just before the glue up, I rough cut the basic outline of the tiller, in this case (as before) a Central European model, but this time, with more subtle curves and a very narrow and wider tail or end area. That will become apparent as I work the tiller over the next few days. In addition, I am approaching how I deal with the bone work in a far different way. Instead of laminating on the bone pieces, I am going to inlay them into the tiller surface using basic chisels and mallet. The advantage to this is I don’t have to worry about ragged edges and bad glue lines. I think that it will be a faster process, as well. The plan is to ensure there is more than enough extra wood on both sides of the tiller (I will talk to my draw knife about not getting carried away), then that extra wood will come off, leaving a table fit for a king. :)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tillerglued0122.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tillerglued0142.jpg)
Here is the tiller, all glued and happy. The second shot features my pug Davenport, who is inspecting the tiller. You can see my new floor too. When the guys at Home Depot say it will be easy, they are generally lying. :)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tillerglued0162.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/tillerglued0202.jpg)
Back again soon.
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:'(
Sorry to see that front end smashed.
Good to see you don the cape and mask and jump back on the proverbial horse.
Better luck this time.
Del
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Awww man...... :'( :'(
But that walnut will be stunning!! Way to carry on!! ;D ;D
George
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Thanks, Del the Cat...falling in love and wrecking countless hours of work are so easy :)
George, the walnut is just amazing. Better than kleenex to dry the tears. I should probably stake the other tiller to make sure it doesnt come back from the grave and get me. ;D Seriously, I do have that tiller saved, in case I decide to splice in a new piece of wood, something like a pool cue. Or keep it as an excellent anti-zombie club.
Dane
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Now that the glue up was completed, it was time to begin shaping the tiller. I already know exactly what I wanted to see, so I got out a few photos for inspiration of various bows of this style, and went to work with mainly, as before, adz, drawknife, and various rasps, most principally the farrier’s rasp. The walnut was a pleasure to work, but it did tend to get splintery at times, so that is something I know I would have to be careful of when I began the inlaying process for the table
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug0052.jpg)
Here it is, ready to be worked on, a canvas of sorts :)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug0112.jpg)
This photo shows a hand forged curved drawknife I have, made by a terrfic English tool maker. This type of drawknife is fun to use on historic projects, and works very effectively.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug0122.jpg)
This adz is a replica of a Viking adz I have had for about six years now. Wonderful too, as well, one of my favorites for hogging wood.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug1072.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug1082.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug1162.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug1182.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug1222.jpg)
And thus, the big old hunk of wood begins to look like a proper medieval crossbow tiller.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug0682.jpg)
And these two guys are Otis and Rocky, young pug puppies I was playing with last weekend. They are in my lap, and amazingly fun little guys. Not related to crossbows maybe, but I wanted to share this photo.
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Then I began the inlaying process. This time, instead of laying the pieces on the surface of the tiller, the table as it is know, I wanted to inlay each bone piece fairly deeply into the tiller. I cut each bone pieces to precise shape using a small bench top band saw, and did final shaping with various kinds of files. I lay each piece where it was supposed to go, and drew the outline with a sharp pencil. A scribe makes way more sense, but that is what I did. Then, I got out various sized wood chisels and went to work.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0052.jpg)
This shot shows two pieces already inlaid and epoxied in place. My camera battery ran out of juice, sorry :)
One side of the tiller has some very brittle splintery wood, which is a problem for precise edges, but I figure I can fill in any tiny voids with a mixture of glue and sawdust, and it should be okay, if not totally satisfying. I tested each area as I deepened it for the bone (about 5mm thick), making sure I had good crisp edges and flat bottoms. Once I was happy, out comes the epoxy and rubber bands. After letting it dry overnight, on to the next piece. Right now, I am waiting for some additional bone to come in the mail, but am taking the time to do the prod socket and more shaping of the tiller, mostly with rasps at this point.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0062.jpg)
Trimming the nose of the crossbow to final length.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0072.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0082.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0092.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0102.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0132.jpg)
After the bone pieces are ready, I then work with chisels to create the inlay void (there must be a better term). Dont be hasty, take your time, and a stool by the workbench really makes this much more plesant a process, though normally I only stand when I work in the shop.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0152.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0172.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0192.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0202-1.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/boneinlawing0222.jpg)
More soon.
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Glad to see you back into this project after your disaster. I fear I would still be in fetal position balling my eyes out. That Maple tiller was beautiful. It was truly sad to see it had failed.
-Onebow
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Thanks, onebow. Sometimes the good die young.
Here are some more photos of work I did today. I am shaping the tiller slowly, mostly with rasps at this point, and taking care to make both sides as even to each other as possible. Lopsided tillers dont look so great :)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/continueshaping0012.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/continueshaping0022.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/continueshaping0032.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/continueshaping0052.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/continueshaping0062.jpg)
Notice the extra wood along the sides aft of the already installed bone. Good thing it is there, as I had that small splintering going on. It will work out in the end.
Also, this entire tiller looks stubbier than it is giong to be. The basic shape of it is pretty much defined about to the area of the rolling nut socket, but the rest will get a slimming down as I work down the wood. The tiller will also taper a bit more from underneath to the butt end.
I have roughed out the binding block, out of extra maple from the doomed tiller. The prod socket needs more work, but is basically at the 6 degree angle I need.
More soon.
Dane
PS regarding total tiller length, here is a shot to illustrate why you dont want the tiller too long. It hurts :)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/pug0042-1.jpg)
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I thought I'd tuned into an exercise video when I saw that last pic ;D
Just out of interest, I notice a small step on the top edge of the prod, is it one you bought? Did it come like that?... Are you going to file/grind it out? It looks a tad incongruous.
Del
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Well, I have lost over 20 pounds in the last few months, but not from exercise alone. The photo illustrates that with too long a tiller, reaching down to pull up the string for spanning is difficult.
I can see how that photo appears to show a small ledge or step. It is actually a six inche long piece of shrink wrapped tubing, not sure what the material is, but it acts to help keep the bow together in case of catastophic failure. Some crossbows have safety straps lashed to the front of the prods, as you have probably seen before.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/shaping0012.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/shaping0022.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/shaping0052.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/shaping0072.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/shaping0082.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/shaping0132.jpg)
I am continuing to work on the tiller while waiting for the additional bone I will need to finish the inlaying work. This process is maybe my favorite, and I find it very relaxing and zen-ish., I am using rasps and files at this point, though I did use my adz a bit earlier today to knock some wood off the butt end of the tiller. Seeing the curves emerge is very enjoyable, and I can see already the black walnut, as picky as it can be to work with, is going to be very pretty.
The photos show about 2 hours worth of work. Rushing is not recommended, as always. It almost feels like sculpting.
Dane
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Hi, kids. There was an unlooked for delay when my last shipment of bone scales got lost somewhere in transit. The vendor I have been dealing with is great, and replaced the shipment for free, and that kind of trust and service is awesome in any company.
The inlaying went well, actually very very well. Maybe it was a reward for rescuing a little lost dog recently, or for having to wait so long for the bone to come, or just because sometimes things just go well. It is a gift I don’t like to analyze too much :)
Standards chiseling and careful wood removal is all it takes. The last shot is the glue up using the giant rubber bands I made from a bike inner tube. Next step tomorrow is to shape the rest of the tiller, making it much narrower as it sweeps back toward the butt, and then I will be capping the butt with more bone, as well as decorative bone inlay around the tickler inlet area.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0012.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0022.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0042.jpg)
You may or may not notice that the brittleness of the black walnut did sort of decide in some ways the shape of the bone pieces. I had wanted to have it curve in quicker after getting past the lock area, but the splintery areas had to be removed, and so I ended up having it the way it is now. This is not to say it is necessarily a bad thing, but the materials and how they acted did partially dictate the final design. This is something to keep in mind for next time.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0052.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0072.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0082.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0092.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0102.jpg)
The glueup is 2 part epoxy, and the use of those big homemade rubber bands. They work great.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0112.jpg)
Finally, you can see Davenport standing by as usual. She loves having her picture taken, and so here she is. You can also barely see the Xmas tree is still up. I was shooting for keeping it up until May or June, but others think otherwise, so it will go down maybe in March or possibly April. Ho ho ho.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/newbonesurface0132.jpg)
Be seeing you (quick, what TV show was that phrase from?),
Dane
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Lookin' good.
Del
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Very nice! I have all the components and a roughed out tiller to start building such a crossbow this summer!
Love the pooches too!
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Thanks guys.
Cinead, great on building your own crossbow. I hope you post some pics and share that project here.
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Love your attention to detail Dane!
Can't wait to see her all dressed up and flinging Bolts! :)
-gus
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Great work Dane!
Josh
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Thanks, Josh, and thanks, Gus. I will be posting videos eventually, and not in the distant future.
Tonight, I chiseled in the two recesses for the square nuts I will use to secure the tickler (trigger) pivot pin, which is made from a 10/22 threaded rod.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0012.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0022.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0032.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0042.jpg)
Then, I finished the final sanding, up to 600 grade. I paid especially attention to the bone table surface, and got all (I hope lol) tool marks out of there. If I missed a few, well….it would be an understatement to say I am sick of working with bone, gov’ner.
And then, I rubbed in the first coating of true oil.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0092.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0102.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0112.jpg)
I was told that black walnut makes for a spectacular look, and they weren’t kidding! The areas where there were note and so on look extra amazing, and these shots were taken at night under artificial light. My first crossbow (with the cherry tiller), I had used boiled linseed oil as a first coat, but decided to go straight to the tung oil. Tung oil is a wonderful finish, and I will probably post more about that later, but for now, it was a long day, and I am still recovering from a nasty stomach virus, so I am not 100%. Suffice it to say that tung oil gives a very antique look (meaning medieval in this case), is easy to apply, and dries relatively quickly between coats. I expect to put on maybe 3 more coats.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0122.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0142.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0152.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0172.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0202.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finish0232.jpg)
And there you have it, kids. The next step is a bit of buffing and polishing the tickler where it contacts the sear, making the quarrel rest (out of bone, huzzah), and binding in the bow with the bridel cord. Then on goes the stirrup, which I am securing to the tiller using woven rawhide strapping (it sounds way more complex than it really is). After that, binding in the rolling nut using (ick) dried gut :)
Some may say, all this for a weapon some medieval pope would have you excommunicated for using? Yup. Devils be damned, these things are a lot of fun. And building one will quickly make you appreciate the amount of time it took to build a crossbow vs. a longbow. I haven’t really looked into what the price points were back in the day, but also factor in you can have your surly men at arms killing bad guys pretty much with very little training vs. a lifetime spent mastering the long bow. I just want to poach the king's deer, and dont any of you tell the authorities, or I may hang. Or move in a hurry. :)
More soon,
Dane
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Looking Dane! ;D
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Looking great Dane and cant wait for the video, hope to see you shoot it in a video when its all done!! Thanks again for sharing!
Josh
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Yeah the walnut really did pop when you applies the tung oil. excellent workmanship Dane, you really got a knack for medieval killing machines. cant wait to see the end result.
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Thanks, MoNative.
Josh, the videos will include shooting tests and all that.
Eric, medieval killing machines are even more fun than Roman ones. I have been sketching out the details for an espringal, which I think would be awesome fun to have around. The last gasp of Roman and Greek torsion technology, and they were possibly powerful enough the skewer several Vikings at once. That project probably won't be started this year, but you never know. I want to beat the Myan calendar, just in case 2013 doesn't come. :)
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;D, Constantly killing each other in those periods made for some interesting death dealers for sure. War :D to see more of your projects in 2013
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sorry stupid touch pad scrambled my post. :( meant to say war always seemed to spark great innovation in weapons. and I hope to see more of your projects in 2013. :D
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I still think that sweet piece of bone and walnut would make one heck of a whitetail or turkey slayer >:D
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I got you and agree, Eric. And technology can rule :) I will probably build a half-scale espringal, and start with that and work out design challenges before building a full sized one. Ideally, I'd want to build a reconstructed machine using only Medieval technology, such as broad axe to square up timbers, etc. That would be a tremendously challenging project for sure. If you are not sure what that machine is, it is a kind of timber frame box on wheels, with torsion bundles strung one on each side, between the side rails. In the center is a kind of mega crossbow groove and large rolling nut lock. Two bow arms are thrust through the torsion bundles, and I am envisioning it as a inswinger. You crank this thing back using a wheel and big ass wooden screw. Place giant arrows in machine and let fly.
Lee, I believe this would kill a deer or turkey as dead as can be :) Problem in MA is that you have to have a special permit to hunt with a crossbow, medical reasons I think it is.
Here are a few photos. I've put on three coats of oil thus far, and think I am about done with that, since I want it to have a nice soft finish, not a high-gloss one, though that too would look really good. I made a little bone quarrel rest.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/rest0012.jpg)
Hopefully, the photo that shows the bolt / quarrel (named because the bodkin heads are shaped in a square) easily shows the idea behind the sloping nose of the tiller.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/rest0032.jpg)
I made this from cow bone, filed in what I hope is a little pleasant decorative groove and polished it, and began the groove itself. I will finish the bolt goove itself once I have it on the crossbow and can do final touchup at the range. I glued it on then with super glue (my favorite brand is Gorilla super glue, which is a thick formula and gives you a lot of working time), then clamped it to the nose of the tiller.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/rest0052.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/rest0072.jpg)
Maybe some of you are saying "Hey, he said the quarrel rest will slide in a little dovetail groove." Yes I did, but historic crossbows often had fixed bolt rests. And after my little disaster with the other maple tiller and the bloody groove, I decided to go this route. :) Call me chicken, go ahead, and who wants omlets? :)
I also finished up the binding block out of maple, it looks nice, although most of it will be covered by leather and linen thread once the prod and the stirrup are in place.
And that is all. Tomorrow, I get to stay home due to 8 to 12 inches of heavy wet snow, so I will continue with the crossbow then. If all goes well, this thing will be shootable this coming month.
Dane
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That walnut has finished up very pretty. Better than most furniture!
The Springal project sounds like fun too. My son and I built a trebuchet a few years back that had a 10 foot long throwing arm for a homeschool history fair project. It was a blast! ...and surprisingly accurate. Though I doubt it would be much for deer hunting, it would certainly be effective for taking out a passing pickup truck on a county road. Let's not discuss how I know that though... ;)
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We Home School too and I've done a few cool projects but if my boys read this they are REALLY think I am lame >:D
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Onebow, how do you know this? :) And thanks about the furniture comment....sanding and finishing are not my favorite things, but I spend a lot of time getting this right. A few tiny imperfections are evident, but I can live with them. I did make a concious decision not to fill the wood, though this walnut is fairly porous and would have looked great filled. It looks a bit more rustic this way, I think.
Lee, get to work with your kids. Make something big and dangerous and fun. You will be so cool then lol.
Dane
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Just between you and me, it involved some over-ripe catalopes, an Excel based range calculator we came up with, and a curmudgeonly old neighbor that happened to cross through our test range while going down to the field to feed his cows. The trebuchet being an indirect fire sort of device, we were never even seen. >:D ...though we may have been heard laughing our butts off!
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Just between you and me, it involved some over-ripe catalopes, an Excel based range calculator we came up with, and a curmudgeonly old neighbor that happened to cross through our test range while going down to the field to feed his cows. The trebuchet being an indirect fire sort of device, we were never even seen. >:D ...though we may have been heard laughing our butts off!
Now that is right up my alley! My boys are 11 & 9, how old are your "youngin's"?? We are in the process of selling our dream house and relocating but as soon as we do I'll be embarking on some Blacksmithing stuff with them (they have a head start on me since they relocated 1st) but I hope to catch up or at least add some support. I bought them an old belt driven blower forge and have a line on a good Anvil so we'll see where that leads.
Anyway, sorry for the derailment Dane...continue on my friend!!! (and if you need someone to test out that sucker on some Longbeards let me know >:D)
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Onebow, awesome story. All that math is why I enlisted as a grunt instead of the field artillary.
Lee, I hope your house sale goes well and you get your forge up and operating soon. You can make all kinds of gruesome medieval stuff there for sure.
No sweat on derailing the thread, and continue any converesations you want to.
Dane
PS the quarrel rest looks great, so tomorrow, I am probably going to bind on the prod.
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Thanks Dane, much appreciated~
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Very welcome.
Now we come to the really unpleasant task of binding in the prod. I imagine the apprentice had to do this back in the 14th century. You will use every black word you know, make up new ones, and Google foreign cuss words as you work through this process. :)
The secret is thread management, and man alive, these threads will come alive and want to explore every inch of your workshop, get wrapped up in themselves, the drill press, the vices, the bench legs, your legs, your knees, the lighting fixtures, and the neighbor’s cat. Don’t let this happen! Fight them. Be stern, and if you have to, toss them in the trash and start over.
But from the beginning. I started with a new roll of 8/6 linen thread, which is nice and thick, heavy stuff that looks very medieval. This is undyed and unbleached and has that nice natural look to it. It doesn’t stretch much, and is not too expensive (maybe 25 bucks for a roll). I get it from a supplier to weavers and knitters near me, but you can probably find it on line. You can also use hemp, which was used historically, and probably 1/8” stuff is ideal.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0032.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0052.jpg)
You measure out a long, long, long single thread. I used my eye and estimated about 50 yards, or 150 feet. Way better to have too much than to realize you don’t have enough when doing the final binding. So, I started by slipping the thread through the binding hole. So far so good. The prod is padded with a couple of pieces of buckskin, on that went between the back of the prod socket and the prod, and the other between the front (back) of the tiller and the tiller binding block. Note that the finish on the tiller binding block is not perfect, and I figured that, one, having a bit of bite or tooth will be good to help lock in the binding, and two, it will never see the light of day :).
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0062.jpg)
So, slip one end of the thread through the binding hole, being careful not to tangle it or tangle it with the other end of the thread. It will want to do that, and likely will. If you look at it just right, it will tangle. And it will end up in Hoboken, all tangled up and hanging out in a sleazy bar.
Thread management is the key. After giving up doing this in my shop, I moved to the kitchen, cleared the decks, and worked there. Yes, everything was hopelessly tangled, and I tossed out not one but two attempts, so there was about 300 feet of linen thread ruined and laughing at me, and this was about 4 hours into the process.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0122.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0132.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0152.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0162.jpg)
Finally, with the third go, things went well. I can’t say how many revolutions I went through to get the prod where I felt it was nice and tightly bound in, but common sense and a bit of prodding and pushing will tell you when you are done. I am guessing I used up about 3 fifths of the 50 yards, and certainly more than half.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0192.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0232.jpg)
Now, you will find the prod is still not rock steady in the socket. Time to do the side bindings.
I probably should put up some sketches, but basically, you take the two ends of the threads, place the crossbow on its side, and begin this part. I began at the prod or business end of the weapon, but you can begin the side bindings at the hole end, too. A discussion about binding methods on a crossbow forum (arbalest guild) taught me a new method, in that I began binding the figure eight part of the binding at the pod end and then move aft, toward the prod binding hole (i.e. the butt end of the weapon). It would be prefectly acceptible to start at the binding hole and move toward the prod. I think this gives you a tighter overall binding, however.
This is done using a figure 8 pattern: under, through, over, under, though, over, etc. I did this for 13 full revolutions or turns, keeping the thread as tight as I could without breaking it to bring the two sides of the skein together. Depending on many factors with your own crossbow, such as the diamter of the binding hole, length between socket and hole, type of thread and diamter of thread, etc, you may find 20 revolutions are needed, or 8. Each time will be unique.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0252.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0262.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0272.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0282.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0302.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0312.jpg)
Notice the fid? It is that little gold looking thingie.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0312.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0332.jpg)
I am not sure if that is even the correct term, but that is what I am calling it, and allows me to pull the thread through the bundles and behind them, too. Mine is made of gold! Yes, pirate gold! Aztec pirate gold! Cursed, too. Or, maybe it is made of brass. I recommend something less able t scratch your tiller surfaces though, and will have to make a bone one later. For this time, I used this, and the minute scratches I foolishly caused I can buff out and make go away, mostly. Chalk it up to bad craftsmanship in this instance.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0372.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0382.jpg)
So, 13 revolutions had the two sides of the binding skein close to each other, which I hope the photos show.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0392.jpg)
This shot shows both sides from above, with one side all bound and the other still pissed it will loose its freedome
Then, I began the second set of wraps, this time behind the skein bundle and around, and around, and around.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0442.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0472.jpg)
Keep going, making sure you lay the thread on carefully so each adjacent threads shows no gaps, it lays nice and neat, and is happy. Constantly be vigilant for knots forming (you can see that was an issue on the second side, but it doesn’t look too, too horrible, and to abort now and start over for one little knot would have been madness).
About maybe 20 wraps moving aft, it starts to get super tight, and you and the fid will work extra hard. Keep going, stop frequently for breaks and coffee, and keep at it. When you just can’t seem to get the fid in there and are very close to the binding hole, you are about done. I made a half knot, and cut off the thread.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0482.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0492.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/bindingh0512.jpg)
Later, I will probably brush some rabbit or other type of hide glue to help lock in the bindings, but that is probably not essential, and that step could be skipped.
You can see that the second side is not as handsome as the first side. I had a bit of trouble that I didn’t notice, and by then, backing out was going to be really hard, so I kept going on the second stage spiral wrapping. And, there was that little knot, which you can see at what I will call the prod eyelet. But it doesn’t look too bad, and is hard as a rock. The prod is unmoving and that is exactly what needs to happen.
An issue that may come up later is loosening of the prod bindings. It does happen, and generally during wetter, warmer months rather than colder, dryer months such as right now. Sometimes you need to just rebind the entire weapon, but that is a case by case basis, and nothing to worry about right now.
And there you have it. Next up is weaving on the stirrup. Stay tuned.
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Wow, that looks like it was some seriously tedious work! Looks great. Looks like you're getting close to shooting it. :)
George
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It was, George. It took probably 6 hours all told. I stopped last night finally about 9 PM and finished it up this morning. A break is sometimes the best thing in the world.
The rawhide strapping is soaking now. I'll be undertaking binding on the stirrup later this morning. After that, install and fine tune lock and trigger, make string, and start shooting. With a few other things tossed in, of course :) But nearly done now. Nock on wood.
Dane
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It's no wonder that the crossbow was so much less common than the long bow! The simplicity factor was like a MILLION to one...
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The only moving parts in a long bow are the string and the archer. True.
One, day, I plan to build a medieval crossbow using only period tools and methods. I have a great number of hand forged tools such as draw knives, chiesels, and so on. It would be very hard work, but very instructive in how much time it really took to build one of these weapons. Factor in of course I am never going to be a full time medieval crossbower, and I imagine those guys could really produce.
Another thing I have noticed about crossbows historically is how so many of them were so incredibly, ornately docorated, with tillers covered entirely in carved ivory, gold filegree, etc. They much have been major status symbols for those able to afford to commission one. That coupled with the fact that a nobleman who hadn't grown up with a long bow could successfully go hunting with one without too much practice.
They make you think if nothing else.
Dane
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Beautiful Work Dane!
Did I say I Really Like This Thread?! :)
Thank You for Sharing your process!
-gus
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My pleasure, Gus.
Coming into the home stretch now! The photos arent final project photos, but I did get out the ol' blacktail pelt and took a few shots of the crossbow lounging around a bit.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finishing0062.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finishing0022.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finishing0012.jpg)
Briefly, the tickler pivot pin is installed, but I will be hiding the ugy nuts and metal with nice little bone rosettes which will slip into place. The rolling nut is being lashed in with dried gut. The nut otherwise will pop out of its socket evertime you shoot the weapon. Sinew was often used for this purpose back in the day, and the gut is tough stuff, and I hope long lasting against constant friction.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finishing0112.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finishing0092.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finishing0082.jpg)
The metalwork is all blued and installed. I used Birchwood Casey cold bluing to do this job, and it worked very well, and was totally easy to use too.
You can see the rawhide which I wove into a basketweave pattern to fasten the stirrup to the front of the crossbow. I used very thick rawhide, and am not ttoally happy with how it came out. Much thinner rawhide I think would do a better and neater job, but I am going to keep it thus for now. It certainly is tough stuff, and as it dried (I wet it to do the work), it became pretty rock solid.
About the only thing left to do is make a few strings and start testing the bow. that will happen probably next week, but maybe sooner. I do promise to have some videos of the weapon in action, and some photos of course as well. I cant guess how this would chornograph out to, but if I can borrow one, I will have to do that kind of testing as well. I suspect it will be really hard hitting, and the bolts I make and use are heavy ones, made from 3/8" oak dowling with 125 grain heads and two fletch. No spine issues! The heavy, slower steel bow is ideal for heavy bolts, not unlike a warbow most liking heavy war arrows rather than light flight arrows.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finishing0142.jpg)
Oh, almost forgot to include a shot of the not-finished bolt clip. It will be screwed into the surface of the table, behind the nut, and will rotate forward to gently hold a bolt in firing position, and then out of the way when you are ready to shoot. These clips can be made of metal or antler, and are a common feature historically. Unlike a hand bow where you only knock and draw when you are about ready to shoot, with a crossbow, you can keep the thing loaded a lot longer, and who wants to tilt the weapon and then loose the bolt. Embarrasing, that :)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/finishing0172.jpg)
Dane
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Incredibly cool Dane, first rate weapon for any bloodthirty conquerer! The linen wraps are great and really add to it's look. Love all the detail. Can't wait for the video. :)
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AWSOME work Dane!!!
Josh
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awesome work dane... Can I ask where you got the prod from?
Jon
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Thanks, Eric!
Thanks, Josh.
Jon, the prod was made by a company called Alchem, Inc. I can't include a link to them, as they are not PA advertisers. But private message me, and I can recommend other and better vendors.
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Thats looking awesome!!
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Thank you, MoNative.
It weighs in at 7.2 lbs. That is more then that current issue M4 weighs. :)
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That horn nut looks gorgeous peeking up through the bone deck.
I'm a bit worried by you saying the bolt clip rotates???
AFIK It just sits there, the tip is kicked up so the string slips under it as it's drawn back, and the butt of the bolt is then slipped under it. It's a bit fiddly to get the geometry just right to clear the nut, allow the passage of the string and still hold the nut, I've found it need to be arched fairly high and the swoop down near the tip.
I think it could be tapered towards the front end too, it would mook more elegant like the rest of the bow.
Hope you don't mind the comments.
That walnut is V handsom and gives a lovely look to the underside a sort of keel appearance.
Shame the modern steel bows aren't as chunky as the medieval ones, but I s'pose an accurately reproduced one would cost a fortune.
Del
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Thanks for the kind Words, Del. I appreciate critisism and suggestions, actually.
Regarding the bolt clip, yes, it pivots 180 degress entirely out of the way, and is only there to lightly hold the bolt into place when the weapon is spanned and ready to shoot. When I do some testing shots and videos, I will make sure and get some pictures of all this.
I do agree, it maybe would have looked better to have it taper a bit and mirror the shape of the tiller, even.
Medieval composite crossbow prods are amazing creatures, very complex, and maybe one day I will start to learn to make those. I dont think anyone in the world makes real ones for any amount of money, though, and it would be a devlish learning curve. But very tempting.
Today, I am making crossbow strings. Big, fat things they are, and the jigs I made seem to be doing the trick nicely. Soon, I will be ready to start shooting this bow. And I already have my next few projects planned out. For me personally, this stuff is way more addictive than bow making.
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I really love following/reading your thread Dane...kinda getting me sucked into this little world of yours (I need a new interest/hobby like a hole in the head but...) Do you have any pics or drawings of the next upcoming projects on your table? How about any books or detailed reference material for these type of projects...or are you doing 99% of the builds based off a simple pic and such? Would love to hear what your process is from choosing a build to designing/laying it out and figuring out the guts/components. Thanks!!! Oh and the keep the pics coming my friend...
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Thanks so much, Lee. These kinds of comments really help motivate me to keep producing.
My little world, as you so aptly put it, can be viewed as kind of strange, but it keeps me honest and out the trouble.
I get my inspirations from a ton of sources, and try to keep my mind and eyes open to new ideas and new inspirations. One of the single great English language books on crossbows is by Sir. Ralph Payne-Gallwey, "The Book of the Crossbow." It is a 19th century work by this wealthy guy who dabbled in crossbows and other stuff, Roman seige engines, and other things. He isn't totally reliable, and can show an ugly jingoisitic side to him that is part of his life and times, but overall, it is a good work, available cheap as a Dover reprint, and worth having. There are some good websites such as arbalist guild, a site much like this, full of cool folks, some also members of PA (Orcbow is one, remember him?. Frode is another. My name over there is stoneagebowyer, so come over and say hi). Museum photos are another source of weapons worth looking and getting ideas from.
The late Roman bow I am about to start is a wierd little weapon, and comes from 2 sculputures found in France / Gaul. Stubby, no stirrup, the rear of the tiller has a kind of turned handle thingie sticking out, and the tickler is bent pretty radically down below the handle. I am basing the way I am going to make the handle on a 2nd century Roman spatha replica I have here, and it should look nice
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/clip0232.jpg)
The wood I plan to use will be flame birch for the tiller, and the table surface maybe using bloodwood or some other exotic tropical. I doubt the Romans had tropical hardwoods, but this is not a replica, as that would have to be made of stone lol. Probably a purist would nash their teeth, but I am not making an exact anything, but something based on what I find interesting at during the hear and now.
Later, I want to build a nice stubby cavalry bow, with a curved down tiller, again based upon real examples, but not any one in particular. There are a number of regional styles of tillers, but no hard and fast rules or lines that you can or cant cross.
After that, a gastrophetes, which is really a small catapult, but it hurls a big bolt, and should be cool and fun to shoot. The espringal is on the table, and I should get to that probably this or next year.
Here are a few more photos. A few hopefuly will show the bolt clip in action. The clip simply keeps the bolt on the weapon, and is pushed aside when you want to shoot.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/clip0172.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/clip0182.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/clip0202.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/clip0212.jpg)
Last, a couple of pictures of my sting making jigs.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/clip0032.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/clip0022.jpg)
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/clip0042.jpg)
Simple stuff, as a crossbow string is a fat thing, much fatter than a bow string. The endless string method is the way I do them, and have a jig for tension as i serve the center serving. I am starting to make my strings using B50, though I will try fastflight and see how that performs. The one on the jig is linen. Later, I should do a posting just on string making.
(http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu30/Danemitchell/clip0222.jpg)
That last shot shows the gut that I used to secure the rolling nut into the socket. This serves only one purpose, and that is to keep the nut from popping out as you shoot.
More soon guys, including testing and shooting vids and photos. I still have tiny little things to do, such as covering the tickler pin with bone inserts, but other than that, the weapon is ready to string and be tested and shot in. Thanks to all of you who shared this journey thus far.
Dane
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I really need a laith. when I made a nut last year, I carved the stupid thing round by hand. took forever. your project looks pretty good. I have had, in the back of my mind, the idea of doing a comosite crossbow, but I never seem to find the time to get it started.
jamie
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Hi, long time lurker, first time poster... Just thought I would give you a tip on making the bindings that (at least for me) cuts down on the ugly words quite a lot. I made a lillöhus crossbow some time back and initially found out that the thread for the prod binding WANTS to tangle, but if you take the sneaky aproach and keep it on the roll, it works a lot better...
First of you need some kind of spool holder for your roll of thread. (I used a piece of board with a 5 inch dowel in it. Kind of like a holder for paper rolls.
Place this next to the crossbow and start by pulling a loop of thread through the binding hole. Pull the loop over the end of the prod then pull the end coming from the roll of thread thight. Loop the string over the other end of the prod, pull tight and repeat from the begining until satisfied.
Using this method, at the most you have to fight a couple of feet of thread at a time, the rest will still be on the spool. It can still tangle (trust me on this...) but it is a lot less likely and easier to untangle.
/Patrik
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Jamie, making a nut by hand like that would drive me nuts.
Patrik, thanks for the advice. Doing more bindings will make it less unpleant from practice alone, and your idea sounds good. I will give it a try one day. I just picked up some yellowheart, jatoba, tiger maple, canary wood, flame birch and ambrosia maple that is destined for four or more crossbows.
Dane
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I just picked up some yellowheart, jatoba, tiger maple, canary wood, flame birch and ambrosia maple that is destined for four or more crossbows.
Dane
Oh yummy!!! Can't wait to see what comes from that list of "eye candy" wood!
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Lee, the flame birch and tiger maple are first up. I'm building a earlier medieval bow with a bolt groove, and brass or rawhide lock plates. THe maple will be for the top surface of the tiller. Im going to probably pin the maple to the birch with buffalo horn dowels, should look delicious, and put a high gloss finish on this one. I have a 100 lb. prod set aside for this one. I'm starting this project this weekend, and will really keep track of how long this bow will take to build, as I lost track last time.
Dane
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Dane, that sounds like a really gorgeous wood combo. Toss in the horn pics and maybe a like colored polished rawhide plates and :o >:D WOW!
Where do you pick up your wood, somewhere local so you can inspect it or online?
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Lee, on page two is a photo of my hardwood dealer. Anyone who loves wood would have a glorious time here. They are the nicest people in the world, and the stock is just amazing, and changing all the time. It is so nice to pick out wood by hand, for bows or for any other projects. The place is only about 5 miles from my house. Before I discoverd this dealer, I was driving about 65 - 70 miles one way for my hardwood.
Dane
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Wow Dane,
I'm absolutely blown away by how beautiful the walnut and bone came out. This thread is addictive. Is that an old German "CAT" knife I see in a couple of pics? Those are very collectible I'm told.
I'm curious as to why you decided to use a piece of gut to hold the nut in instead of pining it. Maybe you said and I didn't catch it. :o I had a lot of catching up to do. ;D
Can't wait to see the vids when you get them. Thanks for going to all the trouble with this thread. It's been great.
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Thanks, Jimmy.
The black walnut did come out great, and the contrast to the bone is just excellent. The cord binding is called nussfaden The rolling nut isn’t pinned into the socket at all, and rotates freely. The purpose of the nussfaden is to keep the nut from oscillating and popping out of the socket as you shoot it. The problem with steel axels or pins is that they can bend if the socket isn’t very tight, and you have to account for wood swelling and shrinking and having a stuck nut :) Historically, many crossbows used binding cord. I’ve used artificial sinew in the past, but it wears too fast (and doesn't look quiet natural, being nylon), so gut is a much better material.
Yup, that is a Cat 55 knife, my everyday pocketknife. This is a newly made one, btw.
The delay in finishing this thread is this: I’m putting together a spanning tree, which consists of a couple of 4x4s bolted into a cross shape, with two heavy hardwood dowels set into the cross member, a few inches aft from the prod tips. I’m using a 1.5 ton pneumatic jack to do the stringing from now on, as it is way easier and safer than other methods. For a 200+ pound bow, a hand pulled bastard string is just impossible; I should have eaten more vegetables in my youth, maybe, and hate canned raw spinach. I suspect Popeye was pushing some propaganda on us kids there.
I’ve got a 750 lb. crossbow commission in the works, so the 3000 pounds capacity will be very handy. Bracing that bow is going to epic and terrifying :).
The vids though will happen soon.
Dane
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Holy Moly.....sure you don't need a suit of armor to string that thing?
Get us some pics of that too.
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The last thing you will ever see of me is grainy video footage of hand-forged steel, walnut and bone shrapnel flying in all directions, followed by a scream and a thud.
I only kid about 95%, though I am considering pulling out my old flak vest and wearing a helmet for that task. That is going to be a very challenging project, which I have already begun. The client is providing an authentic medieval steel prod forged by one of the top makers in Germany, with the rolled ear prod tips. I am pulling out all the stops on that one, and will post on that project in the near future. It will have fully reinforced prod socket, steel reinforced nut ears, and a bone lined, reinforced prod socket. The string will have to rate at least at 3,000 pounds breaking strength, with extra thrown in for good measure. The trigger sear and tickler will be heat treated, as well. The only modern technologies I am using for that project are a drill press for boring accurate holes and modern epoxies, so it will be as close to an actual medieval weapon as you will be able to find. I’ve even got an order in for hemp rope made with long strand fibers, far better stuff than you can get from Walmart of a craft store.
I think I am going to find some steel or iron pegs for the spanning rack, considering the kind of forces I will be dealing with soon. I can’t even imagine what kind of performance such a high-power bow will produce yet. But we will find out. :)
Dane
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Dane, that sounds Pretty Darn KOOL!
A weapon like that would be worthy of punching Richard the Lion Heart's Ticket...
:)
-gus
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That sucker is going to be one hell of a beast! Once you get it braced once, can you leave it braced? What about the prod on this crossbow, can you leave it braced or do you have to brace and unbrace after each shooting session?
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Gus, if Richard is around, I am going to shoot him in his royal heart lol.
It is an exciting project, Ifrit. I just got a call from my client, the prod came from Germany today, so I will have it in hand in a week or so. The guy who forged it is Jens Sensfelder, a giant in the crossbow world. Regarding keeping it braced, I did have a steel 100 lb. prod strung for about a year and a half, and there was no loss of power or set whatsoever. Unlike a wooden bow, you can leave crossbows spanned for longer periods of time. Some have been spanned for many centuries and have not loss a great deal of efficiency.
I will be begging or borrowing a chronograph when I get that one done, to see how it performs. This kind of power really would be effective against period armor, I am guessing. I will create a new thead once that build is really underweigh.
Dane
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I have a feeling this monster would slay any dragon in the realm.
With that much power in a metal prod, you may cause magnetic field shift, LOL's ;D
Have you ever tried to use a leaf spring for a prod? I found an article called The Atom Smasher from Popular Science that shows how to do it. Been thinking bout that one......
I want to see this one first though.
Plus I gotta get better at not breaking regular bows too ::)
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I agree, Jimmy, it will be one powerful toy. I'm aquiring all the materials right now - moose antler stem, gut, bar stock steel for the tickler, bone for the table, tickler inlet area, and butt plate, goat rawhide, hemp rope, and so on. My delivery date is 3 to 6 months, so the project is going to move at a nice pace. We are about 85% complete on a new archery range at my club, which I've been working tword for a long time, so it will be a good setting for testing this bow and future ones.