[Leo Todeschini]

Hi All,

This is a slightly speculative reproduction of a crossbow form the 12thC. We know very very little except for some illustrations and descriptions as these were not very common weapons.

To load the bow, the shooter sits down and puts their feet either side of the bow and draws back. The trigger is not sprung so the nut is set into position and the string drawn over that and into position.

The bow must be unstrung after use, so as there is not likely to be a stringing bench around, there is a modified car back that is fitted to the stock and used to flex the bow and allow the string to be fitted; brace height is around 55mm.

The stock is ash, oiled with linseed and the cheeks are horn. The nut is antler with a steel insert and bound in with hemp cord. The bow is Italian yew, the bridle is hemp and the string is waxed linen. The last one of these I made, had horn nocks, but I think that actually it should not have done, and so this has self nocks.

The bow is 750mm wide and draws 150mm and is 150lbs.

I hope you like it and any thoughts or questions, please fire away.

Tod

[Mart Shearer]

I love the knotty bow. Should it have more sapwood, or is preferable to have more heartwood?

I can't help but wonder if the tiller need some more work, though? It seems several early crossbows show a knob at the end and a bit more overall shaping.

[Leo Todeschini]

Mart Shearer wrote