Well, well, searches on the Internet yielded results. I finally found normal drawings in compliance with GOST.
If you have available material and some equipment, it will not be difficult to make a real (or almost real) one.
At the end of the page there is photo of a homemade crossbow, made according to these drawings from scrap materials.
Naturally, it will not replace a purchased crossbow (after all, the build quality and structure of the material in the factory version are not much higher), but shoot at
So, here is a general diagram of a homemade crossbow.
What does this type of crossbow consist of:
Stock, shoulders, butt, trigger mechanism, sighting device, block system.
The stock is best made from natural hardwood, solid or laminated veneer lumber. Choose the size at your discretion, but
Shoulders and decks of a crossbow
If you have a small arms stock, then this would be an ideal solution, but you can try to plan “Pinocchio” yourself.
Block crossbow design makes it easier to cock the bowstring, but perfectly retains power and allows you to carry it cocked for a long time.
The processing of the guide boom must be carried out particularly precisely. The lines must be smooth and straight. The accuracy and
bowshot. It is best to do this on a milling machine, and then carefully process it with sandpaper. Then polish the groove.
It is better to make a crosspiece with shoulders installed at the end of the stock from an aluminum plate, but you can also make it from wood
Don't forget to make a sighting device consisting of a rear sight and a front sight. You can make a mount for an optical sight.
where you can order the execution of any drawings.
All that remains is to pick up the instrument, recharge yourself in a good mood and set about achieving your goal. Good luck!
P.S.
The article is a rewrite. The administrator is not responsible for the accuracy of the information. Everything you do is done at your own peril and risk.
In addition, it will be interesting to shoot from such a weapon yourself. Everything is done quite simply; you can get by with hand tools. The crossbow turned out to be quite powerful, as for target practice. Double limbs are used here, which increases the rigidity of the bow and allows you to throw wooden arrows at high speed. The author uses self-tapping screws as arrowheads, but you can use your imagination and come up with something more interesting.
Materials and tools used
List of materials:
- timber;
- PVC pipe;
- two self-tapping screws;
- strong rope;
- wooden rods for arrows;
- adhesive tape (for feathers).
List of tools:
- hacksaw or pendulum saw;
- jigsaw;
- belt grinder;
- drill;
- marker;
- roulette;
- screwdriver;
- construction hair dryer;
- vice;
- oil for wood processing;
- paint for painting onions (optional).
Crossbow making process:
Step one. Cutting out blanks
First of all, let's cut the wooden beam, it will be used to make the base. We also need to cut the pipe. You should have two parts, long and short. See photos for dimensions.
Step two. Making a bed
We make the bed from a wooden beam. First of all, we will make the necessary markings using a marker. Well, then we cut out the extra parts using a jigsaw; a jigsaw will cope with this task perfectly.
Step three. Let's make a bow
Our bow consists of two parts, which increases its rigidity. Everything is made from PVC pipes that need to be made flat. To do this, we will need a vice with a wooden insert so that there are no marks left on the pipes. We heat the pipe with a hair dryer until it becomes soft, and then squeeze it in a vice. Step by step we heat the areas and compress them. Finally, we form the desired bow profile.
Step four. Bow mount
To attach the bow, look for its center, and then drill two holes, like the author. For fastening we use two self-tapping screws and washers. But don’t fasten the bow tightly yet, it still needs to be modified.
Step five. Finalizing the bow
The essence of the modification is to make grooves at the ends of the arms, to which the bowstring can be tied. We make markings and cut out excess parts using a jigsaw. As for the short arm, you need to make grooves at the ends so that the string does not fly off.
Step six. Installing the bowstring
We use synthetic strong rope as a bowstring. Cut two pieces of the required length and melt the ends using a lighter. Well, then we tie the main string to the ends of the shoulder with a slight tension. As for the additional shoulder, in order to use it, you will need another rope. You can see how everything connects in the photo.
Step seven. Arrangement of the trigger mechanism
The trigger mechanism is of the trigger type. It consists of two parts, one is the trigger, and the second is a part with teeth, one of which holds the bowstring, and the other rests against the trigger. These parts can be cut from plywood using a jigsaw.
Step eight. Making arrows
We make arrows from wooden rods. To stabilize the flight, make feathers for them; the author used adhesive tape for this. Well, you need to install some kind of weight on the end of the arrow; the author put a self-tapping screw there. If desired, you can cut off the head and sharpen the rod.
Each of you, since childhood, knows what bows are and what they look like. Let's say even more. You've probably tried to make a bow yourself more than once, and then, holding a homemade weapon in your hands, chased cats through the trees and scared the girls. Some people ran with a bow, while others found it easier to make a slingshot, especially since the principle of their operation is almost the same. Moreover, even a girl could make a slingshot.
How to make a simple crossbow with your own hands
For this all you needed was a suitable stick and an elastic band. Then they tied an elastic band in a forked stick, took a small pebble and went to hunt sparrows. To successfully shoot from a slingshot, you had to take a small pebble, place it in the center of the rubber band, pull it with all your strength and quickly release it, in a similar way to shoot from a bow.
photo. Homemade crossbow
Today we just cheerfully remember our childhood fun, homemade weapons that brought so much joy, although in adulthood we replaced toy bows and slingshots with more modern and serious weapons - crossbows, hunting or sports bows. Let's just say that the design is practically the same, only more advanced, with many important elements, sighting and block mechanisms.
You can buy such small arms at any specialized store, but our desires do not always coincide with our financial capabilities. Therefore, we are not at all surprised that many fans of shooting with crossbows and bows want to make homemade small arms with their own hands. Despite the fact that this is not so simple, since you need to have the correct crossbow drawings, it is much more economical. Well, if you feel that you can make a crossbow yourself, then why not try it!
What is needed to make a homemade crossbow?
Bows differ from crossbows in their design; they are a little bulky and inconvenient to transport, which is why most hunters give their preference to the second weapon option. But if you decide to make a crossbow with your own hands and are ready to get to work, even now, we must stop you. After all, in order to make such a weapon, desire and hard work are not always enough; you need to be at least a little prepared financially and technically.
It is also not enough to take the first drawing you come across and start drilling, cutting, planing, sharpening a crossbow from scrap materials. Believe me, the result may bring little joy, because as a result, the crossbow may turn out to be either too heavy, not very convenient, or may not meet your requirements and dreams at all.
So, what do you need to make your dreams, which would satisfy you? First of all, decide which model you want to make. After all, today there are many options for crossbows that differ in their design, features and characteristics. Then you need to think about what available materials you will make it from.
photo. Homemade crossbow made of wood
How to make a crossbow trigger at home, a sight, a rod, a lock, a reel, a crossbow stock for a crossbow with your own hands - required parts and spare parts for a crossbow
Well, now you need to remember something about crossbows. So, what does a crossbow consist of:
- bed;
- guides;
- trigger mechanism;
- tension device;
- bowstring;
- arrows.
In addition, such small arms differ in the level of tension of the shoulders:
- crossbows with a tension level of about 20 kg. These are models used for recreation and entertainment;
- crossbows with a tension level of up to 20-55 kg. The target range of such devices is about 60-80 m;
- crossbows with a tension level of more than 55 kg. In such devices, the tension of the bowstring is performed using special devices called cocking.
According to the type of shoulders, crossbows are:
- block;
- straight;
- classic.
The stock in crossbows can also be of different types:
- traditional;
- ancient type;
- sports type.
Having a basic understanding of crossbows, you can make a choice of design drawings for small arms. But before that, we recommend that you pay attention to one more important detail, namely your technical capabilities. Of course, you can make a crossbow with your own hands from scrap materials, using wood and metalworking equipment. Such machines are necessary to produce important parts that require machine work.
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Image of a handmade crossbow
How to assemble a crossbow: an antique wooden medieval crossbow or a homemade modern six-shot combat crossbow according to the simplest schemes with proportions and dimensions
As a rule, making a crossbow begins with a stock, and for this you need to select wood. The wood used to make the stock must be strong, not splinter or warp. Birch, beech, walnut, and ash are considered excellent options. There should be no problems with choosing a tree.
A wooden board with a thickness of about 30 cm is suitable as the starting material for the stock. Next, you need to decide what dimensions the stock should have. How to choose the right size can be seen in the table.
The stock is measured starting from the trigger to the points located on the back of the butt. We will also give an example of a table of different sizes in order to correctly make a bed, taking into account the parameters of your own physique.
| Arm length cm |
Stock length up to middle of the back of the head butt, cm |
Pupil height above collarbone, cm |
Vertical bend from the extension of the aiming line to the upper ridge of the butt, mm |
Chest Width between axillary depressions, cm |
Lateral removal of the butt from vertical aiming strip, mm |
||
| at the neck | at the back of the head | in the heel of the butt of the head | in a sock | in the sock in the sock of the back of the head butt | |||
| 42 | 38-40 | 23 | 42-44 | 66-70 | 50-52 | 18 | 6 |
| 41 | 37-39 | 22 | 41-43 | 65-69 | 48-49 | 17 | 5,6 |
| 40 | 36-38 | 21 | 40-41 | 64-68 | 46-47 | 16 | 5 |
| 39 | 35-37 | 20 | 39-40 | 63-65 | 44-45 | 15 | 45 |
| 38 | 34-36 | 19 | 37-38 | 60-62 | 42-43 | 14 | 4 |
| 37 | 33-35 | 18 | 35-36 | 58-59 | 40-41 | 12 | 35 |
| 36 | 32-34 | 17 | 34-35 | 57-58 | 38-39 | 10 | 3 |
| 35 | 31-33 | 16 | 33-34 | 56-57 | 36-37 | 8 | 2,5 |
| 34 | 30-32 | 15 | 32-33 | 55-56 | 34-35 | 6 | 2 |
| 33 | 29-31 | 14 | 31-32 | 53-54 | 32-33 | 4 | 15 |
After you measure your body, according to the table, you can choose the most suitable sizes for the bed. If you take into account all the nuances, then the bed will suit you in the best way.
Next, you can begin the process of making the stock. First of all, we recommend that you create a template from paper. To do this, you need to draw a bed on paper according to the measurements taken. But if this seems too complicated or unclear to you, you can use ready-made stock options, the drawings of which are presented on Internet portals.
photo. Homemade arrows for a crossbow
Next comes the turn of making the arms of small arms. It is necessary to select the right material. You can make shoulders from an old, long-decommissioned sports bow; if you don’t have one, textolite or fiberglass will do. True, from such materials only arms with a small tension force are obtained; in the future you can use such a crossbow only for entertainment purposes. An old, unnecessary car spring is considered an excellent option. It can be found at any car junkyard or in a neighbor's garage. In addition, if you are not too lazy to go to the store, you can buy fiberglass, carbon fiber or other composite materials to make shoulders.
It is worth saying that shoulders made of fiberglass or composite materials turn out good. If you decide to make a crossbow with your own hands from scrap materials, then a car spring would be the best option for the shoulders.
Drawings of a crossbow, what a crossbow can be made from - a crossbow from a saw, board, plywood, bow and other materials. We make a crossbow with specified characteristics
So, you already have an idea about the types of crossbows, you can say that you are technically and physically prepared, you have collected all the necessary materials at hand and are ready to start working right away. So, let us help you a little by providing the necessary drawings for making a crossbow with your own hands, which will have the following characteristics:
- weight up to 3 kg;
- dimensions 960*820 mm;
- tension force up to 40 kg;
- target firing range is approximately 100 m.
Let's start making the mount. To the part as in the figure, you need to attach the stock and shoulders of the crossbow:
The part needs to be cut out of a metal sheet, which will have a thickness of 2.5-3 mm. Then it needs to be bent and welded with a welding machine. We insert two bolts into the hole in the center of the fastening element and at the end of the stock of the crossbow structure. You need to weld a stirrup to the fastening element as in the picture to make it easier to tighten the bowstring.
The stirrup can be bent from wire having a diameter of 6-8 mm.
To make the shoulders you will need a car spring 6 mm thick.
On the wide part of the shoulder you need to make 4 notches, slightly semicircular. These will be the holes for the bolts that will allow you to attach the arms to the mount. Drilled holes can weaken the arms and cause them to become deformed. Let us give you an example of a drawing of the shoulders and deck of a crossbow device:
photo. Crossbow drawings
A stock taken from small arms will reduce the time and costs of making a crossbow. The main thing in this is the correct selection of the size of the bed. If there is a trace left from the trunk in such a stock, then it can be hammered in with wooden blocks using epoxy glue. In addition, if you want to make a crossbow with your own hands, then you can use wooden parts to make the under-barrel pad and butt. The buttstock must be attached to the guide and serve as the basis for the trigger device. We present to you the drawings of the butt:
The crossbow that we propose to make yourself is a block one, so to make it you will need drawings of the block mechanism:
Also in your work, drawings of block elements and individual parts will greatly help you:
The guide lines must be processed very carefully, because they must be perfectly smooth and straight. The guides will also need to be polished. You can see the dimensions of the groove for the guides for the arrows in the presented drawing.
The crosspiece to which the shoulders are attached must be installed at the end of the stock. You can make a cross from aluminum or wood. The sighting mechanism consists of a rear sight and a front sight. You can make a crossbow with an optical sight, although for this you will need to include an aiming bar in the design of your homemade weapon. After you have made it according to the drawings, you will have to make its vertical and horizontal adjustments. The presented drawings are suitable for making a crossbow, which can be made from any available material.
photo. Ready homemade crossbow
It is worth saying that you can find options for drawings of a wide variety of crossbow models, block, recurve, on the Internet. Making them with your own hands is not so difficult, the main thing is to have a great desire and no obstacles can hinder you in your endeavors. If you don't try, you will never know whether it is difficult to make or not. Therefore, we recommend that you don’t miss your chance, prepare the necessary materials, arm yourself with the necessary tools, print out all the drawings and start making a homemade crossbow with your own hands. Good luck to you!
Watch how to make a simple but powerful crossbow with your own hands video - the simplest six-shot crossbow from a saw:
What needs to be said in the very first lines of this article: in Russia, the CIS countries and most countries of the world, hunting with a crossbow is illegal, and the crossbows themselves (if their tension exceeds 40 kg) are equated to edged weapons. There is a fine for wearing and using them. Why, then, am I giving recommendations on how to make an objectively dangerous thing that can cause problems for readers? Because the ability to hunt using a wide variety of weapons, including homemade and even illegal ones, may one day be useful to each of us. Few people think about this while store shelves are filled with food products - but we live in too unstable times to say with complete confidence that this will always be the case.
In one of the previous articles, I wrote about hunting: with the help of this seemingly frivolous weapon, it is easy to hunt small fur-bearing animals, birds and reptiles. You can shoot medium-sized game from a crossbow. Of course, we are not talking about toys from legal gun stores: you may have seen these on sale - elegant, light and low-powered. A weak crossbow is intended for sport shooting - you should understand how great the difference is between it and a real combat device. That is why the latter are prohibited. An arrow fired from a powerful combat crossbow pierces a person right through, even if he is wearing a Kevlar body armor.
But until the BP strikes, you and I are peaceful hunters, and we do not think about using lethal weapons against people. Why am I writing now about homemade crossbow for hunting? Why not buy ready-made or order from an experienced craftsman? Because legally they won’t sell you anything worthwhile. And it’s better not to buy illegal weapons at all if you don’t want to get into trouble with the law. Yes, having something killer in your bins and knowing how to use it is useful, but not a single living soul should know that you have it. It’s better not to introduce even your friends and family to this, not to mention complete strangers like sellers and couriers.
How to make a crossbow at home?
So, how to make a crossbow with your own hands? First of all, decide what kind of power you need from the weapon - its design and materials directly depend on this. For hunting ducks and hares, the simplest device with a wooden arch is suitable. Larger animals already need a metal one. There are also so-called composite arches, which are a combination of several materials (traditionally - wood, antler, veins, but now various types of plastic are more often used). Their technical characteristics are excellent, but it is almost impossible for a non-professional to produce such a part “on the knee” with high quality. In order to avoid injury among readers, I will not even give here a description of the assembly of a composite arc.
My opinion: it is advisable to use a metal arc. The power reserve will not be superfluous - besides, wooden parts fail faster, which also poses a risk of injury to the shooter. Since your goal is to make a fairly powerful crossbow, look for springs from Soviet passenger cars among friends or on the secondary market for auto parts. Humanity has not yet come up with anything better for use as an arc. But if you still couldn’t get this rarity, take any elastic metal strip 2-3 cm wide and 3-4 mm thick.
The stock is most often made of wood (spruce, aspen), less often of metal. The more powerful the crossbow is planned, the more durable and massive this part should be. The designs of the stock may differ, but there must be a groove for the arrow on it, as well as a butt and fastenings for the trigger mechanism, arc and other functional elements.
A non-elastic rope made of synthetic fibers, a steel cable or a guitar string is used as a bowstring. You may be surprised, but it is the first of the three options that demonstrates the best tensile strength. Durable, cheap and accessible - what else is needed?.. But here's what: beeswax impregnation will extend the life of a synthetic bowstring, protecting it from moisture and friction.
The crossbow mechanism, rollers and fastenings are the most interesting. It is difficult to make them “on your knees” if you do not have the skills to work with metal. Below I provide drawings of a homemade simple crossbow (1) and a powerful combat one (2). All parts that you cannot make yourself, order from the workshop, providing drawings of the parts you are interested in.
Drawing of a simple crossbow (1) *click to enlarge*
Drawings of a combat crossbow(2) *click to enlarge* 
How to make arrows for a crossbow?
Bolts - arrows for a crossbow, are easy to make with your own hands. For these purposes, wood is most often used, less often plastic and metal. Why is wood better? A wooden bolt has an optimal weight: a light plastic arrow quickly loses speed, and a piece of steel wire is heavy and will not fly far. The shaft should be planed along the grain for better flexibility, and then dried well. At the end we leave a cut into which the tip will be inserted.
The tip itself must be cut out of a steel sheet (thickness no less than 0.7 mm) with metal scissors and refined with a sharpening stone - smooth and sharpen the edge. We insert the tips into the cut, lubricating it with epoxy. You can also tie it with thread for strength, and apply a layer of epoxy on top.
There are also many options for making bolt feathers, but the best, in my opinion, is bird feathers. Ideally, goose, but even from the tail of a pigeon, which is much easier for a city dweller to find - they lie underfoot. We split the feather in two, cut each half in half and glue it to the arrow. For strength, we wrap it with threads.
Here's what we ended up with:
It is important that all the bolts are the same in weight and length - this will make it easier to shoot your homemade crossbow. But you definitely need to shoot him: the hunt can wait, first you need to master the new weapon well, get a feel for it. Even if you have experience shooting a crossbow, this one will be a little different, more “yours” - like any thing made with your own hands.
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Retail outlets sell many different crossbows to suit every taste. But you can not only buy it, but also make it yourself, if you were inspired to create it by a movie or a visit to a museum. Of course, manufacturing requires certain skills in handling tools, but if you really want it, there are no barriers.
When making a crossbow, start with an arc. Since it was decided that it should be powerful, then for the arc you need to take a leaf from the spring of a UAZ car. Then, using a grinder, we cut out an arc from this petal. It should be 85 cm long, 3 cm wide in the center and 1.5 cm at the edges. Next, using a sharpener, give the thickness in the center 0.8 cm with a gradual transition to 0.4 cm at the edges. Further processing of the arc is done using files of different grain sizes and sandpaper. It is good to process a spring lengthwise; it is almost impossible to process it crosswise with a file. Then, using a pobedit-tipped drill, make holes for attaching the arc to the stock and for fixing the bowstring holders.
The next step will be making the stock. It is better to make it from ash. This is a fairly strong tree that does not splinter or crack. Take a board 90 cm long, 20 cm wide and 6 cm thick, plan it on a jointer until it is level. Then draw a drawing of the stock with a pencil; you can take a hunting rifle as a sample. Next, use a hand jigsaw to cut the bed out of the board. Using a woodworking rasp, finely process the stock, giving it the necessary and convenient shape. The process is long and quite labor-intensive. For finer sanding, use different types of sandpaper. The groove for the arrow must be made with a whetstone. Take a used soft abrasive stone, give it a round profile using a harder stone, and place it on a sharpener to make a cut. The groove will be smooth and of the same depth.
Next we will work on manufacturing the trigger mechanism. Using a chisel in the stock, make a recess for the “nut” and the spring. Make the “nut” that will hold the bowstring from a piece of iron without welding, so that it is stronger, since it will bear the entire main load. On the stock, where the “nut” is attached, install iron “cheeks” so that the force of tension does not tear it out of the wood. Place the return spring under it and connect it to the trigger guard with a rod. Next, cover the trigger mechanism with metal decorative plates. Screw the pads to the stock with powerful screws to make it stronger.
Then start making fastenings, with the help of which the arc is fixed to the stock. To do this, take two iron bars and bend them in an L-shape. Use a tire with a thickness of 6 mm and a width of 25 mm. Drill holes in them for attachment to the stock and to the arc. First, secure the L-shaped parts with two M6 bolts to the stock. Then make a “stirrup” for the leg and weld a tire to it, which was supposed to become an additional mount for the crossbow arc. Then secure the “stirrup” and the bow to the stock with two M8 bolts and nuts. To hold the arrow, make a piece of spring steel. Bend the iron bar into an L-shape and attach it to the stock with a bolt, and a piece of spring tape to the bar. As a bowstring, use an iron cable 4 mm thick. Paint all metal parts with black paint, and paint the wooden stock with stain and clear varnish, which will give the crossbow a rather elegant look.
Make arrows from pine. Use a circular saw to cut straight slats from a dry board. Then, using glass and sandpaper, give them a round shape of the required thickness. Make the feathering on the arrows from thin fiberglass, and the tips from old files. Attach the tips to the shaft with epoxy glue and thin wire. They will be light with the correct center of gravity and quite strong; they should be 40 cm long and 1 cm thick.
In general, it will turn out to be a great crossbow. The target combat range of such a device is about 70 meters, the arrow's flight range is close to 400 meters, it pierces a slate sheet from 10 meters, and if the arrow is driven into a tree, then it must be removed with a hammer and chisel. The accuracy is also quite good, and if you use a laser pointer as a sight, it becomes absolutely fantastic.
In order to assemble a real rapid-fire combat crossbow at home, which can be quickly and automatically reloaded without any extra effort, you need to have a lot of spare parts that you naturally won’t find at home (rollers for a nylon cable instead of a bowstring, a sight and a high-quality trigger). In this article, I’ll tell you how to assemble a simple crossbow in a home workshop or in the utility room, I’ll describe some practical basic subtleties that will make your toy crossbow a fighting machine!)
The shoulders of a crossbow can be made from the same material as for a bow: wood, iron or fiberglass (iron - a spring from a Moskvich car is good for this, and a polypropylene pipe, which you can buy, is good for fiberglass at any hardware store). The crossbow stock, the recess where the arrow will be inserted in the future, is perhaps the most difficult part to manufacture, which requires very precise processing and a lot of time spent.
In the absence of a well-processed metal stock on a factory machine, you can use a well-turned and then sanded wooden stock. Do not forget that the advantage of a combat crossbow over a wooden bow is not only in shooting power (although a homemade crossbow without rollers and a block system is unlikely to exceed a bow in this indicator), but primarily in the convenience of its design and the ability to conduct aimed fire.
To do this, you need to calculate the flight path of the arrow, adjust the stock so that it is located at an angle (average value 5-6 degrees), but I advise you to decide on the distance at which you are going to send the arrows, and what is called “shooting” the finished product , after each series of shots, changing the angle of the stock, until the crossbow made by your hands begins to shoot at the center of the bull's eye.
You can come up with your own trigger mechanism for a simple crossbow. Usually this is a lever that holds the bowstring, which can be removed by pressing the trigger. A necessary condition is that it fires exactly when you need it (with a high tension on the bowstring, a weak trigger can break and shoot on its own). The string should move so that when it is released it returns close to the stock, but without any friction. Below is a diagram and drawing of making a simple combat crossbow at home:
Attention! Manufacturing this type of weapon may be punishable by law! Information for peaceful purposes only. All responsibility falls on the shoulders of the person.
Below are more detailed drawings and diagrams (with indicated dimensions) that can be used to make a professional crossbow.
Despite the abundance of online stores selling throwing weapons, as well as a fantastic range of products, there are many who want to make a crossbow on their own. Most of them don't know where to start. Today we will tell you about the main design features of the crossbow. This knowledge will help you avoid manufacturing errors, as well as frustration and injury when using it.
Before starting work, there are two main points to know.
1. In our country, a crossbow is an entertaining and sporting weapon. Hunting with it is prohibited. Any throwing weapon with a tension force of more than 43 kilograms is considered a combat weapon, the right to use which is given by the licensing authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
2. A crossbow is a structure that experiences enormous loads during operation. Therefore, any carelessness in its manufacture will most likely lead to injury. Any part of it must have a multiple safety margin.
So, let's learn how to make a simple crossbow at home.
The video below will tell you how to make a crossbow at home:
Onion
The crossbow's energy source is the bow - an elastic plate of complex shape, having one main bend and, as an option, two additional ones at the ends. You need to start making a crossbow with this particular part and adjust everything else to it - choosing the type of tension (recurve or block), the size of the stock, the type of trigger.
Wood and composite
The urgent question is what to use as a material for the bow: wood, composite or metal?
· Wood is the worst choice. Available “pieces of wood” lying underfoot are garbage, suitable only for lighting stoves. Branches cut down in the forest lose their elasticity as they dry, crack and fall apart. From this material you can only make something for short-term entertainment in the country.
· A composite made from fiberglass and epoxy resin is very attractive and simple in appearance. But there is an obstacle - the need to scrupulously adhere to the technology of all work. Mix proportions, drying, aging. At home this is almost impossible.
Metal
There is only one option left - metal. If you have an old Moskvich with a set of leaf springs on hand, consider yourself lucky. One sheet is taken from the entire package - the second. If you are not too scared by the dimensions, then the first one will do. Moreover, it has tubes at the ends - an almost ready-made bracket for attaching blocks or bowstrings.
A block is used to attach the bow to the stock. This is a U-shaped design that wraps around the stock from the front. It can be welded tightly to the spring leaf, but in this case, when the bow is bent, the welds will experience excessive pull-out stress. Therefore, it is better to attach the ball joint from the VAZ 2108 to the block. The bow is attached to its pin. This is also convenient because there is a hole on the spring leaf.
If you are very strong, then you can choose the recursive method of tensioning the bowstring. To attach the blocks to the bow, if you have chosen a second spring leaf, you need to attach brackets to its ends. A bolted (or even better, rivet) connection is preferable to welding, since this unit experiences strong vibration loads. As pulleys, use parts of the window lifting mechanism of the same Moskvich.
Regarding the bowstring, an obvious solution arises: a thin metal cable. But it is not entirely correct, since steel cables do not withstand variable loads well. It is better to choose a climbing cord with a diameter of 5-8 mm.
Once you've made your bow and attached the string to it, you can conduct full-scale bending tests. It’s great if you have a dynamometer of 100-150 kilograms. As a result, you will learn two parameters necessary for further work: the length of the bowstring stroke and the load.
Read below to learn how to make a stock for a powerful crossbow at home.
Lodge
For this part of a homemade crossbow, wood is the only option. But not everything. In any case, not aspen, alder, spruce or pine. Better beech, elm, oak. The product has been dried for twenty years. It is clear that you will never find something like this anywhere. Therefore, use moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of 7-9 mm. 3 or 5 contours of the stock are cut out of it, and then this package is glued together with epoxy resin. Not very pretty, but extremely reliable.
· Regarding the shape - give up the semi-pistol style and use a straight English stock. It is not only easier to manufacture, but also stronger.
· When assembling the stock package, it is necessary to take into account both the stroke of the bowstring and the load. The first determines the distance from the block to the slot for the trigger mechanism. The second is the thickness of the stock walls at the place of its attachment. It is the straight English stock that will allow you to avoid excessive thinning when moving from the forearm to the butt.
· The most important part of a crossbow stock is the arrow guide. It should be smooth and durable. For it, you can use the plates framing the side windows of the Moskvich, furniture fittings, and other similar-shaped parts.
· If you use a block type of bowstring tension, then there should be a groove in the forend under the guide for the cable system. This is another element that weakens the stock, so give up the idea of making the forend dainty. High will protect your fingers from getting caught under the bowstring and traumatic amputation of the phalanges.
Typically crossbows have a plastic stock.
Below we will tell you how to make a homemade trigger mechanism for a crossbow at home.
This video will tell you how to make a crossbow from wood (plywood) with your own hands:
Trigger
If you are not a sixth-class mechanic, then give up the idea of making this element yourself. Make an effort and find the trigger for any spring-piston air rifle. In the most difficult case, you will only have to modify its tooth that holds the piston - it may be too small for a thick bowstring.
A casing with a height of 2 to 5 cm is placed above the trigger mechanism, which is necessary to protect it from moisture and dirt, and also serves as the basis for sighting devices - rails for optics or rear sights. Weaver, Picatinny or dovetail rails can be purchased at any online store that sells pneumatics.
The front part of the casing above the trigger mechanism is made in the form of a long (no more than 10 cm) elastic “tail”, which holds the back of the arrow on the guide.
Making arrows
Canonically correct crossbow ammunition is called a “bolt”. But many online stores sell crossbow arrows. For crossbows with a rifle stock, lengths of 14, 16, 20, 22 inches are suitable. To be completely honest, you won't find better magazine arrows. Unfortunately, none of them are worth less than 150 rubles. Therefore, it is worth trying to make them yourself.
They can be made from straight-layer wood without knots. As an option, use furniture parts - balusters from chairs, railings of cribs. Good arrows are made from aluminum tubes up to 2 cm in diameter. If desired, you can even use electrodes of the maximum diameter, but they bend hopelessly when hit and it is difficult to attach the feathers to them.
Thin plastic is used for the plumage. Natural bird feathers can give the unexpected effect of chaotic changes in flight direction, since they have natural curves that must be taken into account.
The main condition for a good, smooth flight is balancing. The center of gravity of a crossbow bolt should be after the first third of its length from the tip. If it is not metal, the end of the arrow can be loaded with lead wire wrapped around the shaft.
The issue of equipping an arrow with a tip must be treated without fanaticism. Sharpening metal on lathes, milling and polishing, giving it exquisite shapes - these operations are accessible to few. In addition, such a tip is extremely dangerous. If you do not need to pierce knight's armor, then a wooden bolt can simply be sharpened at an angle of 30 degrees using a regular knife.
There are classic models, they look like ancient ones, and their design is simple. There are also modern crossbows, they are called "block" crossbows. 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, which will be detailed in the article, will help you with this. A crossbow has many components: a bow; bed; trigger mechanism; bowstring; some modern models have blocks at the ends of the bow.
All of these rocks are dense enough to withstand the enormous stress that will be placed on the bow and crossbow stock. Material Preparation For a weapon to fire long and powerfully, its material must be properly dried for a year. Having cut the required 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, so the wood will dry more slowly and evenly. This way, internal cracks do not form in the material, and a crossbow made with your own hands at home will serve for a very long time. After this, the log is placed in a dry place where the sun's rays will not fall on it. It should remain like this for a year. After time, the bark is removed from the workpiece, so it dries for another week. The log is then sawn in half. It sits like that for another week, only after that you can start creating a crossbow. Tools for making a crossbow Knife. Saw. Plane. Sandpaper of different grits. Carpenter's 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. This is what we will use when creating a crossbow with our own hands at home. From this part you need to make a bow. Mark the middle, put about two centimeters on both sides of it, marking the part that will be clamped in the crossbow stock. This will be the thickest part of the onion. They begin to cut the material from it, gradually moving towards the edges. They chip the workpiece gradually on both sides, checking until it begins to bend at least a little. After this, you need to take a strong rope and make loops at its ends. This will be a test string. It is necessary to check the bow tension. It is very important that his shoulders bend evenly. By putting on an improvised bowstring and drawing the bow, you can see where to remove the material. They are marked and carefully cut with a knife. This must be continued until the product begins to bend evenly on both sides. Processing of knots Very often there are knots on the material: some are visible immediately, others can open during the processing of the material. What makes them dangerous is that they can cause chips. Therefore, you need to treat such places with a well-sharpened knife. If you don't have confidence or experience, it's better to tinker a little longer and sand them down with sandpaper.
You can also use a file for this purpose. Bed When the bow is ready, put it aside and begin making the stock. To begin with, they choose where there will be a groove through which the arrow will fly out, and make this place perfectly level. 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 its stock is shown in detail here. After this, the gutter is cut to the required length. Usually it is about 30 cm. Then a recess is made for the bow and trigger mechanism. They are convenient to cut with a chisel and a carpenter's knife. Trigger As mentioned above, it can be made of dense wood or, if the crossbow is powerful, of metal. The simplest mechanism is the so-called “nut”. It consists of a cylinder, where on one side there is a hook for the bowstring, and on the other there is a stop for the trigger. In high-power crossbows, the trigger is more refined for an easier trigger pull when loaded. We looked in detail at how to make a crossbow with your own hands. A master class with drawings, we hope, will help you understand all the intricacies. This is a common medieval model. Now we’ll find out how to make the same weapon, only a modern model. Compound crossbow Such a device is much more difficult to make; it will require many more tools than a regular one. So, we create a crossbow with our own hands at home from fiberglass.
This material is ideal for making bows because it is tough and yet lightweight. It can be cut from a single piece of fiberglass 1 cm thick or you can make it yourself. If you’re not too lazy to tinker, it’s better to make it yourself. Making fiberglass shoulders for a crossbow You need to take fiberglass or Kevlar and cut it into strips. You need from 30 to 40 of them. In general, it is better to try everything experimentally. These strips are glued with epoxy resin so that everything becomes monolithic when it hardens. You also need to think about how to put this entire “sandwich” under the press. It is best to use boards, place the shoulders between them, and clamp everything with clamps. The epoxy adhesive should have less thickener than normal, ranging from 8 to 10%. Everything hardens within 24 hours, but if the room is cold, the time may increase. When everything has hardened, the shoulders are finalized by cutting off the protruding edges with a knife and sanding with sandpaper. Now we will look in detail at how to make a crossbow with your own hands at home and what additional elements of its design need to be made.
Making a figured stock To do this, you need to take a board at least 4 cm thick. Mark where the butt, handle, trigger mechanism and mounts for the arms of the bow will be. In general, everything is according to the drawings. After this, you need to drill all the necessary holes and cut them out. Blocks These can be made from aluminum. It would be better if they were on bearings. The middle parts of roller skate wheels are perfect. They are strong enough to withstand heavy loads and are the perfect size. The axles for them need to be 5 mm thick. You can take them from rollers or make them yourself. The fasteners are made of sheet steel or similar durable material. You can also make the ends of the bow arms thicker before pouring epoxy resin to install the blocks, in which case fastenings will not be needed. After this, you need to install a trigger mechanism with a trigger and an arrow holder on the crossbow you made yourself at home. In general, all parts are connected with bolts; washers are always used. They will allow you to twist everything more tightly without damaging the material. In compound crossbows, the bowstring is longer and is tensioned differently. It seems to cross, and when drawn, this system allows the arrow to give twice as much energy to 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 is able to withstand enormous sharp pressure when fired. In crossbows whose power is no more than 40-50 kg, it can be woven from nylon threads.
Making a bowstring for a crossbow Using the described method, you can make a bowstring for both a recurve and a classic crossbow. It’s just that their length will be different due to the design features of both models. They take a board the length of the planned bowstring, drive in two pegs, onto which a nylon thread is wound in a circle. When the thickness of this long oval becomes 5 mm, it is wrapped, leaving a gap of 2-3 mm between the turns. Near the pegs you need to braid without gaps, because there will be loops for hooking. Regarding the bowstring, one can also say that if you make it too thick, the strength of the crossbow is reduced. However, thin ones can tear.
So in this case you need to choose an intermediate thickness. It is better to study similar sports models with the same tension 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 hinges. Then they wrap the middle where the string will catch and push the arrow. This place is also done carefully, because it will be subject to a tremendous frictional force. All cut edges of the threads must be coated with glue. This will make them denser and more monolithic. This article presents 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 manufactured for hunting in order to achieve enormous power, then you should choose a block model. Its design is a little more complicated; you may need a machine to make some parts.
