How to Make Crossbows: The Classic Crossbow
(Page 5 of 5)
September/October 1984
the Mother Earth New staff
The prod is held in place by a 1/4" X 1" X 1-1/4" block of aluminum faced with a strip of hard rubber. A similar pad, glued to the rear of the prod socket, provides additional cushioning, and the metal block is forced tightly against the bow's face by a 1/4" X 1-3/4" cap screw threaded into a tapped hole at the nose of the stock.
RELATED CONTENT
Once the prod's installed, you'll have the pleasure of stringing it. Unless you're extraordinarily muscular, we'd suggest you purchase what's called a bastard string along with the regular Dacron cable. This set of strands is longer than the service string and thus can be slipped onto the prod more easily. It's then used to draw the bow's ears back to the cocked position so the real string can be looped in place. When that's done, both strings can be released with the trigger and the bastard removed. This is the only situation in which the crossbow should be "dry fired," since that practice can split the prod.
It should be quite obvious that your finished project has a lethal potential and should be handled with the same caution that you'd give to any longbow or firearm. Don't load it until you're ready to fire it, and don't fire it without an adequate field behind your target to safely absorb any overshots. Too, if you're interested in exploring the crossbow's capabilities for hunting, check your state's game laws before you build ...it could save a lot of disappointment later. Meanwhile, you might want to look over the sidebar accompanying this article to see what kind of results you could expect from your modern day arbalest!
Related Articles:
The Crossbow: Fact and Fiction
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 | 5 |
