Do-it-yourself crossbow diagram and dimensions. Do-it-yourself crossbow. Do-it-yourself crossbow drawings. How to make a crossbow at home drawing. Do-it-yourself crossbow drawings of a homemade crossbow trigger. Crossbow-beam hybrid from the point of view of
In Europe, starting around the 11th century. and for 500 years the crossbow was an extremely widespread weapon. It (in the easel version) was used mainly to protect various objects, such as castles and ships. Hand crossbows were widely used in field battles. In addition, the crossbow played a significant role in the knowledge of the properties of various materials (since the action of many forces had to be taken into account in its manufacture) and the laws of motion in the air (after all, the crossbow arrow had to have certain flight qualities). Leonardo da Vinci turned to the study of the principles underlying the shooting from a crossbow more than once.
The craftsmen who made bows, crossbows and arrows did not know mathematics and the laws of mechanics. Nevertheless, tests of samples of old arrows carried out at Purdue University showed that these craftsmen managed to achieve high aerodynamic qualities.
In appearance, the crossbow does not seem complicated. Its arc, as a rule, was strengthened in front, across a wooden or metal machine - a box. A special device held the bowstring stretched to failure and released it. The direction of flight of a short crossbow arrow was set either by a groove cut out at the top of the stock, into which the arrow was laid, or by two stops that fixed it in front and behind. If the arc was very elastic, then a special device was installed on the bed to pull the bowstring; sometimes it was removable and worn with a crossbow.
The design of the crossbow has two advantages over the conventional bow. Firstly, the crossbow, on average, shoots farther, and the shooter armed with it in a duel with an archer remains inaccessible to the enemy. Secondly, the design of the stock, sight and trigger mechanism greatly facilitated the handling of weapons; it did not require special training from the shooter. The hook teeth, which held and released the string and arrow under tension, are one of the early attempts to mechanize some of the functions of the human hand.
The only thing in which the crossbow was inferior to the bow was in the speed of fire (not quite so, there is one more parameter in which the bow is superior to the crossbow - this is the price. The bow is much cheaper to manufacture, naturally this applies to ordinary weapons). Therefore, it was possible to use it as a military weapon only if there was a shield behind which the warrior took cover during reloading. It is for this reason that the crossbow was mainly a common type.
weapons of fortress garrisons, siege detachments and ship crews.
A classic medieval crossbow with a composite bow from South Tyrol, 1475.
The crossbow was invented long before it was widely used. Regarding the invention of this weapon, there are two versions. According to one, it is believed that the first crossbow appeared in Greece, according to another - in China. Around 400 BC. e. The Greeks invented a throwing machine (catapult) for throwing stones and arrows. Her appearance was explained by the desire to create a weapon more powerful than a bow. Initially, some catapults, which, according to the principle of operation, resembled a crossbow, apparently did not exceed it in size.
In favor of the version of the origin of the crossbow in China, archaeological finds of triggers made of bronze dating back to 200 BC speak. e. Although the evidence for the first appearance of the crossbow in Greece is earlier, written Chinese sources mention the use of this weapon in battles in 341 BC. e. According to other data, the reliability of which is more difficult to establish, the crossbow was known in China for another century earlier.
Archaeological finds indicate that the crossbow was used in Europe throughout the entire period from ancient times to the 11th-16th centuries, when it became the most common. It can be assumed that its widespread use until the XI century. prevented by two factors. One of them is that arming the troops with crossbows was much more expensive than with bows. Another reason is the small number of castles in that period; castles began to play a historically important role only after the conquest of England by the Normans (1066).
With the increasing role of castles, the crossbow became an indispensable weapon used in feudal strife, which could not do without fierce battles. Fortifications in the pre-Norman period were usually very simple and served mainly as shelters for people who lived nearby. Therefore, it was necessary to keep weapons behind the fortress walls in order to repel the attacks of the conquerors. The Normans exercised power in the conquered territories with the help of small, heavily armed military detachments. The castles served them as shelter from the indigenous people and to repel the attacks of other armed groups. The firing range of the crossbow contributed to the reliable protection of these shelters.
In the centuries after the appearance of the first crossbows, attempts were made to improve these weapons. One of the ways may have been borrowed from the Arabs. Arabic hand bows belonged to the type that was called composite or compound.
Their design is fully consistent with this name, since they were made from various materials. A composite bow has distinct advantages over a bow made from a single piece of wood, as the latter has limited resilience due to the natural properties of the material. When the archer pulls the bowstring, the arc of the bow from the outside (from the archer) experiences tension, and from the inside - compression. With excessive tension, the wood fibers of the arc begin to deform and permanent "wrinkles" appear on its inner side. Usually the bow was held in a bent state, and exceeding a certain limit of tension could cause it to break.
In a compound bow, a material is attached to the outer surface of the bow that can withstand more tension than wood. This additional layer takes the load and reduces the deformation of the wood fibers. Most often, animal tendons were used as such material, especially the ligamentum nuchae, a large elastic knot that runs along the spine and over the shoulders in most mammals. Tests have shown that such material, if properly processed, can withstand tensions up to 20 kg/sq. mm. This is about four times more than the most suitable tree can support.
For the inside of the bow, a material was used that works better in compression than wood. For these purposes, the Turks used a bull horn, the permissible compression force of which is about 13 kg / sq. mm. (Wood can withstand compressive loads four times less.) The unusually high awareness of archery masters about the properties of various materials can also be judged by the glues they used in the manufacture of bows. Glue made from the sky of the Volga sturgeon was considered the best. The variety of unusual materials used in archery suggests that many constructive solutions were achieved empirically.
Italian crossbow of the 16th century, with a steel arc. Pull the string into a combat position on such a "monster"
manually it was impossible, for this special devices were used, which will be discussed below.
CROSSBOWS with compound arcs were common in the Middle Ages, including the Renaissance. They were lighter than steel bow crossbows, which began to be made at the beginning of the 15th century; with the same bowstring tension, they shot further and were more reliable (here, most likely, a translation inaccuracy: the steel arc was clearly more powerful than the composite one). The action of compound arcs interested Leonardo da Vinci. His manuscripts show that he used them to study the behavior of various materials under load.
The advent of the steel arc in the Middle Ages was the zenith in the development of crossbow design. In terms of its parameters, it could yield only to a crossbow made of fiberglass and other modern materials. Steel arcs had a flexibility that no other organic material could provide before. The Victorian athlete Ralph Payne-Gallwey, who wrote a treatise on the crossbow, tested a large military crossbow, the tension of which was 550 kg, which sent an 85-gram arrow to a distance of 420 m. E. Harmuth, a specialist in the history of the crossbow, claims that arcs existed with twice the tension. However, in the Middle Ages, crossbows with a pull of less than 45 kg were the most common. Even with special lightweight arrows, they fired no further than 275 m.
With the achievement of higher tensions, steel arcs ceased to win in efficiency. Increasing the mass of the arc limited its ability to impart greater acceleration to the arrow. Due to the difficulty of obtaining large steel ingots, crossbow arcs were usually alloyed from many pieces of metal. Each fusion point lowered the reliability of the crossbow: at any moment, the arc in this place could break.
More powerful crossbows required reliable triggers. It should be noted that the triggers used by the Europeans, which usually consisted of a rotating tooth and a simple lever trigger, were inferior to the Chinese, which had an intermediate lever that allowed a shot to be fired with a short and light pull on the trigger lever. At the beginning of the XVI century. in Germany, multi-lever triggers of a more advanced design began to be used. Interestingly, a little earlier, Leonardo da Vinci came up with the same design of the trigger mechanism and proved its advantages by calculation.
Swiss crossbow with composite arc. Around 1470. In the insert at the top left is a section of the arc of this crossbow. In the lower part, horn plates are laid, which turned out to be orange in the picture. The surface of the plates is covered with notches, thanks to which they fit perfectly to each other. It is not known what kind of glue was used to connect the horn parts, but in general the technology was very successful, since the crossbow turned out to be symmetrical, balanced and capable of withstanding a large load. thick paper with a pattern.
The CROSSBOW arrow has also changed over time. Before tracing its evolution, let us consider the forces acting on the bow arrow. When shooting from a conventional bow, the arrow at the moment of aiming should be located between the center of the archer's chest and the fingers of his outstretched hand. The relative position of these two points determines the direction of the arrow's flight after the bowstring is released.
The forces acting on the arrow at the moment it is released, however, do not exactly coincide with the line of sight. The released bowstring pushes the end of the arrow towards the center of the bow, and not to the side. Therefore, in order for the arrow not to deviate from the given direction, it must bend slightly at the moment of launch.
The required flexibility of an arrow for a traditional bow imposes a limit on the amount of energy imparted to it. For example, it was found that an arrow designed for a bow with a tension of up to 9 kg, when fired from a crossbow with a tension of 38 kg, can bend so much that its shaft breaks.
In this regard, in the ancient era, when crossbows and catapults began to be used, arrows of a new design were invented. Due to the fact that the surface of the crossbow stock ensured that the direction of movement of the bowstring coincided with the initial direction of the flight of the arrow, and a special guiding device made it possible to hold it in a certain position without the help of hands, it became possible to make crossbow arrows shorter and less elastic. This, in turn, made them easier to store and carry.
The design of the arrows that appeared at that time can be judged by the two main types that have survived to this day. An arrow of one type is half the length of a regular, archery arrow. It widens sharply towards the rear end and has several vanes, or fletchings, which are too small to stabilize the arrow in flight. The end part of the boom is captured by hook teeth.
Arrows of another type do not have blades. Their metal front is a third of their length, and the wooden shaft is reduced to a minimum. These arrows also have a shape that expands towards the tail. Their total length is less than 15 cm.
The design features of these arrows indicate that the masters of Ancient Rome, who first invented them, were familiar with the flight qualities of bodies of various shapes. Today we understand that the fletching, which prevents the arrow from rotating in flight, is the main cause of its braking. Reducing its size would increase the range of the arrow, provided that it does not turn to the side, which would further slow down its flight. This can be avoided by sharpening the shaft, i.e. making it narrower at the front than at the back. If an arrow with such a shaft begins to turn to the side, then the air pressure on the wider back will be higher than on the front; due to this, the direction of the arrow flight is aligned.
It can also be assumed that the shaft has a center of pressure (the equilibrium point of all aerodynamic forces acting on it) located behind the center of gravity. On a cylindrical arrow without plumage, this point will be approximately in the middle of the shaft. With an expanding boom, the center of pressure shifts to the rear. Since the center of pressure is located behind the center of gravity, the stability of an arrow with an expanding shaft is higher than with a cylindrical one, and due to the lack of plumage, its drag is less.
The expanding shaft also contributes to a more uniform distribution of air mass pressure on its surface. Using the terminology of modern aerodynamics, we can say that the boundary layer is less prone to destruction. Reducing the length of the boom also improves its flight performance, because with increasing length, the turbulence of the air stream parallel to the cylindrical surface increases, absorbing more energy.
ANOTHER factor that affects the effectiveness of shooting arrows with an expanding shaft is the design of the fletching. To hold the bolt with the gripping teeth of the trigger mechanism, a special notch was made in its plumage. Like the expanding shape of the shaft, the presence of a notch contributes to a more uniform flow of air around the arrow, reducing the energy-absorbing turbulence behind it.
In the early Middle Ages, the craftsmen who made bows and crossbows were not familiar with the laws of air movement and the forces that arise on the surface of bodies when they move in the air. Concepts such as airflow and drag did not appear until the time of Leonardo da Vinci. There is no doubt that crossbow arrows were created mainly by trial and error. Probably, their creators were guided by the desire to achieve the maximum flight range and the greatest impact force.
Nevertheless, the design of crossbow arrows is perfect. Wind tunnel tests carried out by us at the Aerodynamic Research Laboratory at Pardue University confirm this. The usual arrow for a combat bow, such as was used in the Middle Ages, a crossbow arrow belonging to the same period, and two types of arrows for a catapult were tested. The results obtained should be interpreted with some caution, since the dimensions of the studied objects, especially the smallest ones, approached the sensitivity threshold of the measuring equipment. But even under these limiting experimental conditions, very interesting data were obtained. Firstly, the smallest arrow, which was completely preserved, except for minor damage to the plumage, judging by the data obtained, stably maintained its position at all permissible flight angles.
Secondly, a comparative analysis of the drag-to-mass ratios for all four types of arrows showed that the bow arrow was significantly inferior in its flight qualities to the other three. The mass of an arrow can be thought of as a measure of its ability to store kinetic energy. If all these arrows were launched at the same speed, then the mass of each of them would determine the energy reserve of the arrow at the initial moment. The rate of energy consumption depends on the drag. A low drag-to-mass ratio means that the range of the arrow is likely to be long.
For a bow arrow, this ratio is about twice as large as for crossbow arrows. It can be assumed that if the medieval and earlier masters in the creation of arrows for bows managed to overcome the design limitations, then they could develop a more optimal design. The existing design of the arrow corresponded so well with the materials available at that time that its geometry was not improved during the period when the bow was considered the main weapon.
ALL THESE improvements were dictated by the urgent need for crossbows. Often in peacetime, garrisons were stationed on the territory of castles, consisting mainly of archers armed with crossbows. At well-defended outposts, such as the English port of Calais (on the northern coast of France), 53,000 crossbow arrows were in stock. The owners of these castles usually bought arrows in large quantities - 10-20 thousand pieces each. It is estimated that for 70 years from 1223 to 1293, one family in England made 1 million crossbow arrows.
Based on these facts, we can say that the beginning of mass production was laid long before the industrial revolution. This can be confirmed by the simple device used at that time of two fastened wooden bars, forming something similar to a vice: an arrow blank was inserted into the recesses in the wooden bars for further processing. For the manufacture of tail blades, metal plates with grooves were used, into which blanks were inserted. Such a device made it possible to obtain the desired dimensions and symmetrical shape of the blades.
Another device is a planer, which was probably intended both for turning the arrow shaft and for cutting grooves into which the plumage blades were inserted. Rods from wooden blanks of small diameter were not easy to make on primitive lathes of that time, since the blanks were bent when processed with a cutting tool. In a planer, a metal cutting tool was fixed in a wooden block with two clamps on opposite sides.
The bar moved along the clamping device, which firmly held the arrow blank. The cutting tool removed the chips until the bar reached the surface of the clamping device. Thus, automatic control of the thickness of the cut layer and the direction of cutting was achieved. As a result, the arrows were almost the same size.
The crossbow was replaced by firearms. The popularity of the ancient crossbow began to decline. However, they still continued to be used in naval battles. The reason was that the crossbow did not have a fuse, and for the shooter it was safe, unlike firearms, which at first often hit the shooter himself. In addition, the bulwark on the ship served as a good cover, behind which it was possible to safely reload the crossbow. Heavier crossbows continued to be used in whaling. Firearms gradually replaced the crossbow in hunting on land.
The exception was crossbows, which fired stones or bullets. This type of weapon was used in hunting small game until the 19th century. The fact that these crossbows, which fired shot or bullets, had much in common with firearms, testifies to the mutual influence of the two types of weapons in the process of their evolution. Such elements of firearms as a stock, a trigger that requires weak pressure, and an aiming device were borrowed from crossbows, and primarily from sports ones. Such crossbows have not yet fallen into disuse.
Appearance in the 20th century fiberglass materials led to the creation of a new generation of composite crossbows. Glass fibers in their properties are not inferior to natural veins, and their cellular structure is as strong as an ox horn. Although the crossbow still lags far behind the bow in popularity in the archery revival, it also has many adherents. The modern crossbow shooter has at his disposal a "weapon" much more advanced than what it was in the Middle Ages.
ENGLISH CROSSBOW. The date of manufacture is indicated on its wooden stock - 1617. An ivory plate with inlay indicates that this crossbow was a hunting crossbow; a military crossbow would hardly have had such an artistic finish. To pull the bowstring of a crossbow, a force exceeding one hundred kilograms was required, so the crossbowman used a special mechanism with a gear train. There is a socket in the stock of the crossbow, which was probably intended for this mechanism. The string is shown in a taut state. In this position, she was held by hook teeth, which released her when the trigger was pressed, located at the bottom of the box. A short arrow 30.5 cm long fired from a crossbow flew a distance of about 400 m. The arc of the crossbow was attached to the stock with a ring and a harness. The drawing was made from a crossbow from the collection of the US Military Academy Museum at West Point, New York.
THREE CROSSBOWS are depicted in a painting by an Italian artist of the 15th century. Antonio del Pollaiolo "St. Sebastian". One shooter is aiming with a crossbow, the other two are pulling the bowstring using the crossbow "stirrup", since it took a lot of effort to pull the bowstring. The painting is kept in the National Gallery in London.
FRENCH BATTLE CROSSBOW XIV century. and two arrows for it from the collection of the US Military Academy Museum at West Point (New York). It was impossible to manually pull the bowstring of such a crossbow, so a gate was installed at the rear end of the machine, or stock. The stock has a length of 101 cm, the width of the crossbow arc is 107 cm, the length of the arrows is approximately 38 cm.
The crossbow consists of a curved arc, a bowstring, a hook tooth (for which the bowstring clung) and a trigger lever. When the lever was pressed, the tooth released the string, and the arrow flew out of the crossbow. The emphasis fixed the position of the tension mechanism, with the help of which the bowstring was retracted. The tensioner design is one of the earliest examples of the use of gearing.
The ARROW PARADOX explains in part why short arrows were used in crossbow shooting. The paradox is demonstrated for the case when the shooter uses an arrow from a conventional bow. During aiming (1) the arrow is located on one side of the bow. The line of sight runs along the arrow. However, when the shooter releases the arrow (2), the force with which the string acts on it causes the tail of the arrow to move towards the center of the bow. In order for the arrow to maintain its direction towards the target, it must curve in flight (3). During the first few meters of flight, the arrow vibrates, but eventually its position stabilizes (4). The need for flexibility in a bow arrow limits the amount of energy that can be imparted to it. In contrast, the crossbow arrow must be shorter and stiffer, since the crossbow imparts significant energy to it. Such arrows also had the best aerodynamic properties.
The triggers of crossbows had a different design. In China, 2000 years ago, a mechanism (a) was used with a tooth for hooking the bowstring, which was attached to the same axis as the trigger. A curved intermediate lever connected both parts, due to which the descent was carried out with a light and short press. On the right is shown the direction of movement of the bowstring during the descent. In the West, triggers were first used in catapults (b). In these mechanisms, when the bowstring was released, the tooth did not fall, but rose. In medieval Europe, the most common mechanism was the escapement wheel (c); its position was fixed by a simple trigger lever, which hooked onto a recess at the bottom of the wheel. When you press such a lever, the crossbow could move from the aiming position. Over time, in all designs of triggers, an intermediate lever began to be used, which facilitated the descent.
TYPES OF ARROW for bows and crossbows: regular arrow for combat longbow (a); an arrow used by the Romans (b) for a catapult similar to a crossbow; a typical arrow for a medieval crossbow (c) and two varieties of arrows for a catapult of another smaller Roman design (d). Under the images of arrows, their view from the side of the tail and the view from the side of the tip are shown.
RESULTS OF TESTS in a wind tunnel of five types of arrows shown in the upper figure. The tests were carried out with the participation of the author of the article in the laboratory of aerospace research at Pardue University. In the calculations performed by W. Hickam, it was assumed that the initial speed of each arrow was 80 m / s. Although longbow arrows were unlikely to have such a speed, the accepted value was convenient for comparative analysis.
The story about crossbows and crossbowmen would probably not be complete without an overview of paves - specific shields for crossbow shooters.
What is a pavese - PAVEZA (pavez, pavisa, pavis, pavese) - a type of shield that was widely used by infantry in the XIV-XVI centuries. The shield was rectangular in shape, the lower part could have an oval shape. Paveza was often equipped with a stop, sometimes spikes were made on the lower edge, which were stuck into the ground. Usually, a vertical protrusion (from the inside - a groove) passed through the middle of the shield to reinforce the structure. The pavese was 40 to 70 cm wide and 1-1.5 m high. The shield was made of light wood and covered with cloth or leather. Pavises were often painted with heraldic or religious emblems.
One of the most famous paveses is a pavese from the Cluny Museum (Paris). Mid 15th century, painted David and Goliath.
Pavese of a Swiss crossbowman depicting the coat of arms of the city of Bern - a bear.
End of 14th century. Stored in the Historical Museum of Bern.
Depending on the method of application, there were manual and standing paveses (the latter were often used by crossbowmen due to the long reload time of weapons during the siege of castles and cities). Manual pavises were quadrangular, often tapering downwards. They were used by both infantry and knightly cavalry. Paves were widely used by the Hussites during the Hussite Wars.
It is traditionally believed that the name of the shield comes from the Italian city of Pavia, where it was invented in the 13th century. It is also noted that the classic infantry version of the pavese took shape during the Hussite wars.
Unusual Belgian (Flemish) pavese of the 15th century, with a loophole for firing in the center
shield and two spikes for driving into the ground, from the collection of the Brussels Historical Museum.
Later researchers came to the conclusion that the pavese could have come to Western Europe through the Baltic crusaders, who borrowed this type of shield from the local Baltic population. The lands of Rus' (XII century) or the Lithuanian-Mazovian region (XIII century) are called as the place of origin of the pavese. At the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, paveses spread in Mazovia, in the lands under the rule of the Teutonic Order, in Western Rus' and, probably, in the rest of Poland. Belarusian archaeologist Nikolai Plavinsky notes that around the 14th century, the distribution area of the pavese covered the entire Baltic-Polish-Russian region.
A lot of these shields have survived (oddly enough, much more than their contemporary crossbows), so the review can be endless.
The strength and convenience of shields of this type quickly led to their widespread use by the knightly class and ordinary warriors (not crossbowmen) throughout Western Europe. Naturally, mostly in the manual version.
The age of the pavese ended with the spread of handguns.
Like many centuries ago, the design of the crossbow remains virtually unchanged.
Compound bow with split limbs
Fiberglass and aluminum are ideal materials for crossbow arrows and bolts. Often the bolts have a threaded insert on the front cut of the shaft, which allows you to change the tip from sports to hunting and vice versa. The hunting tip is most often equipped with three or more steel blades.
1.Castle
The lock fixes the bowstring of the crossbow in the cocked state. The principle of its operation is based in one form or another on a design invented by the ancient Chinese: when cocked, the bowstring snaps the “nut” on a spring-loaded trigger. In the future, this design was continuously modernized, complicated, overgrown with adjustments, fuses, and additional details to facilitate the descent. On expensive sports models, even an electronic trigger is not uncommon.
Unlike a firearm trigger, in which a lot of force is not required to hold the striker, the parts of the crossbow lock account for all the power of its shoulders, therefore, high-strength steel is most often used for their manufacture, less often titanium or composite materials. Although some “craftsmen” try to make locks out of aluminum, they do not live long and, as a rule, apart from injuries, they do not bring other joys to their owners.
2.Lodge
The stock is the basis of the crossbow. It is the design and materials of the stock that determine the convenience, comfort and appearance of the entire crossbow. For a hunter, the stock will be light and practical, for an athlete it will be long and heavy, with numerous adjustments, in a gift version it will be expensive and beautiful, with carvings and inlays, and for children it will be small and safe, pistol-type. The most suitable material is wood or glued veneer. Plastic is not welcome. But not any tree is suitable for creating a lodge, it is best to use walnut, oak, mahogany for these purposes, that is, durable and viscous types of wood.
3. Shoulders (arcs)
The limbs of a crossbow are the elastic elements of the bow, which accumulate the mechanical energy of a person produced during the tension for the next shot. The shoulders are attached directly to the stock, on powerful crossbows - to the stock through a metal block (5). The designs of crossbow bows are divided into traditional and block.
In turn, the shoulders can be straight or curved (recursive), have a monolithic or separate design.
The traditional design is an ordinary bow in our understanding, the ends of which are tied with a bowstring. In a block design, blocks (round or eccentric) are fixed at the ends of the shoulders, through which the bowstring is passed. Due to these blocks, the process of cocking a crossbow is greatly simplified, while the power of the shot remains the same.
The most common materials for the production of shoulders are reinforced fiberglass, carbon fiber with carbon, duralumin. Previously, when there was “tension” with materials, old springs from Moskvich were used as blanks for the bow. Not only was such a crossbow incredibly heavy and massive, it was traumatic, since the steel had the ability to burst at the most inopportune moment, scattering sharp fragments in different directions. Therefore, subsequently, a protective bandage was put on such bows, and then this material was completely abandoned.
4. Stirrup
The crossbow stirrup is designed to facilitate the cocking process. The stirrup is loop-shaped and T-shaped. In both cases, the shooter's legs hold the crossbow by the stirrup while the string is being pulled.
5. Block
The block is the second most important knot of the crossbow after the lock. This element plays a connecting role between the shoulders and the rest of the crossbow design. It is the block that accounts for the entire load of the arcs in its pure form. It is the block that must withstand huge loads during the shot. It is on the block that all the energy of the so-called “reverse recoil” falls, when the arrow has already flown out, and the shoulders continue to straighten further at great speed. Therefore, it is the block that receives so much attention. Typically, high-strength steel is used for the block, and titanium is used on expensive crossbows. Although I sometimes met crazy unfortunate designers who put an aluminum profile block on their 80-kilogram crossbows. And then they wondered why, after a dozen shots, she turned inside out.
6. Bowstring
The string of modern crossbows is a thread folded several times, followed by braiding of rubbing parts. A strong and low-stretch thread, such as dacron, lavsan, aramid thread (in the common people - Kevlar) or a foreign analogue of Fast-Fligh, is best suited for a bowstring. On powerful crossbows, as well as on auxiliary bowstrings of block crossbows, a steel cable is used.
7. Guide
The crossbow guide, as the name implies, is designed to hold the arrow and guide it to the target. In medieval crossbows, the groove was made either directly in the stock, or in the form of a bone lining with a groove. On the simplest modern crossbows, a plastic guide is glued directly on top of the stock. On more “advanced” ones, the guide plate is made of a material that has sufficient anti-friction properties so that the arrow moves along it easily and evenly, and the bowstring wears out as slowly as possible. In systems with a high tension force, it is even recommended to use oil to lubricate the guide. Such a guide is fixedly attached to the body of the crossbow, or two guide plates are used, located at some distance from each other. As for the distance between the guides (groove), its dimensions depend on the diameter of the arrows used, as well as the height of the plumage. As a rule, the width of the groove (with chamfered) should be such that the axis of the arrow intersects the center of the bowstring, which in turn should lie (without vertical force) on the upper surface of the stock and move parallel to it when fired.
8. Sight
Due to the steep trajectory of the arrow, the installation and arrangement of crossbow sights have their own characteristics. The sights used are divided into three categories: open, diopter and optical.
Below we will consider each of them separately, together with the design features in more detail.
Open. This design is a development of the idea of a bow sight. The fixed rear sight is complemented by a console mounted next to the bow, on which a set (three to five pieces) of horizontal flies (each can be adjusted horizontally and vertically) for different firing distances (the so-called “comb”) is mounted. When aiming, the shooter selects the desired front sight in height, depending on the shooting distance.
Diopter. Basically, these sights are placed on sports crossbows and are similar in design to sights for bullet sports. All the differences are only in the front sight: it has a wide range of adjustments and can be equipped with a leveling level to control the “blockage” of the weapon. In addition, the possibility of a longitudinal inclination of the diopter itself and its front sight is usually provided to eliminate the ellipse of the front sight if they do not match in height. On the other hand, there is a tendency to move away from the aiming ideology of firearms. Now they prefer to carry out all micrometric adjustments at the front sight, while the diopter itself remains motionless.
Optical. The existing developments for bullet weapons are quite suitable for installation on crossbows. It is only necessary to remember that the mount has a bevel towards the target of the order of one or two degrees.
The material was prepared with the assistance of the Interloper crossbow center
This article describes how to make a powerful and reliable crossbow with your own hands. I assume that you are familiar with the general design of the crossbow, the purpose of its individual nodes and the terms used. I would like to share my experience in the design of this type of weapon, to offer my best practices and achievements. I think that it will be interesting for you to learn how, in a medium-equipped workshop, using only improvised materials, to make a crossbow, which, in terms of its characteristics, is close to factory models.
Characteristics of the crossbow
- Weight: 3 kg;
- Length: 960 mm;
- Width: 820 mm
- Bow tension force: 30 - 40 kg;
- Optimal arrow weight: 20 - 25 g;
- Sighting range 80 - 100 m;
- Penetration depth of an arrow with a diameter of 7 mm and a weight of 15 g into a dry pine board from a distance of 10 m: 4 cm;
- Effort on the descent: 400 - 500 g.
Fastening
The central part to which the shoulders and the stock of the crossbow will be attached is the part.
It is cut from an iron sheet 2.5 - 3 mm thick, then bent and welded. With the help of 2 bolts inserted into the holes in the center of the mounting device and at the end of the stock of the crossbow, the latter can be easily disassembled for transportation and assembled into a combat position.
A stirrup is welded to the mounting device from below for convenience when pulling the bowstring.
The stirrup is bent from a wire with a diameter of 6 - 8 mm.
Crossbow Shoulders
The material for manufacturing is a spring from a passenger car with a thickness of 5 - 6 mm.
Four semi-circular notches on the wide part of the shoulder - holes for bolts, with which the shoulders will be screwed to the mount. I deliberately refrain from drilling holes, which, in my opinion, will weaken the shoulders, and may cause them to break and deform.
Another advantage of this mounting method is simplicity. No need to look for a way to drill holes in hard, hardened steel. And how can this be done? Is it possible to release the metal, drill, then harden it again.
There is an opinion that the use of springs as material for the shoulders is dangerous. They break (especially in the cold) at the attachment points, plus when broken, the spring throws out small fragments in the form of needles.
Crossbow blocks
What are the benefits of using blocks?
Firstly, tension is facilitated: two blocks and a bowstring lengthened by 3 times gives a gain in strength. Stretching such a bow is several times easier than if you directly connected both ends of the shoulders with a bowstring.
Secondly, after the descent, the bowstring will slide over the surface of the bed 1.5 - 2 times faster, respectively, the initial speed of the arrow and the range of the crossbow will also increase.
The disadvantages of the block system include complexity in manufacturing, the use of an additional device for fixing blocks at the ends of the shoulders and a slight increase in the total weight of the weapon.
String winding scheme
Drawing of the part with which the blocks are attached to the ends of the shoulders
The dimensions of the wheel along the recess of which the bowstring slides
Crossbow string
A steel cable with a diameter of 2 - 3 mm is used as a bowstring in this crossbow. A thicker one is more difficult to tie and attach, a thinner one will stretch during operation and may fray and tear. An ordinary oak loop is tied at the ends of the cable.
The knot at the end of the cable is very tight and very difficult to untie. It is better to attach the bowstring not directly to the axis of the block, but to use additional parts
This will allow you to more evenly distribute the load and avoid chafing the bowstring.
Crossbow stock
The material for the manufacture of the crossbow bed is an aspen, maple board 30 mm thick (viscous and durable materials that are easy to process and have a rather beautiful texture).
Oak is too heavy, difficult to work and easily chipped; pine, spruce - warp when wet, not strong enough. The bed will look more beautiful if it is sanded and varnished.
Particular attention should be paid to the guide groove for the boom. It should be smooth and well polished. The accuracy of shooting depends on the state of the groove. The width of the groove should be equal to the diameter of the arrow. It is convenient to cut the groove with a circular saw.
Take care of the ease of use and ergonomics of the weapon: choose the optimal distance from the handle to the trigger, attach the forearm to the stock (like AKM). The presence of the butt and simplifies aiming and significantly increases the accuracy of shooting.
To hold the arrow, a spring is used that presses the arrow to the bed and prevents it from falling out of the guide slot before the shot.
As an aiming device, you can install an optical sight on a crossbow, use ready-made sights from bullet weapons. One solution is to use a rear sight and front sight. Vertical corrections are carried out as a whole, fixed on the trigger cover, and horizontal ones - with a front sight, fixed on the details of fastening the shoulders and the stock. It is convenient for transportation if the sight is made removable.
Crossbow trigger
The material for the manufacture of the trigger mechanism is sheet iron 6–7 mm thick.
Details are mounted directly in the box, without making a separate case. A nest is cut out in the crossbow stock, through holes are drilled for the axles on which the trigger parts will be attached, the mechanism is mounted
During the operation of such a design of the trigger mechanism, not a single (!) Spontaneous operation was noticed. The descent is smooth, comfortable, no excessive effort is required.
Arrows for crossbow (bolts)
To achieve hit accuracy, good accuracy, arrows must be correctly and efficiently made, be uniform in weight, shape, size, plumage (for a group of identical arrows, you can shoot a crossbow, find the optimal sight settings).
Crossbow arrows must be strong and tough because the crossbow transfers a significant amount of energy to the arrow. A brittle, sloppy, poorly balanced arrow will shatter when dropped or hit the target.
- minimum: bow tension (in grams) divided by 5000;
- maximum: bow tension (in grams) divided by 2000;
Thus, for a crossbow with a tension force of 40 kg, we get the following weight range: 10 - 25 g.
The flight range of an arrow depends on the area of drag, the mass of the arrow and the amount of energy transferred to it from the bowstring. A small drag area to mass ratio will result in a longer range of the arrow (assuming the amount of energy is a constant).
Reducing the length of the boom also improves its flight performance, because as the length increases, the turbulence of the air stream parallel to the cylindrical surface increases, absorbing more energy.
The arrow consists of plumage, tip, shaft, butt plate.
If the shaft is made of wood, then the butt plate may be absent. The end of the crossbow arrow is even, without an eye for a bowstring. You can remake the arrows from sports bows, making them heavier and reducing the length.
Crossbow arrowheads
The easiest and most convenient way to make quality tips is very original! If possible, you need to pick up fired bullets of 7.62 caliber at military training grounds where Kalashnikov assault rifles are fired. The steel core in the pool is fixed with a lead plug on the bottom. Those. if you heat the bullet (you can even do it on a fire in a tin can) so that the lead melts, then the steel core will fall out of it. Here you have a neat, ready-made, with a tip specially designed for shooting. And besides, due to the deep hole formed after the removal of the core, this tip is very easy to attach to the arrow itself. It just fits on the sharpened end like a cap.
If there is a need to tighten the arrow (depending on the length), then we put the bullet shell on a cut rod with a nail or screw of a suitable diameter and screw it into the end of the arrow, with a pre-drilled hole, of course, - names, but this is how the arrowheads of factory crossbows are attached
Approximate parameters of arrows for crossbows:
- Length: 120 - 170 mm;
- Diameter: 7 - 8 mm;
- Number of feathers: 3 or 4 pieces;
- Pen length: 30 - 50 mm;
- Pen height: 5 - 8 mm;
- Arrow weight: 10 - 40 gr.
The center of gravity of the crossbow arrow should be located at a distance of 1/3 from the tip.
The crossbow was invented by the Romans many centuries ago. Later, it was no longer used in battles, but after seven hundred years, the Europeans returned the weapon to use, having modernized it well. You can try yourself in the role of a warrior now. If it is not possible to buy expensive weapons, then we will please you. A simple crossbow can be made with your own hands at home.
A handmade homemade crossbow is made of wood, paper or metal. It all depends on what is at hand at home, and what you will use it for.
There are recommendations on how to easily assemble a block, spring, toy and repeating crossbow yourself, using step-by-step instructions and simple diagrams. Therefore, everyone has the opportunity to use the assassin's hidden weapon or arrange a battle with colleagues using a small wrist office crossbow made of cardboard.
The history of the appearance of the crossbow
The main advantage of a block or simple crossbow compared to a bow is that there is no need for training or special skills. There is no need to use force to aim. Due to the levers, the device helps to cope with the bowstring.
In past centuries, many officials and rulers considered the possession of these weapons a dangerous undertaking, as they were afraid of rebellion. Therefore, the "Gun Control Order" was soon issued, when crossbows were banned throughout Europe. But after the outbreak of hostilities with the Turks, the decision was canceled. Richard the Lionheart made it a staple in the equipment of his warriors.
Making a crossbow yourself is not so easy, but it is possible if you have the basic skills of a designer, blueprints and a few power tools. You are required to comply with safety regulations, since you still create weapons. Therefore, it should not be directed at people, as well as given to small children.
Now you will no longer need medieval spare parts in the form of bundles of animals or special fibers, improvised materials will do. But this is enough to shoot at cans or bottles.
How to make a crossbow out of wood
A wooden shooting crossbow made of PVC or block-type plywood is the most famous option.
Manufacturing instructions:
- take a bar of wood, which will be the base, fasten a metal plate or corners at the end;
- take another block, smaller in size (width about 5 cm, thickness - 2 cm), make holes on the sides, install at the base, 10 cm from the edge;
- in two plates of 15 cm in the middle, make fasteners for the springs, make a hole at the edge to install the shoulders to the base;
- on the other side of the plate, make holes for a roller that is sold in any market. Repeat these steps with the other plank;
- attach the shoulders to the base;
- use small spring springs (they act as a return mechanism), attaching one end to the shoulders and the other to the steel plate;
- install rollers on the edges of the smaller beam, fix the part at the base;
- create two organic glass guides;
- build a trigger from clothespins, rubber bands or something more powerful;
- paint the device and put the stock in a suitable place for the hand.
How to make a paper crossbow? Even easier!
Making a paper crossbow out of cardboard that also shoots is as easy as shelling pears. Paper weapons shoot arrows from pencils, pens, matches, Lego skewers or rulers. In general, everything that is light in weight and looks like real arrows. For manufacturing you will need:
- 12-18 sheets of paper;
- three spatulas or ice cream sticks;
- threads;
- scissors;
- pencil;
- paper knife;
- scotch.
Step-by-step instruction:
- fold five sheets in half;
- unbend and cut at the fold;
- wind the halves on a pencil and secure with tape;
- put a mark on a stick (spatula) and on a 4 cm tube;
- insert the spatula to the mark, then break off;
- wrap the tube with tape for strength;
- bend the sides of the crossbow;
- take five sheets of paper and wrap around a pencil;
- attach to the side tube;
- fasten the bowstring, pull it and make a mark at the limit point;
- make a hole for the hook;
- make a hook from a piece of stick and fix it in the hole;
- cut one sheet in half, twist the tubes and fix in the descent area;
- make another 5 cm tube, insert into the front (it will be a guide).
How to make a mini crossbow for a child
A small children's crossbow will be an unusual gift for a child. The power is small, since the bowstring will be a simple elastic band. This will require a minimum of materials. It is done like this:
- you need to connect three small boards to each other;
- make shoulders out of metal and secure with screws;
- cut off the grasping part from the clothespin;
- the handle can be taken from a ski pole and installed with glue;
- you can make a couple more shoulders for rubber bands, for this, bearings that are mounted on a common plate are suitable;
- for the pusher, a small piece of wood is taken, which is driven under the clothespin;
- a groove is made for fastening the bowstring;
- a bowstring is created from a strong elastic band;
- for the trigger, it is enough to take a spare part from a children's pistol, attach a metal part to it;
- connect the shoulders and the base;
- attach the trigger with a screw;
- fasten the elastic;
- fasten the sight, if desired.
How to make a powerful crossbow for hunting or fishing
To create a real military weapon for hunting or fishing, more serious details and schemes will be required. What are the shoulders made of? Take a metal arc, make a bed of wood, a bowstring of elastic synthetic fibers.
The mechanism and fasteners from bolts are the most difficult, only those who know how to work with metal can do it. But you can order the necessary spare parts in the workshop according to the drawings, and then assemble all the houses. But bolts and a nod are easily made of wood or plastic, arrows with tips are made of wood or iron rods.
Not everyone can assemble a hunting or underwater crossbow. Therefore, it is better to entrust the work to the master in order to be sure of the result.
Since ancient times, the crossbow has been known as a very accurate and deadly long-range weapon. A crossbow is a wooden stock to which a composite or steel bow is attached.
Thanks to a special hook mechanism, its bowstring is easily fixed, which gives the shooter the opportunity to concentrate on aiming. The special design of this weapon allows the use of even heavy arrows that hit the target with the same accuracy as ordinary arrows.
History of the crossbow
The original concept of the crossbow originated around 400 BC. At that time, the weapon was called "gastrafet", which could launch two-meter arrows at a distance of up to two hundred meters. Thus, the gastraphete was a longer-range weapon than the standard bow.
The crossbow was mainly used as a hunting weapon, and until the eleventh century no one considered it as an effective way to eliminate opponents on the battlefield. However, warriors from the Middle East, who had already appreciated the advantages of the crossbow during numerous battles for control of the lands, again popularized this weapon among Europeans.
Crossbows during the Battle of Hastings
For example, during the Battle of Hastings in the middle of the eleventh century, the Normans actively used crossbows against their Saxon opponents. In addition, this weapon gained considerable popularity among the crusaders.
Shooting from a crossbow did not leave indifferent even Richard I the Lionheart. It is believed that he was superbly able to handle this weapon, personally shooting a dozen people from it.
Interestingly, the king himself died from a crossbow arrow during the siege of the Chalu-Chabrol fortress.
At the end of the twelfth century, crossbows entered service with the fleet and infantry. Special detachments of crossbowmen began to form, increasingly becoming important participants in the battles. Some detachments were part of many armies and fought for money.
For example, the rebellion of the English barons at the beginning of the thirteenth century was successfully suppressed, including with the help of three hundred crossbowmen, who instantly destroyed the enemy cavalry troops. Of course, crossbowmen were on both sides of the battle.
In the same year, 1215, the rebel garrison surrendered in Rochester. According to the decree of John the Landless, all captured knights could receive their freedom for a ransom. However, this order did not apply to especially dangerous crossbowmen, who were sent to the gallows without any exceptions.
Pretty soon, the crossbowmen's detachments acquired a special status as part of the defensive forces of the fortresses. For example, in the garrison of Safet Castle, which was located in the Holy Land, there were about three hundred crossbowmen. Approximately the same number of crossbows (and almost 267,000 arrows attached to them) was found when examining weapons stocks in thirty French castles of the Capetian domain.
And in the arsenal of the Norman fortress of Pasy-sur-Eure, there were five large crossbows, 25 crossbows with a stirrup and almost 40 crossbows, which could only be loaded with the help of the legs.
Crossbow design
The very first models of crossbows had the simplest design: a wooden bow was attached to the stock, and the bowstring was pulled manually. An arrow fired from such a weapon had a modest firing range (about a hundred meters) and could only kill a warrior without armor.
A little later, the participants of the Crusades learned about the designs of composite bows, as well as about different materials for their manufacture. For example, on the inside, the bow was glued with special whalebone plates - they worked in compression.
Pictured is a crossbow with a composite bow
The tendons, glued from the outside, worked in tension. Dried fish bubbles were used to boil the glue.
Drying of the product lasted at least one year. At the end of this process, the bow horns were bent in the opposite direction and had a strong tension. Stretching the string of such a crossbow was a very difficult task, so mechanical devices were invented rather quickly.
At the beginning of the thirteenth century, a mechanism known as the "belt hook" appeared. To pull the arrow, it was necessary to turn the crossbow with the bow down and hook the steel hook to the central part of the bowstring. Then the shooter inserted one foot into the stirrup located in front of the weapon, straightened the body and pulled the crossbow down, applying significant efforts to stretch the bowstring.
Loading a crossbow with your foot
In the fourteenth century, a new Middle Eastern type of tension hook came to Europe - the so-called "goat's leg". It was a special swivel arm equipped with a double fork, the end of which rested against a transverse pin on the stock of the weapon. The fork hooked the bowstring, and with the help of a lever pulled it to the hook mechanism. The shooter could easily apply a force of two hundred kilograms, and pull even the most lethal crossbows of those times.
Crossbow with a goat's leg tension mechanism.
By the beginning of the fifteenth century, the manufacture of steel bows was established. Having retained their former dimensions, the craftsmen provided such bows with much greater killing power and durability. To stretch the bowstring of such a crossbow, a "kranekin" was used, i.e. removable rack and pinion gate. A belt loop secured its mechanism to the crossbow stock, and the bowstring was hooked with hooks connected to a rack and pinion. With the help of Kranekin, the crossbowman could apply a force of 1100 kilograms. However, pulling the bowstring required about thirty turns of the handle, which sometimes took up to forty seconds.
Simultaneously with this system, a removable collar appeared, which included intermediate blocks and handles attached to the stock of the weapon. With the help of this gate, the crossbowman could apply a force of about 800 kilograms, which made it possible to spend a maximum of half a minute on a platoon of weapons. However, this bulky collar was very inconvenient in combat, since it had to be constantly attached to the crossbow.
A crossbow with a Kranekin tensioning mechanism.
The crossbow hook was a simple and reliable mechanism, where the bowstring was attached to a protrusion of a bronze or bone “nut”. A special cutout was usually made on the ledge, which served as a sight.
For the manufacture of bowstrings, high-strength flax, a hemp cord, as well as a cord made of ox sinew or rawhide straps were used. Since the bowstring gradually stretched, it was subjected to regular replacement. The bowstring also deteriorated when exposed to water, so special leather cases were used to store crossbows.
Crossbow arrows, called "bolts", were made of wood. They had a length of up to 40 centimeters, a thickness of about one and a half centimeters and a weight of about 70 grams.
In order to stabilize the flight path, "wings" of wood or leather were often attached to the arrows. The tips had a petiolate design and a pyramid-shaped head.
Sighting range of the crossbow
In the fifteenth century, the most lethal crossbow, equipped with a steel bow, could shoot an arrow at a distance of 400 meters. The aiming range of a crossbow with a compound bow was about 250 meters - the same amount an arrow fired from a traditional bow could fly. However, such an arrow, firstly, was not able to hit the target at its end, and secondly, its movement along a certain trajectory could be instantly interrupted due to the wind.
The crossbow bolt pleased the shooters with much more combat-ready aerodynamic parameters.
At a distance of aimed shooting at single targets (about 90 meters), the crossbow bolt successfully pierced any enemy armor, be it chain mail, plate armor or knightly armor.
Thanks to this feature, crossbowmen were able to keep the archers of the enemy army at a sufficient distance, launching arrows from which was virtually useless.
And yet, the crossbow had one drawback over the bow - a low rate of fire. In one minute, a worthy archer could have time to fire about ten arrows, while a crossbowman during the same time managed to shoot only five times from a light crossbow or twice from a heavy one.
In addition, the crossbowman had to try to kill opponents with the first shot, otherwise, during a long reload of the weapon, the target could leave the affected area.
When cocking a crossbow, the shooter became an easy target for enemies, so he was often covered by a second warrior with a special shield.
