Now it has become fashionable to hunt with a bow and crossbow. Although it is forbidden in our country, it is still possible to shoot at targets by practicing this difficult task. You can make a crossbow with your own hands at home for training. After all, good models from well-known companies are very expensive. A homemade crossbow can be made "for yourself." It is worth remembering that if the weapon is with an interference of more than 20 kg, then it is considered a melee weapon. Therefore, when creating a crossbow, this important nuance should be taken into account.
There are classic models, they look like ancient ones, and their design is simple. There are also modern crossbows, they are called "block". Such weapons have a more complex design due to blocks and other innovations that enhance their power. It will be much more difficult to make such a crossbow at home, but the description of this process and the drawings that will be detailed in the article will help you with this.
The crossbow has many parts:
- bow;
- bed;
- trigger;
- string;
- in some modern models there are blocks at the ends of the bow.
What to make a crossbow from
The main material from which the crossbow is made is wood. It is used to make a bed and a bow. The trigger mechanism in powerful samples is machined from iron. And those in which the tension force is less than 20 kg can be made of solid wood, it will withstand it. Also, spring metal and various composites are used for the bow.
Ordinary wooden crossbow
First, let's look at how easy it is to make a crossbow with your own hands, and start with its simple form. This is a standard design of ancient weapons, and it can be used not only for shooting, but also as a spectacular piece of furniture, hanging on the wall.
Which tree to use
To create a crossbow you need to choose:
- oak;
- ash;
- acacia;
- maple;
- poplar.
All of these rocks are dense enough to withstand the enormous loads that will affect the bow and crossbow stock.
Material preparation
In order for the weapon to shoot long and powerfully, its material must be properly dried for a year. Having cut off the necessary trunk or branch, both cuts must be painted over. To do this, you can use any glue, paint or varnish. If you close the cuts in this way, moisture will not be able to quickly leave the workpiece, thereforewood will dry more slowly and more evenly. So internal cracks do not form in the material, and a do-it-yourself crossbow made at home will last a very long time.
After that, the log is placed in a dry place where the sun's rays will not fall on it. So it should lie for a year. After the lapse of time, the bark is removed from the workpiece, so it dries for another week. The log is then cut in half. So it lies for another week, only after that you can start creating a crossbow.
Crossbow Making Tools
- Knife.
- Saw.
- Planer.
- Sandpaper of different grits.
- Carpentry cutter.
- Chisel.
- Drill.
Making a bow
On the workpiece, choose the side in which the annual rings of the tree are thinner. This is the north side, the fibers on it are denser than in other parts. It is this that we will use when creating a crossbow with our own hands at home. From this part you need to make a bow.
They mark the middle, about two centimeters are set aside from it on both sides, marking the part that will be clamped in the crossbow bed. This will be the thickest part of the bow. From it they begin to cut off the material, moving gradually towards the edges. Chip the workpiece gradually on both sides, while checking until it starts to bend at least a little.
After that, you need to take a strong rope, make loops at its ends. This will be a test thread. It is necessary to check the tightness of the bow. Very important,so that his shoulders flex evenly. Putting on an impromptu bowstring and pulling the bow, you can see where to shoot the material. They are marked, carefully cut with a knife. So you need to continue until the product begins to bend evenly on both sides.
Knot processing
Very often there are knots on the material: some are visible immediately, others can open during the processing of the material. What they are dangerous for is that they can cause chips to form. Therefore, you need to handle such places with a well-sharpened knife. If there is no confidence or experience, it is better to tinker a little longer and sand them with sandpaper. You can also use a file for this purpose.
Bed
When the bow is ready, it is set aside and the bed is made. To begin with, they choose where the chute will be, along which the arrow will fly out, make this place perfectly flat. It will depend on him how accurately the crossbow will shoot. To understand everything, it is better to look at the drawing of the crossbow. How to make his bed is shown in detail here. After that, the groove is cut to the required length. Usually it is about 30 cm. Then they make a recess for the bow and the trigger. It is convenient to cut them with a chisel and a carpenter's knife.
Trigger
As mentioned above, it can be made from solid wood or, if the crossbow is powerful, from metal. The simplest mechanism is the so-called"nut". It consists of a cylinder, where on the one hand there is a hook for the bowstring, and on the other hand there is an emphasis for the trigger. In powerful crossbows, the trigger is more advanced for easier pulling of the trigger when loaded.
We examined in detail how to make a crossbow with our own hands. A master class with drawings, we hope, will help you understand all the intricacies.
This is a common medieval model. Now we will learn how to make the same weapon, only a modern model.
Compound Crossbow
It is much more difficult to make such an apparatus, it will require much more tools than for a conventional one. So, we create a crossbow with our own hands at home from fiberglass. This material is ideal for making bows, because it is biting and at the same time light. It can be cut from a single piece of fiberglass 1 cm thick or made by yourself. If you are not too lazy to tinker, then it is better to make it yourself.
Making fiberglass shoulders for a crossbow
You need to take fiberglass or Kevlar and cut into strips. They need from 30 to 40. In general, it is better to try everything empirically. These strips are glued with epoxy resin so that everything becomes monolithic when solidified. You also need to think about how to put all this "sandwich" under the press. It is best to use boards between which to place the shoulders, clamp everything with clamps.
Epoxy should have less thickener than usual, ranging from 8 to 10%. Everything freezes in 24 hours, but if the room is cold, the time may increase. When everything is frozen, the shoulders are finished by cutting off the protruding edges with a knife and sanding with sandpaper.
Now let's take a closer look at how to make a crossbow with your own hands at home and what additional elements of its design you need to make.
Making a curly bed
To do this, you need to take a board with a thickness of at least 4 cm. Mark where the butt, handle, trigger and mounts for the bow shoulders will be. In general, everything is according to the drawings. After that, you need to drill all the necessary holes and cut.
Blocks
They can be made from aluminum. Better if they were on bearings. The middle parts from roller skate wheels are perfect. They are strong enough to withstand heavy loads, plus their size is perfect. Axes under them are needed in 5 mm thick. You can take them from the videos or make your own.
Mounts are made of sheet steel or similar strong material. You can also make the ends thicker before pouring epoxy resin on the shoulders of the bow, to install blocks, in which case fasteners are not needed.
After that, on a do-it-yourself crossbow made at home, you need to install a trigger with a trigger and an arrow holder. In general, all parts are connected with bolts, washers are required. They will allow you to twist everything more tightly without damaging the material.
In block crossbows, the bowstring is longer and is pulled alongto another. It seems to cross, and when tight, this system allows you to give the arrow twice as much energy for flight as in the case of a conventional crossbow with the same bow.
In powerful block models, the bowstring is a steel cable, only it can withstand huge sharp pressure when fired. In crossbows, whose power is not more than 40-50 kg, it can be woven from nylon threads.
Make a string for a crossbow
In the described way, you can make a bowstring for both a recursive and a classic crossbow. It's just that their length will be different due to the peculiarities in the designs of both models.
They take a board with the length of the planned bowstring, drive in two pegs, on which a nylon thread is wound in a circle. When the thickness of this long oval becomes 5 mm, it is wrapped, making a gap of 2-3 mm between the turns. Near the pegs you need to braid without gaps, because there will be loops for the hook.
As for the bowstring, we can also say that if you make it too thick, then the strength of the crossbow decreases. However, the thin one can break. So in this case, you need to choose an intermediate thickness. It is better to study similar sports models with the same tightness and make a bowstring of their thickness. When this is done, the two halves are joined and wrapped together. Again, special care is needed near the loops. Then they wrap around the middle, where the bowstring will be hooked and push the arrow. This place is also done carefully, because a friction force of enormous power will be exerted on it. All cut edges of the threads must be smeared with glue. This iswill make them more dense and monolithic.
This article provides drawings and a description of how to make a real crossbow at home. It's not that difficult, especially if you're making wooden weapons. If the product is made for hunting in order to achieve tremendous power, then you should choose a block model. Its design is a little more complicated, it may need a machine to make some parts.
