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Howto Make Crossbows: he Classic
Crossbow
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1) Our IieIdpiece Iooks and IuncIions
Iike many oI Ihe more expensive
manuIacIured crossbows. 2) The IronI
sihI is a sIrap oI aIuminum IiIIed wiIh
a bead. The sIeeI cockin rod ives Ihe
cockin Iever (3) a Iorward mounI
when Ihe sIrin is bein drawn. 4) This
proIoIype has no Irier saIeIy, buI
one can be added.
NOTL: Thouh we dd uld und test oth oj our crossows, the otentul jor njury jrom
uny weuon s enouh to comel us to suy thut whoever ulds und uses ths tool does so
ut hs or her own rsk.
An archer mihI consider iI kin Io a Iirearm ...a shooIer, on Ihe oIher hand, mosI IikeIy wouId
Ihink iI a sIock-mounIed bow...and you wouIdn'I need a poII Io knowIhe eneraI pubIic's
IeeIin: !I Iooks sinisIer enouh Io be a IeIhaI weapon!
!n shorI, Ihere's noI much doubI IhaI Ihe modern crossbowsuIIers an "idenIiIy crisis," buI-
reardIess oI Ihe mysIery IhaI sIiII surrounds Ihis curious hybrid-iI's been ainin in popuIariIy
amon hunIers and IareIeers aIike ...and IhaI Irend hasn'I one unnoIiced here aI MOTHR.
WiIh severaI avid bowhunIers on Ihe sIaII, and a research deparImenI eaer Io Iake on such an
inIeresIin chaIIene, iI wasn'I too diIIicuII Io eI Ihe baII roIIin on a pro|ecI IhaI we Iiured
mihI be a IirsI in Ihe IieId: desinin and buiIdin a guaIiIy crossbowIrom scraIch ...IesIin iIs
rane, accuracy, and overaII eIIecIiveness ...and Ihen comparin iIs perIormance Io IhaI oI
IradiIionaI recurve and compound bows.
CrossbowBasics
The conIemporary crossbowshares IiIIIe beyond a basic desin wiIh iIs Iorebear, Ihe medievaI
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The conIemporary crossbowshares IiIIIe beyond a basic desin wiIh iIs Iorebear, Ihe medievaI
arbaIesI. Thouh boIh Iaunch arrows (boIIs) by means oI a shorI bowIransverseIy Iixed Io a
sIock, Ihe superioriIy oI modern maIeriaIs-aIon wiIh Ihe improved eomeIry made possibIe by
Ihe use oI such IihIweihI pIasIics, aIIoys, and composiIes-has Iurned whaI was a crude buI
eIIecIive weapon oI war inIo an admirabIe piece oI IairIy uncompIicaIed IechnoIoy.
Over Ihe pasI Iewyears, crossbowdesin has received considerabIe aIIenIion Irom various
manuIacIurers, wiIh Ihe resuII IhaI Ihe oId sIandard has been modiIied Io run Ihe amuI Irom
a paramiIiIary-Iookin assauII piece Io an arIisIic expression oI cIassicaI physics. And aIIhouh
Ihese deveIopmenIs represenI improvemenI in mosI cases, Ihey're beyond Ihe abiIiIy oI aII buI
Ihe besI-eguipped craIIs peopIe Io dupIicaIe.
We chose Ihe paIh oI IeasI resisIance and used Ihe simpIesI common denominaIors in our
desin. The sIock oI our crossbowconsisIs oI a cenIer spine covered on each side by a
sIrenIhenin IIank. As a boIIed-IoeIher uniI, Ihis IIaI-aIuminum assembIy serves as a
combinaIion barreI (or chcsc in crossbowIerminoIoy), Irier housin, handrip, and
shouIder exIension.
The bow, or prod, is seI inIo Ihe nose oI Ihe IoresIock, and Ihe Iwo-piece Irier mechanism, cuI
Irom 1/4" pIaIe sIeeI, is pinned beIween Ihe rihI and IeII IIank pieces |usI beIowIhe receiver.
WaInuI sIock inserIs were Irimmed and shaped Io maIe wiIh Ihe sIock on eiIher side oI Ihe
shouIder exIension.
Since Ihe sIrin does conIacI Ihe barreI and is Ihus sub|ecI Io IricIion, we added a pair oI
shouIder sIides Io Ihe sides oI Ihe chase Io reduce sIrin wear and increase boII veIociIy. Thouh
Ihese couId aIso be made oI waInuI, we used DeIrin (a Du PonI aceIaI resin) because iI possesses
an inherenI IubriciIy.
Our crossbow's open sihIs consisI simpIy oI a IronI Irame made oI aIuminum sIrap, and an
aIIoy rear rin mounIed Io Ihe receiver. SockeI-head cap screws Ihreaded inIo each oI Ihese
brackeIs provide sihIin beads, and Ihe rear uniI can be Iowered or raised as necessary Io zero
Ihe piece in aI a speciIic rane.
As Iar as we've been abIe Io deIermine, a IeIescopic riIIe sihI is inappropriaIe on a crossbow
Ior Ihree reasons. irsI, Ihe weapon's eIIecIive rane is IimiIed Io S0 yards or so in aII buI an
experI's hands, and aI IhaI disIance, beads and Ihe pracIiced naked eye shouId be suIIicienI.
Second, a Iired boII's Ira|ecIory is such IhaI, beyond 1S or more yards, iIs drop is enouh Io
Iower Ihe poinI oI impacI many inches Irom Ihe Iine oI sihI (see sidebar) ...and since mosI
scopes are caIibraIed Ior riIIes, Ihe rane oI ad|usImenI may be resIricIive or Ihe zeroin-in
process Iedious. inaIIy, a scope narrows Ihe IieId oI viewand adds weihI as weII.
You've probabIy aIready noIiced IhaI our phoIos showIwo diIIerenI crossbows. The IirsI,
deIaiIed in Ihis arIicIe, is a IuncIionaI, no-adeI rendiIion IhaI's noI overIy compIicaIed Io
assembIe, which shouId serve as a Iine IieIdpiece or IareI piece. The second is a muIIiuse
version IhaI has some inIeresIin IeaIures, buI Ior Ihe mosI parI iI's besI suiIed Io rane
shooIin or backyard "pIinkin." !I sporIs a IoIdin IronI handrip, a removabIe shouIder sIock
exIension (which aIIows Ihe Ion arm Io converI Io a hand piece), and-no doubI Ihe mosI
pracIicaI IeaIure oI aII-a posiIive Irier saIeIy. (This IasI iIem, by Ihe way, can be added Io our
sIandard crossbowiI desired.)
BuildtheCrossbowStep-by-Step
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You mihI be inIeresIed Io knowIhaI we spenI abouI $102 makin our IieIdpiece; IhaI breaks
down Io approximaIeIy $14 worIh oI 1/4" aIuminum IIaI sIock (avaiIabIe aI a scrapyard or a
meIaIs disIribuIor); $8 in DeIrin; $6 Ior Ihe waInuI biIIeIs; abouI $7 in assorIed boIIs, pins, and
oIher minor hardware; and-here's Ihe kicker-$67 worIh oI prod and Dacron bowsIrin.
AdmiIIedIy, iI wouId have been nice iI we'd been abIe Io consIrucI our own shorI bowby usin
common maIeriaIs ...and beIieve us, we Iried! 8uI Ihe IaminaIed IiberIass pIods we Iaid up |usI
didn'I have adeguaIe drawsIrenIh or Ihe resiIiency Io sIand up Io repeaIed use, possibIy
because we weren'I abIe Io dupIicaIe Ihe heaI-and-pressure curin process used by commerciaI
manuIacIurers. 8arneII Crossbows seIIs prods, sIrins, boIIs, and oIher accessories.
To ease consIrucIion, we've ouIIined Ihe crossbow's ma|or parIs and driIIin poinI wiIhin a rid,
which wiII aIIowyou Io make up-scaIed IempIaIes Ior Ihe meIaI pieces. 8uI pIay iI saIe by
maIchin Ihe IempIaIes perIecIIy hcjorc Iapin Ihem Io Ihe meIaI and scribin Iheir ouIIine
...and be even more careIuI when acIuaIIy cuIIin Ihe aIuminum sIock, since [1] Ihe pieces musI
|oin cIoseIy or you'II be spendin a IoI oI Iime wiIh Ihe IiIe, and [2] Ihe cenIer spine's weak spoI
-Ihe Irier uard-shouId noI be any Ihinner Ihan 7/32".
The besI way Io Irim Ihe parIs accuraIeIy, by Ihe way, is Io use a band saweguipped wiIh a
meIaI-cuIIin bIade. 8ecause Ihe smooIh operaIion oI Ihe Irier and sIriny caIch depends in
reaI measure upon Ihe perIecI aIinmenI oI Ihe Ihree sIock componenI, we suesI IhaI you
posIpone driIIin Ihe IIank pieces unIiI you've bored Ihe 9/64" posI hoIes accordin Io Ihe cenIer
poinIs indicaIed on Ihe IempIaIe. Once Ihose sockeIs are compIeIe, cIamp Ihe aIuminum cenIer
spine Io one oI Ihe IIanks and recheck Ihe aIinmenI, usin Ihe IempIaIe cuIouI Irom Ihe Irier
housin. Then driII correspondin hoIes in Ihe one IIank piece
WiIh IhaI done, use No. 6 X 3/4" machine screws as Iemporary IocaIin pins Ior Ihe Iwo bored
componenIs, and cIamp Ihe second IIank piece in pIace. When you're saIisIied IhaI aII Ihree
parIs are evenIy maIed, driII Ihe IinaI member. Since Ihe posI screws are recessed, you'II need Io
counIersink Ihe exIerior openins wiIh Iarer biIs accordin Io Ihe desin oI Ihe screws and
nuIs you've chosen.
The sIeeI Irier componenIs have Io be Ihinned by 1/64" in order Io aIIowIhem Ireedom oI
movemenI wiIhin Ihe sIock. Once Ihis is done, Ihose parIs can be driIIed where indicaIed wiIh a
1/8" biI, and Ihe 1/8" X 3/4" expansion pin pivoIs can be pressed in and cenIered. The pivoI pins
ride in 9/64" sockeIs driIIed inIo Ihe rihI and IeII IIank pieces; Io be on Ihe saIe side, you mihI
wanI Io use Ihe Irier-housin IempIaIe cuIouI Io posiIion Ihose openins accuraIeIy.
As we menIioned beIore, you can insIaII a Irier saIeIy mechanism accordin Io our deIaiI.
8oIh Ihe Irier and Ihe saIeIy caIch are reIurned by smaII compression sprins seI inIo sIoIs
cuI Ihrouh Ihe cenIraI spine.
8eIore assembIin Ihe sIock Ior ood, you'II wanI Io beveI Ihe inner surIaces oI Ihe barreI, and
round Ihe enIire Irame's ouIer edes. The rouh work can be done wiIh a rinder or IiIe, and
Ihe meIaI Ihen can be smooIhed wiIh emery cIoIh. Save Ihe IinaI exIra-Iine poIishin Ior IaIer,
aIIer you've boIIed and pinned everyIhin IoeIher and compIeIed Ihe cosmeIic work.
The nexI porIion oI Ihe pro|ecI incIudes seIIin Ihe boII Ian (Ihe sprin-sIeeI IeaI IhaI hoIds Ihe
pro|ecIiIe snu aainsI Ihe barreI), addin Ihe wooden (or DeIrin) sIides Io Ihe IIanks, and
cuIIin, shapin, and IasIenin Ihe waInuI inserIs IhaI dress Ihe shouIder exIension. (These
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pieces can be cuI Io shape usin Ihe IempIaIe as a uide, Ihen rounded wiIh a sander and boIIed
or Iued Io Ihe aIuminum spine prior Io bein Iinished wiIh varnish or Iun oiI.)
The IronI sihI is a piece oI 1/16" X S/8" X 6-1/2" sIrap aIuminum benI inIo an open Irame
conIiuraIion so Ihe boII can pass Ihrouh iI. !I's IasIened Io Ihe Iop oI Ihe IoresIock wiIh Iwo
No. 6 X 1/4" machine screws, and a shorI cap screwIocked Ihrouh iIs crown serves as a bead.
Thouh we used a machined rin aI Ihe rear (Io provide a housin Ior an experimenIaI scope
sihI), you can make an exceIIenI sihIin posI by simpIy driIIin and Iappin a hoIe aI Ihe Iop
oI Ihe receiver Io accepI a 632 sockeI-head cap screwabouI 1-1/2" in IenIh. This can Ihen be
ad|usIed up or down Ior sihIin.
We ordered a prod wiIh a drawsIrenIh oI 17S pounds ...buI even iI you choose a IihIer bowIo
IenIhen sIrin IiIe, you'II probabIy need a cockin Iever Io puII iI inIo posiIion. You can make
one by bendin Iour secIions oI 1/8" X 1" IIaI meIaI Io creaIe a Iwo-armed, boII-IoeIher yoke
IhaI uses mechanicaI advanIae Io ease cockin (see iIIusIraIion). A pair oI sIoIs in Ihe
sIaIionary parI oI Ihe Iever hook inIo a S/16" X 3" sIeeI rod IiIIed inIo Ihe crossbow's IoresIock
(Ihis shouId be IocaIed as indicaIed on Ihe IempIaIe and pressed in pIace beIore you insIaII Ihe
prod), and anoIher seI oI sIoIs cuI inIo Ihe shorI "|ack arms" caIch Ihe sIrin. The IuIcrum's |usI
a movabIe coIIar IhaI can be Iocked inIo Ihe opIimaI posiIion.
The prod is heId in pIace by a 1/4" X 1" X 1-1/4" bIock oI aIuminum Iaced wiIh a sIrip oI hard
rubber. A simiIar pad, Iued Io Ihe rear oI Ihe prod sockeI, provides addiIionaI cushionin, and
Ihe meIaI bIock is Iorced IihIIy aainsI Ihe bow's Iace by a 1/4" X 1-3/4" cap screwIhreaded inIo
a Iapped hoIe aI Ihe nose oI Ihe sIock.
Once Ihe prod's insIaIIed, you'II have Ihe pIeasure oI sIrinin iI. UnIess you're exIraordinariIy
muscuIar, we'd suesI you purchase whaI's caIIed a hcstcrd sIrin aIon wiIh Ihe reuIar
Dacron cabIe. This seI oI sIrands is Ioner Ihan Ihe service sIrin and Ihus can be sIipped onIo
Ihe prod more easiIy. !I's Ihen used Io drawIhe bow's ears back Io Ihe cocked posiIion so Ihe
reaI sIrin can be Iooped in pIace. When IhaI's done, boIh sIrins can be reIeased wiIh Ihe
Irier and Ihe basIard removed. This is Ihe onIy siIuaIion in which Ihe crossbowshouId be
"dry Iired," since IhaI pracIice can spIiI Ihe prod.
!I shouId be guiIe obvious IhaI your Iinished pro|ecI has a IeIhaI poIenIiaI and shouId be
handIed wiIh Ihe same cauIion IhaI you'd ive Io any Ionbowor Iirearm. Don'I Ioad iI unIiI
you're ready Io Iire iI, and don'I Iire iI wiIhouI an adeguaIe IieId behind your IareI Io saIeIy
absorb any overshoIs. Too, iI you're inIeresIed in expIorin Ihe crossbow's capabiIiIies Ior
hunIin, check your sIaIe's ame Iaws beIore you buiId ...iI couId save a IoI oI disappoinImenI
IaIer. MeanwhiIe, you mihI wanI Io Iook over Ihe sidebar accompanyin Ihis arIicIe Io see
whaI kind oI resuIIs you couId expecI Irom your modern day arbaIesI!
ReIaIed ArIicIes:
The Crossbow: acI and icIion