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My little bitty bow

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Bikewer:
Prod, actually... ;D

Anyway, I've started work on this crossbow project, and have progressed to this point on the bow:



and:



This is the last of the red-oak board I've already used for two bows.  It's 30", with peg nocks.  Silk backing (necktie) for safety....
I don't want this thing letting go when I'm holding it in firing position!

I figure I have to get the bow working before I can do anything else; as the stock will have to be tailored to the draw length and all.
I have all my other materials assembled, including a piece of 1 1/2" aluminum rod stock for the "nut".   (plan to use hacksaw and dremel)
So far so good....Short bows are really, really stiff!   Trying to brace this little dude is a major pain.    I'm planning to use a draw length that's pretty short, hopefully the thing will hang together.

George Tsoukalas:
Pretty neat stuff. I remember trying to make one as a kid. I  couldn't do it. What is the "nut"? I know. It's the guy asking all these dumb questions. More details and pics would be appreciated. Jawge

Bikewer:
Here's a pretty good illustration of a design similar to what I'll be using:



The nut (traditionally made of antler or ivory, I understand) holds the string at full cock, and the bolt in alignment.  It's released by a trigger very much the same as a typical revolver trigger works.

PatM:
I have just made the nut from dense wood and oriented the grain vertically. The trigger can be cut from a piece of wood shaped like a goose head and neck. The 'beak' catches the lower lip on the nut and a rotating pin goes through the 'eye'. The neck forms the trigger. I usually use four pieces of wood for the stock. Two outer pieces and a central spacer with a gap left for the trigger and nut to fit in. That makes it easier than trying to cut the hole that houses the mechanism.
 By fitting a spring behind the trigger you can make it click into a cocked position by rotating the nut back with your thumb.

Bikewer:
I have seen nuts made from hardwood, and it would probably suffice for this rather-light weapon.   However, some of the crossbow sites complain of splitting....
For this one, I'll use a design where the nut is actually held by steel flat-stock sidepeices, screwed onto each side of the stock.  There are a lot of examples of similar designs, some using pieces of hardwood instead of steel.
My thought is eventually I'll be able to upgrade if I want to.
A couple of nylon (oops, not very traditional... ;D) washers on each side of the nut.

When I was stationed in Germany back in the 60s, the local (Wurzburg) museum had a wonderful collection of medieval weapons.  Many of the crossbows were fantastically engraved and inlaid with silver and ivory; obviously not meant for a peasant!

Many of the bolts were very heavy, sort of bottle-shaped with thick center sections meant to add mass for armor-piercing.

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