Home Made Crossbows

[Alloys and Iron]

I have always wanted to build my own crossbow. Now that times are slow and I own my own machine shop I beleive it's time to full fill my life long dream.
Can anyone help or does anyone have or know where I could get plans for building a crossbow?
Thanks,

[90north]

40 yrs ago Popular Mechanics magazine had the plans for one, I made one in HS shop class.  Guess that would get me expelled now.

[S.S.]

Saw one once built from the leaf spring from the rear end of an old truck..
Bolts were made of something like re-bar and it would fire them at incredible
velocity. It was mounted on a carrage with wheels. Of absolutely no value except
fun but it was really neat looking.

[scootrd]

Build a Hunter’s Crossbow (Dec, 1953)

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/08/01/build-a-hunters-crossbow/

Might be fun to try and make one out of an old Re-curve Bow

[Lon371]

 My dad and his brothers made one once. They cut a slot in a fence post, and bolted a leaf spring in it. Used a steel cable for the string. Shot steel rods of some sort. Said it was not real accurate but was cool anyways.

 If you build one. Make sure you post up picts.

Lonny

[bilmac]

A kid made one in our HS shop. He used an auto leaf spring. Never saw it shoot or heard anything about it, so I am guessing it wasn't worth much.

[Alloys and Iron]

I didn't have access to an car or truck spring, but I did have a piece od 6061-T6 aluminum. I thought I would ask an local aluminum wearhouse if the aluminum I had would works as a bow, they told me that it would because Fred Bear Archery order tons of it for their company. So I spent about 6 hours milling a recurved aluminum bow. That was the biggest waste of time I have ever spent on a mill. I put the bow on a press I have and started to bend the bow to test it and found out real quick that it will not work for a bow.
Does anyone know the type of aluminum that is used for the bow of a crossbow?

[lrs]

I'm just getting into crossbow hunting and came across this thread. 
I have an osage orange log, bois'darc, or whatever you wish to call it.
Has anyone tried making a homemade crossbow with this type of wood for the bow?

[mcwoodduck]

When I was a kid I took my Fiberglass 35# Bear bow and made a cross bow out of it.
Mounted it on a frame of 3 - 1X3 pieces of wood.  the center one was lower to make a trough for the arrow to fly through.
And made a trigger using a flat peice of metal and a 90 flat piece and washers.
Worked well.  Had to figure out sights, but it took a few cotton tails around the back yard.