Ash crossbow cross-section?

[Bootthrower]

How should the cross section of an ash crossbow look?

[Del the cat]

Back following a ring. Wide as possible thick enough to give the draw weight you want.
Personally I wouldn't use Ash. It's hard to get a decent draw length at a decent weight without ending up with a V long bow.
It can help to start with some deflex in order to maximise draw length.
(E.G it only takes a tiny bit of extra bend to brace it)
It's good to make the prod with the tips coming up a little to minimise friction on the track, or at least only taper the width from the bottom edge.
There are some posts on my blog about one I did:-
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/crossbow-prod.html
What draw length/Poundage are you aiming for?
Del

[Bootthrower]

I'm not aiming for any particular poundage. I was trying to make a stave for an English longbow, but it had a big knot and a nasty bend on one side (Never made a bow before so it looked a bit too scary), so I cut of the bad part hoping to save the remainder of the stave and use it for something! Since I've never made a bow before I thought it could be some practice, so the expectations are pretty low! The reason I was thinking of a crossbow is simply because of its length..

So the cross section is similar to an ash bow? somewhat rectangular with a chased ring back?

What's a V long bow?

Forgive me for all the questions! I'm new to this..

[Del the cat]

"V"... abbreviation for "very"
Anything over about 36" becomes a tad cumbersome and ugly for a crossbow (IMO)
Del

[Bootthrower]

Oh, I see! Thanks for clearing that up!
I can see how it would look peculiar if it was too long..

Just one last question; did I understand you correctly about the cross section? Rectangular like an ash bow, but with a chased back?

Thanks for all the information and helpful replies!

[Del the cat]

Yes, corners rounded of course and maybe a very slight curve to the belly as a dead flay belly will tend to become concave as it bends...
Del

[Bootthrower]

Thanks for the wonderful advice!

[turmoiler]

Maybe you would be interested in downloading this book: https://archive.org/details/Book_of_the_Crossbow_The_by_Sir_Ralph_Payne-Galloway

[Bootthrower]

The book seems great! Thanks for showing it to me!