Toy crossbow trigger?

[Anonymous No.584047]

Yo /diy/!

I'm making a 25lb crossbow for LARPing, to shoot foam-tipped bolts. Anyone know how i could attach a fork handle to, like, a chunk of wood or something to use as the trigger? I have a Dremel with metal-cutting disks and a basic tin soldering iron. I'mma hit up the hardware store later on today tho.

Also any tips on hollowing out a 2inch thick piece of wood to fit the trigger mechanism into? I was thinking of getting an extrusion bit for the dremel, but they're not cheap...

I am NOT making a harmful weapon here. This is a TOY used to fire soft foam-tipped bolts. Just sure that's clear.

[Anonymous No.584048]

That's a complicated mechanism OP. Quick sketch of mine.

>Dotted line is a hole drilled through the stock
>Filled brown line through that is a dowel to push string out of notch
>Brown circle is a pin attaching pivoting long trigger to stock

[Anonymous No.584049]

Embers can be used to hollow out wood.
It's not as precise as a CNC mill, but it's easy and has a tradition.

[Anonymous No.584050]

>>584048
Well here's what i was thinking of
>>584049
You have piqued my interest. Please go on.

[Anonymous No.584053]

>>584050
Apparently, it's about putting an ember where you want a hole, and then blowing on it until the wood burns or is weakened enough to be scraped off easily.

[Anonymous No.584065]

>>584047
How powerful is this crossbow going to be compared to a Nerf gun? Are you going to use Nerf/foam darts?

[Anonymous No.584068]

>>584065
No, i'll be buying LARP-approved bolts online.

LARP is Live Action Role-Playing. Basically a bunch of neckbeards get together and play pretend D&D IRL, with armor and foam swords. It's really really fun, but safety is of utmost importance. For example, my crossbow can't be more than around 25lbs of draw weight. This means a bit more than a NERF gun, if you get hit point-blank with no armour it might leave a small bruise, but apparently with LARP projectiles they're slow enough to actually grab midair.

Either way I'm a squishy bard, I'll be more of a support unit than anything.

[Anonymous No.584072]

Ok I'm off to the hardware store, any last thoughts?

[Anonymous No.584080]

>>584047
>Anyone know how i could attach a fork handle to, like, a chunk of wood or something to use as the trigger?
Spitballing, but how about you just cut off the tines (using cutoff wheel or slitting disk, hacksaw if you want to go old skool) drill a hole in the remaining part of the head, then use a screw and washer or bolt and washer?

I'm thinking a tiller-type trigger, which is really a very simple mechanism. I think I can even post a diagram of the internal workings if you need it but I'm sure there must be a cutaway or exploded graphic posted online somewhere at this stage so hit up Google, see what you can find.

>Also any tips on hollowing out a 2inch thick piece of wood to fit the trigger mechanism into? I was thinking of getting an extrusion bit for the dremel, but they're not cheap...
I don't know what an extrusion bit is, but uh, drill bits?

If the hole has to be larger than the widest expansion of your Dremel's chuck then drill by hand or with a proper DIY drill... I presume that's obvious, in which case you don't have either?

[Anonymous No.584088]

>>584080
That actually a pretty good idea, with cutting off the tines...any tips on drilling into 1.5mm stainless steel?
Also I can't seem to find what a tiller-type trigger is, is it where the string is pushed upwards until it's released? I'm worried that will be detrimental to precision...

As for the drill thing, yeah I might use my cheap electric hand drill for that part, then trim the inside with the dremel.

[Anonymous No.584091]

25lb is actually quite powerful for something you plan to shoot at people for fun. i think you should aim for 10lb or less.

[Anonymous No.584095]

>>584091
Well general consensus in LARP community is 30lb MAX, and most rulebooks limit it to 25.

>http://www.larparrows.com/Larparrows_Safety_notes.html
>http://www.darkknightarmoury.com/c-509-larp-bows.aspx
(these are commercial sites, but they wouldn't sell unless their merchandise was within common regulations

[Anonymous No.584103]

>>584091
They shoot sponges. Also it's really not that powerful, bows that shoot arrows at people can run up to 80lb with a rubber tip and appropriate fletching.

[Anonymous No.584114]

>>584047
same principle and take it down a notch for foam bolts

[Anonymous No.584169]

>>584088
>any tips on drilling into 1.5mm stainless steel?
Use your cheap electric drill.
Use HSS bits if you have them, start from a centre punch mark.
Hold fork firmly against a scrap of 2x4 (I'm thinking work on the floor, with your boot holding the handle in place but that might be a bit too ghetto for your liking).
Go slow and let the drill do the work.

[Anonymous No.584206]

>>584047
Anything under that much spring pressure is a hazard if not designed correctly. I don't think your thread should even be on here since you could easily use a real bolt and hurt someone therefore this is a "weapon".

[Anonymous No.584228]

I used a 35lb spring to design a homemade Nerf rifle. Feel free to rip off any portion of my design from the plans I made available.

http://captainslug.com/plusbow2.html

[Anonymous No.584261]

>>584206
Whether or not you're right about the first part, the sticky makes a very clear distinction about weapons:
>The workmanship and techniques involved in creating objects which could be used as weapons (e.g., forging steel for a blade, or machining for gunsmithing) may be discussed in /diy/, but discussing the actual use of weapons is disallowed.

That means a person IS allowed to ask about all the steps necessary to make a musket, or a metal-limbed crossbow for that matter, irrespective of whether they want to use it for hunting, target practice or home defence... as long as they don't talk about its use as a weapon.

OP is actually trying NOT to talk about the use, but anons keep on bringing the subject up so it's not his fault. But he IS allowed to get input on the build, regardless of whether individuals don't approve.

[Anonymous No.584355]

Welp, my cheap electric drill just died, during an unrelated project. Tomorrow I'll call up a friend to see if he has one.

>>584228
That's pretty cool, I like the trigger design. One of my problems will be putting springs all over the place so that the mechanism's resting configuration is ready to fire...

[Anonymous No.584610]

>>584065
Usually LARP companies tend to be pretty strict on Ranged Weapons, if they even allow them to begin with. Most of the time, they're comparable in force to the typical spell-packet (Basically, a loosely-tied beanbag-type device filled with small birdseed, used to deliver spell effects and to determine whether your spell actually hit or not).

Considering the obvious dangers of turning players into pincushions if they force behind the ranged weapons is too high, they usually have an approval process for LARP Ranged Weapons, involving testing draw strength, ensuring the ammo is safe, etc. Some even go the extra step by insisting that you only use the ammo they "Approve of", which means, sell for the specific purpose of the event (Which also earns the event a little money on the side, usually to go towards things such as Site Rental Fees, etc.) so they get the added bonus of some extra profit padding alongside ensuring that the ammo is safe to use.

Source: I play a Mage in the LARP that occurs in our region.

[Anonymous No.585167]

I couldn't find a price anywhere but i'm sure you could build it yourself. I'm almost EXACTLY sure this is what you are looking for. Used for roleplay right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSU1jQoGIqo