Hi All,

I have just finished this bow and decided to try out a couple of things that I have not put on a bow before and I rather like the results and hope you do too.

The stock is cherry which works very nicley with a close grain and I like the slight pinkiness of it too. The cheeks are horn, the top plate is a layer of ebony then topped with bone and horn chevrons and the butt cheeks are ebony. I also added the safety cords in hemp.

Although a bow like this would ordinarily have a pretty heavy draw weight and would be loaded by cranequin, this bow is destined for use with people that usually don't shoot crossbows and so the goats foot this is set up for is a rather more useable proposition and the weight on this bow is consequently also low at about 220lb.

Similarly the nut would generally have been antler or bone, but for cost and maintenance issues we went with a pinned steel nut.

On other matters I also have made a jig (patterned after a medieval one) for making bolts with curved wooden fletches and these will now be available to order. I have wanted to do this for many years and finally found a spot early this year to make one.

Tod

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Hi Tod
how do those "twisted" bolts perform? Better range, more accurate, just better looking????
Regards
phil

WOW :eek: That is one nice looking crossbow. I'm left speachless. I really want one.

I do have some question on the fletching jig you made. Do you have pictures of it? How does it work? As in are the vanes surface mounted or does the jig cut a small groove into the shaft? Lastly what type of wood do you use for the wood vanes?

And I second question on how well the curved wood vanes worked? I have had some success with straight wood vanes before so would be courious to see how this would be different.

Seeing this just made me realize that I needed one of those but never knew it :)

Great looking crossbow!

For sure, for sure.

Will have to get out my list and do a re-prioritize and reclassification. Beats a 30-06 in my books for sure.

One thing I love about this forum is being able to view the fantastic skill level of the vendors that participate here.

Thank you Tod

To say it simply - it is beautiful, Tod! I have never been a great fan of crossbows - always preferred shooting bows myself, but this is a true work of art and is wondrous to behold.

Amazing work Tod. I love crossbows and yours always have a level of finish you rarely see on reproductions. If I ever buy a second one I know where I'll be going.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Phil Melhop wrote

Quote:

how do those "twisted" bolts perform? Better range, more accurate, just better looking????

Joel Minturn wrote

Quote:

I do have some question on the fletching jig you made. Do you have pictures of it? How does it work? As in are the vanes surface mounted or does the jig cut a small groove into the shaft? Lastly what type of wood do you use for the wood vanes? And I second question on how well the curved wood vanes worked? I have had some success with straight wood vanes before so would be curious to see how this would be different.

I have not shot any for distance so I can't comment accuartely on that, however they are slightly heavier so even if the drag was the same the bolts would fly slower. Feather fletchings make the bolt spin even without being helically fletched due to their natural curve, so wood fletches set to make the bolt spin will do the same; so I suspect they are no more accurate. The originals were fletched like this so in my eyes they are better looking.

The jig works by scraping a groove into the shaft and then you bond in the wooden vane. I am currently using box for the vanes and ash for the shaft.

Straight vanes work fine, but they will not spin the bolt, so will never be as accurate as a spinning one.

I have wondered for years about why bolts were fletched in wood as it is harder and slower to do and gives no obvious advantages but have come up with my personal theory. Feather fletched arrows have a shelf life as the feathers get degraded over time due to some sort of mite until after 15 years or so you have little left but dust. Bolts were often stored in magazines for decades and in those circumstances the bolts would become useless. There is a fantastic photo posted by someone (Mathieu?) that shows many thousands of bolts at Grandson that would still be shootable now 500 years later.

Arrows could not be fletched in wood so they must have been regularly maintained and bolts don't require this.

What I find very interesting is the form of the vane. Wood fletched bolts would work just fine with helically fletched straight vanes but the bolts always have curved 'wing section' vanes. This seems to be unneccesarily complicated. Which means there must be a good reason for doing it. The only reason I can think of is that they produce more spin with less drag than compared to straight helically fletched bolts and the wing section suggests this. If this is the case it is another example of how our predecessors were damn clever without the maths.

Tod

I got to handle this baby today.
very nice elegant curves and all I really lobe the chevron horn work . its a lovely piece .

Just had to add the leather weave binding.

It sat there winking at me until I relented.

Tod

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Wow Tod :eek: Just wow!!! I swear your stuff just keeps getting better and better.

oh my. Please don't give me any other ideas. Awesome work....

Seriously, Leo, is there anything that you can't make? I am more amazed and impressed every time you post something new.

Beautiful work (as always), love the chevron inlay on the top.

Wow! A lovely piece -- what next?

Paul

Sorry for the thread necro, but i missed these last comments and I would just like to thank you all for you kind words.

What next? Quite fancy a Tudor gun shield or there is a lovely axe/gun in Armi Bianche Italiene. One of those is likely be a large project for me this year.

Tod

Simply beautiful work..I do so wish that crossbows weren't illegal here Down Under :cry: I've never been able to get a LOGICAL reason as to why they are illegal..all the ones I've heard just don't hold water :(
Anyway..I've drifted a bit off topic. What I meant to ask was..lovely as the chevron-pattern inlay on top is, don't you find that it's a little distracting when you are trying to aim ?. I would have thought your eyes would be drawn to it..rather than your target ??