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9 MEDIEVAL CROSSBOW DEVICES - How do they work?

Tod's Workshop

328,564 views

Medieval crossbows!!!
From hand spanning a crossbow with no stirrup, to using a goats foot lever and onto the really powerful systems of the cranequin and the windlass; just what power can these devices employ? The answers are not just calculated from some designs, they are measured from the actual working medieval crossbows.

If you are interested in medieval crossbows have a look at my site here https://todsworkshop.com/collections/...

For budget but highly accurate medieval knives, have a look here https://todcutler.com

The results are below
Hand Span 1:1 Max 150lb
Sitting Span 1:1 Max 300lbs
Stirrup 1:1 Max 250lbs
Spanning Belt 1:1 Max 320lbs
Doubler Belt 2:1 Max 450lbs
Goat's Foot Lever ~5:1 Max 550lbs
6 Pulley English Windlass 78:1 +1500lbs
Cranequin 182:1 +2000lbs
Screw Jack 47:1 +1000lbs

Apologies for the sub standard audio quality, the lapel mic didn't record properly so we had to use the camera audio.

If you are interested in medieval replica weapons take look at my websites https://todcutler.com for budget medieval knives and https://todsworkshop.com for custom knives, swords and crossbows

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20 Comments

@thecaveofthedead 7 years ago

Time for you to write the new crossbow bible.

@Treblaine 7 years ago

"It's basically the bible of crossbow making... but don't take it as gospel" you have to stop and appreciate the english language sometimes that saying such a thing makes perfect sense.

@Tananjoh 7 years ago

"Mess of crossbows"

Is that the collective noun for crossbows? Like a flock of birds, a school of fish and a mess of crossbows.
:)

@simdar42 7 years ago

Tod please write your own book on crossbows. Payne-Gallwey's book needs to be superseded with new research and modern thinking like yours.

@cerberus6654 6 years ago

When I was ten my grandfather made a crossbow for me in his basement workshop using half of a steel hoop for a barrel that had not been heated and bent and he used the other half as the stirrup and the stock of an old shotgun as the body. It was a thing of beauty. I promptly put a bolt through the red metal flag on the mailbox and was about to nail the tin rooster weather vane on top of the barn when my mother, my grandmother, my aunt and the housekeeper flew out like outraged bats and confiscated my bow. Never learned how the thing worked and this video was great! Thanks, on Christmas Day.

@carldavies4776 7 years ago

Although it doesn't have the greatest mechanical advantage the goats foot lever seems to be the fastest and most intuitive to use.. I'm assuming a longer handle would result in a greater mechanical advantage??

@AFCAWorldBodybuildingArchive 7 years ago (edited)

I always draw crossbows with a pencil 😏😅 Amazing video and a book worth considering!!

@SuperAWaC 7 years ago

could you build a two ton cranequin crossbow?

@maximthemagnificent 7 years ago

I find the maximum ratio of the goat's foot much more relevant than the average. Thanks for including an estimate of it.

@duncancameron6342 7 years ago (edited)

Concerning the goat's foot lever, personally I think it would be more useful to describe the mechanical advantage at it's peak, rather than the average. Earlier in the draw, obviously, it sacrifices mechanical advantage that it doesn't need (yet) for quicker distance, but I think the last few inches are more representative of the system as a whole than a base mean. Great video though, wonderful content showcasing wonderful pieces.

@Sk0lzky 7 years ago

10.Be a strongman competitor and shoot it like a regular bow

@theotakucomrade 7 years ago

3:45

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you what I call

Crossbow yoga

@JamesRPatrick 6 years ago

I was first introduced to the lamb's foot mechanism on your channel and it amazed me. It would be cool if you could attach a scale to the lever and record the draw weight through the entire draw.

@emceha 7 years ago (edited)

3:50 and 5:00
That is super weird, wouldn't it make more sense to keep the stirrup on the ground and use the power of your legs and back to draw with the belt, using movement similar to deadlift or squat? Also, you could hide behind pavise because you crouched, instead of standing on one leg and then straightening, showing upper parts of the body above the pavise. This way, in three-person squad loading guy and pavise holder would be hidden at all times, only shooter would show up for a moment.

@W0JAK-98 7 years ago

At first I never believed how a crossbow could pierce plate armor but now that I see that a crossbow can have 2000 lbs of force behind it it starts to make sense.

@joshb5742 7 years ago

Love the new intro mate

@EpicNade 2 months ago

the goats foot is so cool, it looks really satisfying to span

@bill0127 7 years ago

You should rename it "Tod's Armoury"

@verdatum 7 years ago

historical minded blacksmith here...I've never cared about weaponsmithing, or remotely about making a crossbow, until I came across your channel. Great work!