Homemade miniature medieval crossbow with metal prod, no elastic here. also has a micro rolling nut trigger mechanism, this is very powerful for its size.

Step 1: Body

the body of the cross bow measures
20cm long, 10mm wide and 15mm tall.

Step 2: Body Shaping

starting to shape the body (not finished in this picture) Also filed a groove for the bolt to sit, this could be done by other means but i managed to get it very straight by only using a file.

Step 3: Rolling Nut Trigger Mech

this is the trigger mechanism which is often used on old crossbows and other seige weapons, this was made from aluminium, the nut is 7mm diameter and 4mm wide, i had set it up here on a spare piece of wood to make sure it works and locks. the trigger blade has been since replaced with a better looking one

Step 4: Trigger Hole

I drilled two holes 4mm and then used a dremmel to finish the innards ready to accept the nut and trigger, the trigger blade has a small gap for a spring to keep tension on the nut.

Step 5: Metal Prod Lath Limbs Etc

I cut my prod from an old cutting disk and im not sure of the metal I planned on using spring steel and may make a new prod in the future however this steel is still very powerful, the prod is 14cm long and 1cm wide at the center tapering down to 6mm, this metal was hard to cut and a disk grinder was needed, id still be cutting today if I tried using a metal saw blade.

afterwards I put a small set at each end and flicked the hooks on the tips to hold the string better. I also glued a small piece of leather on each tip so that the prod doesn't cut through tho string over time.

Step 6: Mounting the Prod

after drilling a 6mm hole in the body of the crossbow behind the prod I made a small block to securely fasten the prod, tightly winding some cord to secure it, it can also be glued etc if necessary.

Step 7: String

I used some very fine paracord and looped at each end then binded it with cord and glued with epoxy resin and it is very secure (I was pessimistic)

Ready to fire but needs a clip to hold the bolt in place.

Step 8: Bolt Clip

I bent some thin metal to shape and held it down with a small screw, this applies a gentle amount of pressure on the bolt to hold it in place, it helps accuracy too.

Step 9: Finished

all you need now is bolts, I find ear bud/ cotton stick tubes are best, you can glue sharpened rods in the tip and make small flights out of card or other material. This crossbow measures around 15-20 lbs and can astonishingly shoot more than 120 feet!