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a different type of horn-bow

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stuckinthemud:
Hi Guys,
Del's latest project reminded me of my stalled 5-year project, a replica Saxon horn-and-sinew crossbow. Still got lots of questions I haven't been able to find the answers to, so, anyone know anything about composite crossbow prods, for instance, the power the original hunting/target cross-bows typically used to operate at? Also, I do spend time on one or two of the crossbow forums, but anyone got any good advice/links to composite prod designs?  I have read PG's book and Redhawk's blog posts on his build but that is pretty much all I have found that is relevant to this particular project. All I can do at the moment is extrapolate dimensions and materials off photos - not really a reliable data-set if you have no idea of the power of the original. As usual, any and all advice gratefully received.
In particular, the one thing that really baffles me is why these things seem to not use a wooden core, any ideas?

mikekeswick:
Better to use a wooden core. Stick to standard construction methods. Without a core the 'bow' will be unstable.
The draw to length ratio of hornbows is around 1.5:1. Work out what power stroke you want and go from there.
you will have to make one, record the stats,see what it comes out at and then make another if you aren't happy with the weight etc of the first one.
No need to go over 30mm wide. Remember thicker is quicker!

loefflerchuck:
The famous French crossbows from the time of Richard the Lionheart were made of many strips of horn joined side by side backed with lots of sinew.

stuckinthemud:
All the medieval ones I know of are strips of horn with non-matching grooves glued into a solid laminate with a huge sinew layer and some also have a sinew wrap across the sides, some even sinewed over the belly, very few, if any, have a wood core.

davidjw:
Here are some interesting construction variations in medieval crossbows you might enjoy.  In the schematic drawings blue is horn; red is wood; yellow is sinew; and orange is leather.

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