Make a Crossbow Using Pencils
Would you like to know how to make a crossbow that really works and won't cost you a dime? Here's a great way to put those school supplies you have lying around to good use. The steps are as follows:
Steps
- Make the stock. The stock is the base, the part of the crossbow upon which everything rests. To make it, take two pencils. Line them up so that the erasers are together. Tie a rubber band about an inch from the erasers, and tie a second rubber band about an inch from the tips.
- Use unsharpened, unused pencils that are the exactly the same length. This will make your crossbow more stable.
- Make sure the rubber bands are fastened tightly. You don't want the pencils to get loose or roll over on each other.
- Make the lathe. The lathe is the part of the crossbow to which the strings are attached. To make it, repeat the process above with two more pencils to make a piece identical to the stock. Line up two pencils and rubber band them in the same two places. Make sure your lathe is secure.
- Fasten the lathe to the stock. Here is where you form the "cross" in your crossbow. Lay your stock vertically on the table so that the erasers are facing you and the ends are pointing away. Cross the lathe over the stock so that the middle of the lathe is placed directly over the top rubber band on your stock. The result should look like a lower-case "t." Secure the lathe and stock by winding a rubber band where the pieces join. Wind it around both pieces until the crossbow base is secure.
- The crossbow should be constructed so that both the stock and the lathe lie flat when you set the crossbow on a table. If one piece sticks out at an angle, adjust the rubber band that's holding them together until the crossbow will lie flat.
- Construct a shaft for your crossbow. Take the ball point pen and remove the tip, the inkwell and the base so that you're left with just the hollow plastic case. This will be the shaft that holds your arrow so you can shoot it straight and true.
- Affix the shaft to the crossbow. Line up the pen shaft with the stock. The tip of the shaft should rest right at the rubber banded place where the stock and the lathe cross each other. The other tip of the shaft should rest near the bottom rubber band of the stock. Use a few pieces of tape to fasten the shaft to the stock in two places, so that it stays securely in place.
- Wind the tape around the shaft and stock piece a few times to make sure it never comes loose.
- Add the strings. The strings are the rubber bands that launch your arrow when you shoot. First, lay your crossbow on the table so that the erasers at the end of the stock are facing you. Now look at the lathe and find the rubber band on the righthand side. Take one of your "strings" - a new rubber band - and loop it between the two pencils that form the lathe. Loop it so that string rests between the two pencils and is nestled up against the rubber band holding them together. Do the same thing on the left side: add a string between the pencils and scoot it up so that it's right next to the lefthand rubber band.
- Attach the strings to make a seat. This little seat is where the end of your arrow will rest, the point from which it will be launched at your target. Place the strings next to each other near the erasers at the end of the stock. Take one piece of tape and wind it through each loop and around, so that you attach the tips of the two strings together. Now take a second piece of tape and cross it over the first piece. You should have a little flat, secure spot, a "seat," that you'll use to cradle the arrow.
- Shoot an arrow. Get a pencil, a long, thin piece of wood, or any other instrument long enough to fit inside the shaft on your crossbow. This is your arrow. Slide the arrow into the shaft and cradle its base in the seat. Support the stock with one hand and aim your crossbow at your target. Use your other hand to pull back the strings, and the arrow with them. Release the strings to shoot.
- If anything wobbled or seemed loose when you used your crossbow, use tape to stabilize it.
- Experiment with different arrows and figure out how you might want to improve your crossbow. For example,
- Switch out the strings for bigger, stronger rubber bands.
- Construct a better seat out of piece of fabric.
- Use wood scraps and wood glue to build a bigger stock and lathe.
Tips
- Tape can also be used as an alternative to glue.
- If you don't have unsharpened pencils, you can use chopsticks instead.
Warnings
- Don't use this at school! You could be suspended or expelled if you hurt someone.
- Keep your crossbow pointed well away from people at all times.
Things You'll Need
- 4 brand new pencils
- 1 ball point pen that you can take apart
- Rubber bands
- Tape
- A chopstick or another long, thin piece of wood you can use as an arrow
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