Bush Craft survival crossbow
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- For years I have wondered if I could make a survival bushcraft crossbow using just a knife and the hedges around my field; with the release of the new Tod Cutler bushcraft knives it seemed like the perfect moment to find out. The film shows you exactly how I made this (rather ugly) crossbow using only my knives.
Tod Cutler bushcraft knives can be found here todcutler.com
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Brilliant, what a great idea for a video and really educational too!
I always liked Holly for a green bow. hazel for arrows,
For those interested in the previous video tutorials on simple all-wooden, pivot-trigger crossbows, see here:
th-cam.com/video/wWiZpenRGx8/w-d-xo.html - Colletiere a Charavines crossbow reconstruction (functionally the same type, just workshop-made instead of a bushcraft version)
th-cam.com/video/S8pivOifGFQ/w-d-xo.html - Skåne crossbow reconstruction (slightly more complex trigger, workshop-made, but achievable as a bushcraft version if you have a tool for drilling/knocking holes)
I wonder if this was done historically. I mean it makes sense, so I think it should have happened, but I'm curious if there are any records or artifacts that suggest bushcraft crossbows in medieval times.
@@Kabissz The Skane crossbow find was dated to a siege in the early 16th century. And the crossbow itself was very simple and seemed to have been home-made from whatever wood was lying around (not necessarily greenwood, but it wasn't a crossbow that was fashioned to look impressive).
@@ZemplinTemplar thanks! Fascinating stuff.
Continue this as a series, please. Securing small stone heads, like field points, to the bolts?
someone needed to pick up the primitive technologies torch!
I mean stone heads would have to be pretty unrefined ones to meet the same standards of ease of access and quick/ simple production, unless you happened to find a lot of chipped stone. Perhaps bone, horn, or fire hardened wood points?
Part one of TD's historical and practical bushcraft series. I'd even share that on social media. And thats not my thing. Especially as I could show that version. We could have a speed run or quality or authenticity competition judged by the man himself...
Bone is easier to work if you can find it, in my experience anyway. Bone heads just need patience and some good workstones to make.
Tripwire triggers for *ahem...traplines!
I wasn't aware that the shortages in England were this severe, good luck Tod!
Might make one of these myself - any good at hunting toilet paper?!
Great video as always
What game are we hunting?
Yeh the yanks are spoilt for materials and land , here we have hand me downs ,,,,if they're still worth wearing 😉
The English are tight but the British are trying to give us away for free 🤨
@@Jawawenthe rare and elusive, North Eastern Stockpiler
The couch arrived in two boxes four days early, which was great because we'd just moved into a new house and needed places to sit. My son and I put it together pretty quickly th-cam.com/users/postUgkxitRzxya-XugamYgLwa_2G1gxPg4MCJHa . Another reviewer suggested inserting the seat into the side and I'm glad they did as the instructions weren't clear on that matter. It's incredibly light and slides easily across the wood floor, making it easy to move. It's firm, but comfortable. It will even be great to nap on. I got the gray, which definitely has strong blue undertones, but I'm okay with that.
To make sure that my future bush craft crossbow will work.....i put Tod in my backpack and carry him around. You never know when it's handy have Tod around, you only know that Tod is very handy.
Apparently, if you rub two Tods together very quickly, you can start a fire.
@@euansmith3699 If you rub 2 Tods together, the friction probably just turns into a clamor of crafting, really
Be careful, if you rub only one Tod you may get an unexpected result.
Save the video to your phone and make sure you don't run out of juice, watch it as you do it.
Where do we clone Tod few million times?
"Available in cammo and white". I laughed SO HARD. Awesome video as always, Tod!
"Some assembly required."
@@IamOutOfNames All the assembly required!
@@marpheus1 and crafting the pieces before assembly ...
So African blackwood is not an option.
Awesome!!
Thanks Lilly, Really appreciate it and love your videos and your attitude to what you do. Nice to have you here
Bushcraft is all about getting by without the best tools for the job… unless you’re making the knives, those look amazing and I am seriously considering taking them on a tour of Appalachia. Do you make draw knives?
I'm a simple man:
Tod says "bushcraft survival crossbow" I hit Like.
The wife asked yesterday, 'what do you want for Christmas?' ...I was like....'er there is nothing I want really'....Tod releases a range of Bushcraft Knives..........Boom
I was going to say that'll be an expensive christmas present, but pleasantly surprised with the pricing on them. Not what most people would consider cheap but also not unreasonable for something not made in a large commercial factory.
Actually considering if I might want one or more myself now even though for functional reasons I probably don't need more, but these would be more traditional than my current stuff with a wooden handle and plain leather sheath.
I love Tod's work. I have a Seax, a quillon dagger, and a bowie knife from him. They are all incredibly well made and beautiful. I highly recommend anything from his shop. The Bowie and the Seax are very durable, I've felled saplings like these with them. I'm sure his bushcraft knives are equally awesome.
Thanks for the feedback
Tod: makes beautiful handmade pulley and crank crossbows
Us: we cant do that
Tod: makes crossbow with just a saw, knife and some scrap wood ("Build the simplest crossbow ever" th-cam.com/video/S8pivOifGFQ/w-d-xo.html)
Us: we cant do that, and you cant make it simpler
Tod: hold my pierced go pro.....
"We only need 2 inches, a little bit lumpy is just fine..."
Not to mention the 27 minute runtime.
I think you've been spending too much time with Matt
This dude could make a crossbow out of sphagetti of something and it would still work
Like the guy who made a knife out of spaghetti?
Pretty sure he's done that at some point in Primary School ...
A pasta crossbow is a weapon which would be used by a fusilli-er.
Mythbusters had one where they made a crossbow out of toilet paper. Basically Paper-mache, worked surprisingly well. th-cam.com/video/5A6ZGOmV0CM/w-d-xo.html
This channel’s content just keeps getting better and better!
Love it mate! I've been dreaming up something like this, glad you shared such a simple design :D
Seo Fandabidozi! :D
As someone with a slight motor issue that is commonly called "being clumsy" or "rubbish with your hands"; I am intensely terrified of the new image of a man holding multiple knives also talking with his hands.
Also I envy the ability to be able to use a machete to cut a wedge in a branch, which sounds a silly thing but when you are physically incapable of aligning your blade it is like seeing someone breathe fire or jump 10 storeys. I have ruined many knives and arts and crafts projects over the years due misaligning the blade and ending up ruining the piece, or indeed a finger.
Sounds like you need to learn to forage? Never feel bad for what you can't do, concentrate on what you can. I guess unless you can't breathe.
Practice is the answer.
After all, you have got ten fingers still, ne ?.
I have a great example of this: I needed to cut a piece of plastic with a stanley (spelling) knife, I don't remember what exactly, but I didn't manage to get through, so I decided: lets give it a chop. and lets put it this way, the only thing I chopped was my finger.
@@mathewvanlonden8310 you just require a bit more practice than the average person. But you can learn to be more precise. It might also be a patience issue rather then a motor issue, seeing your finger chop story...
@@DrTheRich Oh I know, its a combination of both by the way.
While it's only the 2nd simplest crossbow design I've heard of, this is the first video I've seen of sombody actually making one with properly with what is found in the wild. This crossbow I feel like I could actually make - even the bow part feels useful because I could make a normal bow in a pinch too.
This the best survival crossbow tutorial ever.. the process in making and teaching is entertaining and very detailed
Once you cover yourself in mud, The Predator is doomed
You can make fast rudimentary fletching on bamboo with a bamboo leaf folded into a triangle and slotted in at the rear. One half of the triangle for each of the two flights. It's how the Hmong people used to do for their small crossbows it in southeast Asia.
I have "fletched" arrows with a short (4-5"?) length of string or thin strip of torn cloth attached about three fingers up the shaft from the knock end.
I suppose you could do the same with a skinny length of sapling park or split reed, just scrap and flex it until it is limp.
Not perfect for guidance, but the drag does keep it point-forward.
I'm slightly concerned with added drag at all for the power that this crossbow would seem to have, but if it were increased I'd agree. Simple and easy
I use rabbit fur as fletching for all my small game and bird arrows, jumpy bastards are easy to trap too. It's quick and easy too, just take a strip of skin and wind it around the shaft, tie it off with some thread and finish with pine pitch glue and you're golden.
I'd love to see you do a kukri for todcutler. The knives make great bushcraft tools, especially for the chopping tasks, plus there's also appeal to martial artists. Matt Easton could also give you some pointers, as he has a good collection.
Anyway, just an idea. Keep up the quality craftsmanship!
Excellent work- both in crafting the knives, and carving the crossbow. BUT- (isn't there always) I was curious that Todd didn't just grab a rock (preferably sandstone) and sand down the knots.
That triggered a knife-as-woodworking-tool question/suggestion "why didn't I think of that"? (actually I didn't, I noticed an Amish wood carver/whittler's brilliant trick at a craft/farm show)
The trick?
The inset grips of his woodworking knives were rasps.
So; the big caving knife had one extra-coarse side, one coarse; the medium shaping knife had medium & small rasps; and the whittling knife had inlaid grips of 2 fine rasps or perhaps a nail salon metal nail-file.
That's actually a really clever concept.
Another is to actually make the blades out of old rasps and files as you want to harden a knife blade anyway, so just heat an old file to forging temperature and carefully hammer one side into an edge, let it cool, clean up the rasp/file teeth, forge weld a full width iron tang on it and punch holes in the tang for riveting.
Then heat it up again for the hardening, douse it in oil or water, and then pop it in a cooking oven for a quarter hour to temper the excess tension out of it.
you can't sand the knots down, it creates a weak point in the bow where the grain with lift. I love the idea of inlet rasps and files in a knife handle though, that's great!
One of the reasons you wouldnt use sandstone while in the middle of working on yoir project is that it leaves sandstone dust inbedded the wood that can damage the blade the next time you run it over that spot.
@@DH-xw6jp Oh, agreed on that-
I worked as an arborist/tree trimmer; NOTHING kills chain saw blades (or any other blade) faster than "street trees" - i.e. trees growing along a road, where road-salt, cinders, and grit get embedded in the bark every time a snow plow goes past.
My thought was more that since it's a "rustic" bow, that you wouldn't be re-carving the knots.
Now, I understand the video is "what CAN these knives can do" aspect
("it can chop wood, but STILL stay razor sharp.. wait , there's MUCH MUCH more, we also want YOU to have this 6 in 1 kitchen tool...")
Simply, it seemed to me that in a survival situation, you'd conserve the sharp knife edge- avoid "the law of the instrument" aka "Birmingham Screwdriver" -
"If all you have is a knife, everything looks like a knife-problem. But if you can fix it by bashing it with a rock, use the rock"
Wow. Honestly, I really hope Les Stroud sees this, because he could easily make this on a survival outing in the right places, and he's only really be using the materials he normally brings.
Exactly. :-)
I like Tod's presentation style much better.
"What you're not looking for is beautifully smooth, a little bit lumpy is just fine" words to live by.
You know, I have been somewhat lost watching your videos on making proper crossbows. I am simply not a practical person, so some of that goes above my head. But this back to basics and minimalist video actually made me understand how a crossbrow essentially works. Thank you, Tod.
There are survival traps that use crossbows to impale small game, now I’m interested.
Genuinely impressed with the value of the bushcraft knives. Really good deal for what looks like a truly excellent set of knives.
This is kind of like Minecraft where you punch a tree to get wood, then collect some stone and then build an assault rifle.
Just more realistic this time.
I bet bushcraft channels like David Canterbury, MCQ Bushcraft , Survival Lilly, Fun In The Woods, TA Outdoors, & Dutch Bushcraft Knives would be willing to take on this challenge.
Been watching for a couple years now and love this simple project. I built a rolling nut trigger for my homemade crossbow that you inspired me to tackle. I need a better bow (made it kinda weak) on it but the rather modern stock and rolling nut trigger mechanism work flawlessly
I've come across numerous intricately crafted handmade crossbows, but yours stands out as the one from which I gleaned the fundamental steps. Thanks for the video
Dear Mr Santa, please bring me a set of Tod Cutler's bushcraft knives for Christmas 🙏🎅🏻
I have 4 days off and things to do.... but that's gonna be on hold because Imma make a crossbow.
it's VERY important to remember that with green wood, you don't want to leave it drawn for very long at all or you'll lose a LOT of power. Basically don't draw until you're ready to shoot to get the most power possible out of the green stave. Kind of makes a green wood crossbow stave useless, unfortunately, with the main advantage of a crossbow being you can carry it around ready to go.
Simple template to a workable setup. Good video
You don't need flights on a primitive arrow or bolt. The shaft is not going to be straight or uniformly dense (radially) so correcting this with flights is complicated and not worth the effort for a primitive tool. Instead, you can attach a bit of cord, long grass, etc. to the nock end of the shaft. The trailing material causes drag that will stabilize the missile while in flight and will greatly improve accuracy at range.
heck, for short range all you need is foc
Informative, interesting and oddly relaxing... what more can you ask for?
Oh and nice knives as well :-)
I'm happy to see your new bushcraft series knives! Classic design and look.
This is the most fun I've ever had and the most I've ever learned from an advertisement! They look like nice knives! I really want to try this project!
Excellent video as always. Your enthusiasm and knowledge seem boundless. Also, I now know what to do next time I'm stranded in English woodland with nothing but a couple of top quality knives, a length of strong cord and a nearby grove of bamboo, but without my mobile phone.
How refreshing to see a genuinely talented craftsman do this style of video
Pricing that beyond a doubt, that *WEAPONS CAN ALWAYS BE FOUND!*
(Skills like these prove that "disarmament" is a fantasy)
Idea:
Instead of holding the bolt with your thumb, carve a thin bit of wood that can flex, secure one end under the topside of the trigger cord, and cut the other end to overhang the flight rail. Carve a bevel on the underside so when you draw the string back, the string hits the bevel, forcing the wooden spring up. Now, when you place the bolt, the wood spring will clamp down on the end just enough to hold it in place. Carve a notch perpendicular to the bevel to catch the top of the bolt. This should be an easy solution, and prevent any injury to your thumb, as well as free up a hand to better steady the crossbow. Oh, and you could carve a little sight notch into the top of the wood spring, using the tip of the bolt as a sort-of front sight. Won't be a perfect sight, but should give you a reference point on which to base your aim.
I wonder if anyone has already done this. I was just thinking how awkward it'd be to have to hold the bolt manually, and this simple solution came to mind.
Edit:
Just realized lifting the wood spring to place the bolt might be enough to unintentionally push the trigger while setting it. I suppose the simple solution is to wedge your thumb under the trigger to prevent it from rocking back while setting the bolt. This is why you want the wood spring to be very thin, and a relatively weak spring. Juuuust enough tension to hold the bolt. Too much springiness, and it might force a discharge.
I keep imagining that these types of crossbows been used before medieval ages, just for hunting boars or such. Crossbows are way more esthetic and powerful then Bows them selves. Maybe they already used these types of crafts back in Stone Age 🤔 wish we could do time traveling
you made that look so easy, but as someone who spent 6 years in the meat industry on a knife, I am so impressed with your skill level, even if I cringed a couple of times when you appeared to be cutting towards yourself. quite possibly the camera angle but that does not diminish my admiration of your mastery at carving. if you run out of video ideas, how about some basics of carving and knife safety combined. thanks for another informative and entertaining video, as an ex archer, hoping to return I have found many of your videos wonderful. thanks
Pretty slick. It beats the heck out of a rubber band crossbow now doesn't it? Carrying some bolts, or some pre-made kit to produce them, is not a huge weight investment. Being able to craft the bow in a few hours makes a big difference.
"In camo and white" lol
Starting your own Mossy Ash camouflage line, eh Tod?
Question axe vs knife for survival/bushcraft, if you could only have one which one is better and why.
My favourite "Tod's Workshop" videos are those in which you show us how to make something. Thanks! My daughter and I made a mini version of a crossbow from another of your videos. We used popsicle sticks for the stock and trigger. We glued and shaped bamboo skewers for the prod. It works great. The hardest part is definitely the ammunition though. It is not hard to make something to shoot, but to make something that shoots with some sort of accuracy required a lot of trial and error. I would love it if you could share some insights into making bolts.
While I'm amazed by the skill involved in making this crossbow I can't help wonder if this would be a good use of time and resources when in a survival situation. Wouldn't a normal bow or spear be a much better project for the first few days?
Quite possibly, but there will always be people out there who want a crossbow and besides when the Zombies come what would you do without this?
I would think a normal bow would be more difficult, due to the required wood quality. But yeah, a spear (pointy stick) or a sling (piece of rope) would be quicker.
It would certainly last you long enough to make a nicer, seasoned crossbow ;)
@@tods_workshop Don't feel bad about your choice, some people chose the boomerang as the best survival weapon, I mean, why not a crossbow? :D
@@Barberserk Well, battle-rangs are basically longer range tomahawks/warclubs, so I don't see why not. Use em in close, hit em when they run. Or always carry two, one for the way in and one for when you walk over to them to finish the job.
Crossbow aside, I have to say Tod genuinely knows how to use his knives well. I do a great deal of cutting when I build things like fences and outdoor racks and Tod's technique is spot on for both rough and detail work. Well done!
Thanks
I suddenly want to know how I am going to make a string out in the woods.
It isn't terribly hard, but doing it well can be time consuming. Many trees have good fibers in their bark, and often long stalked plants(like nettles and dogbane) can be pretty quickly turned into something useable. Plenty of other TH-cam videos for survival cordage.
Your shoestrings?
Oh goody - a new way of launching Pooh sticks!
Brilliant! Exactly the experienced know-how of tillering a bow done in an easy to understand format. THIS is how to make a bow. I have needed this for a while. My bows have not been very good and I have had no one to show the way. Most videos on the topic are useless.
Wow, your best ever. Thank you! Please keep going with the bushcraft crossbow. More on field expedient arrows and tips? Bush-made string? bolt clip? I would love to see how accurate and powerful this green bow is, as well. The idea of using it for small game is interesting, but even small birds will need a good punch to become your dinner.
Is it just me, or is that crossbow somehow not quite up to Tod's usual standards of workmanship? :)
What!!!?????!!! How dare you!!!!
@@tods_workshop You may, of course, prefer to consider it a compliment to your usual superlative standards... :)
Let's just hope this is in no way related to UK's shortage on various things, like fuel ;D
We have a shortage of ash trees - everyone's making primitive weapons from them.
I watch your channel because 1) I'm interested in history and historical weapons 2) I'm a nerd and a wannabe novelist. Sometimes I see things here that I might want to include in a story.
I could see a character fashioning a weapon on the fly to escape his enemies by creating a weapon like this while hiding out in a forest. (Maybe a bad idea, but it's the first thing that hit me when I saw the title of your video.) More vids like this would interest me. Thanks.
I'm disappointed Tod didn't carve a matching cranequin
I would have loved to see how good it's against pork or anything.
Well, that's certainly one way to do an advert.
Are the bushcraft knives based on any historical designs, or are they simply modern?
Simply modern
This is quite possibly the best half hour knife advertisement that I have ever seen.
Thanks
Круто. Арбалет по схеме практически повторяет историческую находку арбалета из Паладрю, Франция, 10 век.
I would never accuse Tod of bodging ...except in the sense of "A woodworker in the traditional style characterised by the use of hand tools, a pole lathe and use of green timber" ... aka someone who can walk into a wood with a knife and walk out with a knife and a crossbow ...
Another incredibly entertaining and informative video! Thanks Tod!
For everyone else, please please if you find yourself in an actual survival situation, don't start crafting a crossbow. Find shelter, find water and instead of hunting, forage for edible plants. That's a thousand times better investment of your energy and time.
Instead of learning how to make improvised weapons, learn what you can and mustn't eat. Hunting is very difficult and unreliable, especially if you're not trained in any of it's aspects (seeking, tracking, killing, processing the carcass, cooking, etc).
It is however absolutely fine to learn and craft a crossbow and have fun with it if you're not in danger. :)
Ash is a good choice, it's easy /sweet to carve when it is green and is really hard when it is dry /seasoned.
Yep; ash makes for a really nice bushcraft bow as well as a properly- built pro longbow from seasoned timber. If you have no ash nearby, hazel is as good: it has similar flexion properties when green or dry. Don't be fooled into using willow: (as in most of the vid's background): while its flexion is good (hence cricket bats) it's too brittle for any even semi-serious draw weight.. & almost any softwood (pine, cedar, spruce etc) isn't strong enough either
Didn't think I'd ever have the desire to build something like a crossbow, but now I desperately need to build a crossbow. Thanks Tod!
Very głód prezentation! Thank You!
That was fucking awesome.
It'd be exceedingly interesting to see your workflow and production processes, for those of us who like that sort of thing or have our own shops.
What a great video! And what a fab lesson in bushcraft, too. Thanks again, Tod! BTW, those knives look amazing!
I love this! Very informative.
I wouldn't mind having a go at this myself.
Thank you mate like and sub
This looks nice ..but has maybe a drawing weight of 20 to 30 lbs ..no chance you kill something with that if you're not standing right in front point blank and shoot through its eye ...
total waste of time and energy that.
Good video, but the bow is so much underpowered, I have my doubts that it can actually kill anything, maybe only mice from point blank.
If you had a heavy point on the bolt it might be good for fishing.
Agreed, low power in this format, but don't forget I didn't source the best wood and also the filming means I cannot decide to ditch a bow and start again, so I was stuck with what I started with; however drier wood makes a big difference. I do have a follow up a couple of weeks later.
Love your reaction to the first shot, there’s nothing quite like using something that you made yourself.
G’day mate! Any advice what sort of woods I could try this with? Thanks mate, love your stuff and full respect to you!
All depends where you are, but usually a good place to start is to look at the local traditional hammer or axe handle woods
@@tods_workshop Thanks mate!
But... But... But... Will it go through plate mail covered by chain mail covered by ten inches of oak???
Any chance of a different steel in the future, not a fan of 440 on a bushcraft knife
Love me some 1095
The knives look really good! Nice job! Do you have plans to make them in carbon?
Pretty cool though im not convinced that i wouldn't beat it by throwing. I know a hard thrown orange is probably going to stun a squirrel, this im doubtful.
Sharp enough point and very short rabbit range maybe. May lead to some bad deaths but if you're starving...
Useful insights though.
Rrr! Ro! Oohhhh-oh-oh-oh!!!
Google Translated from Modern Caveman:
Amazing. Just amazing. I'm definitely going to use this design for an inspiration. Maybe even combine it with my agave fiber bowstring for a truly primitive look, feel and execution!
Oh my god! I know what im building during the zambie apacalapse! Or if they take alla our guns! Holy moly this is too simple to have waited till a thousand years ago to be invented! And theoretically the bow part would be just as good as a standard boq witnour the stock and trigger part. 0_0 *in a russian english accent* I vill nevah go hungry a-gain! May ze squirells and ze morning singing buurds of my life be forevah avare of my no dollar quick collar!
This is exactly the type of video I've wanted to see you make for a long time.
One question, how to make strong enough crossbow string in the wild?
For harvesting deer size game. If proper cord, is not at hand. First I think perhaps bootstraps (weak..) or sacrifice some clothing, but any natural fiber?
Also, sine crossbow is far easier to learn than bow, I wonder why Bear Grylls Survival Island people did not try something similar. Lot of birds there.
Nice video!
You can dry a stave in bushcrafting settings in one day. It's been done a lot, even on TH-cam (Clay Hayes for example)
Excellent instructional video Tod ... but, a person would need to have exceptional knife handling skills before attempting this! ... (without such, serious personal knife injury will occur)
Hi I'm Tod from Tod Cutlers workshop. Today I'll be showing you how to build a roman ballista from things you find lying around in your garden using just Tod Cutler's Bush knives!!!
Then Tod builds a machine that could take down a plane with an old garden post...
Camo and white...a grand wee video, complete with an even wee'er joke .
I've made a few of these things and triggers have always been tricky...this system is so so simple...IF the stock suits etc etc.
Still, another method for the future.
Thanks Tod, for both the bow tutorial AND the new blades.
Practical tutorial.
Good weekend project for survival training.
Excellent commercial for your own products.
Truly, a perfect video.
You don't need to get fancy with flights on the back. Really, anything that causes a bit of drag will do. You don't have enough power, or accuracy, or distance capability to merit aerodynamic flights (life a feather). The tip can be burned for extra hardness. Adding splayed spikes makes it more effective for birds and fewer but barbed spikes more effective for fish. They also add weight to the front which will further improve performance. Anything remotely sharp and somewhat heavy works for an improvised arrow head. I've used chips of shale and slate. A point being more important than an edge. Keeping in mind with all these heads that injuring an animal is unfortunate but perfectly fine for survival. You can run up and finish it off. Arrows can be (and really need to be) straightened a bit of fire heat. Finally, at first opportunity I would carve everything down to reduce weight. Trudging around the woods with unnecessary weight just adds to your predicament.
I have done this but I made a multi pronged fishing spear instead. Not as useful as a crossbow, but I spent A LOT less time and energy.
I wonder which is the better tactic: the multi purpose crossbow, or my one-trick pony fishing spear. Either way, awesome video, very cool indeed. I have mostly willows locally, perhaps there's useful wood in those too.
Step 1. Acquire crossbows. Step 2. Raise a small warband. Step 3. Conquer 150 acres of good farmland and set up a keep. Wish me luck.
Out standing! A genuine worth knowing /trying tip, I will give it a go!
Do I need a Todd cutler knife? 🤔 Hehe I can probably make do, however would I like a Todd knife,,,,,, you bet! 🤪
Truely amazing video! Looking forward to the "making survival crossbow strings" video, though... 😉
First of all, loved the video. Gonna do that just to try it.
That's not 50 mill around, that's 50 mill diameter. 50 mill around would make it 16 mill (the average size of an index finger) thick and it ain't that.
I'd also note that that is probably closer to 80 mill unless you have really small hands.
A flat design id more efficient but more difficult to craft with hand tools. That is why every modern bow is rectangular in profile
At 24:00 do you know what you would do if you got the notching wrong on the drawback? What if you realised it was quite under powered but you spent ages on the bow, is there any way you can save the stock?