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15 DIY Crossbow Projects

Crossbow is a weapon that has fascinated many people for years and is becoming ever more popular. Historically, crossbows played a significant role in the warfare of East Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean. In modern times they are used primarily for shooting sports and hunting. You can find different variations of crossbow online, however many people prefer to make their own crossbows. To construct your own crossbow requires some woodworking and metalworking skills, depending on the design you choose, but most of the DIY Crossbow Projects below are friendly to beginners.

These DIY crossbow projects use PVC pipes and tubes as the main materials along with other basic stuff like glue, screws, and even duct tape. They are easy to follow, having been broken down into steps that are well explained through photos. The best part is that they don’t cost much to make considering the awesome results you can get from them. So, if you have some free time on your hands or desire a new hobby, feel free to browse through this list of 15 DIY Crossbow Projects and select one that best suits your needs. You can make the crossbow for fun or survival purposes; it’s all up to you. Also, feel free to add your own personal touches while making it.

DIY Crossbow Projects

DIY Crossbow Pistol

DIY Crossbow Pistol

This DIY tutorial on making a crossbow pistol will teach you everything you need to know about how to make a crossbow using any materials you like. Follow along step by step with instructions and photos to make the perfect weapon for your next homemade adventure. This is a great addition to your homemade arsenal, this easy-to-follow instructable shows you how to build a mini crossbow in 6 steps. Start today!

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How To Make A Crossbow

How To Make A Crossbow

Are you the type of person who likes to live on the edge? If you are, then you may want to read on. Crossbows are easy to make and so much fun to shoot. In this tutorial, we take you through step-by-step instructions on how to make your very own PVC crossbow from recycled material from around the house or from the local hardware store. With a design that works with both plastic and wooden arrows, you can have hours of fun practicing your aim and looking for new targets. It’s an exciting look at how you can use physics to engineer your own bow.

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DIY Pencil Crossbow

DIY Pencil Crossbow

This simple DIY guide will allow you to build your own crossbow out of pencils and rubber bands. Learn basic carpentry techniques such as: making notches, carvings, and sanding before adding a finishing touch with paint and varnish. A great beginner carpentry project, and only takes an hour or two, but you’ll be having fun in literally seconds from taking it out of this box.

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Building A PVC Crossbow

DIY the ultimate weapon: a PVC crossbow. The first few steps of the process are woodworking-heavy, making or affixing the trigger and arrow rest to the plywood body. Next, you’ll be smoothing out and bending the PVC pipe as your bow. You can either use fiberglass rods to strengthen it or heat mold it over the fire - but we recommend heating with a heat gun for better control (and less blackened fingers). Finally, affix the string and attach your arrows.

Homemade Crossbow

This homemade crossbow is simple to build yet super powerful and fun to have. The tutorial shows you a step-by-step of the materials required and how to put them all together. It may take you two days to make, but it will be worth your time if you are skilled enough to do so. Follow the instruction carefully and enjoy this DIY homemade crossbow. Unlike most of the other crossbows, this one makes use of a spring in its trigger which makes it more reliable.

10. How To Make A Crossbow

How To Make A Crossbow

Making your own crossbow is actually quite easy. With the correct tools and materials, a crossbow can be made in about ten steps. You will need to have access to a drill or manual borer, PVC pipes, hacksaw, meter, and rope. Don't forget PVC bends too, these are crucial to making the dependable shape needed for a crossbow. This instructable is created so that anyone, with the right tools and materials, can create their own crossbow.

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How To Make A Crossbow Trigger

Seriously, do not attempt to make a crossbow without a trigger and a bit of know-how. But if you've got some experience or have a friend with you who does, this DIY will show you how to make a really simple but effective trigger system for your crossbow. Collect the materials you need to create this crossbow trigger. Drill holes in the latch and trip lever. Attach a tension spring to the crossbow trip lever and drill hole. Gather the screws and attach them to the crossbow trigger.

How To Make A Crossbow From Popsicle Sticks

This mini crossbow is small enough that it can easily be put into your pocket or have fun with it at the park without looking dangerously armed or as you got lost on your way to a medieval-themed party. This mini crossbow uses 4 popsicle sticks, rubber bands, twine, super glue, pliers, and a drill. It’s so simple that you don’t need anything else! This is an easy project with little preparation time. It’s an easy craft to do even while in front of the television with the kids.

How To Make A Crossbow

It's the middle ages, and you're a peasant. What do you need? A crossbow, to keep forest animals from stealing your crops. But how do you build one of these fearsome weapons? You can build one with carbon steel instead of wood for the bow for added strength and effectiveness. So watch this tutorial, learn how to make a crossbow, and become one of history's greatest warriors!

DIY Crossbow

DIY crossbow making is quite straightforward and simple, it just takes a little bit of time and patience. In this tutorial, dry bamboo is used to fashion out a crossbar. Bamboo is known for its strength and durability. You’ll need a bamboo pole, a sharp knife or cutter, and a string. First, you split the bamboo pole vertically, then scrape out the outer part of the pole until it becomes more pliable for you to bend into a bow. The assembling after that is straightforward and easy to follow step by step. You’ll learn how your crossbow works while having fun with it!

DIY Knex Crossbow

DIY Knex Crossbow

If you want a Knex crossbow that will definitely work, get it done yourself! A good alternative to toy crossbows, this DIY Knex crossbow guide teaches you how to put together an actual working crossbow like the men in history used with deadly accuracy. Although it means essentially putting together the whole weapon without any instructions, this is also part of the fun as you self-discover the mechanics of making a functional shooting mechanism!

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How To Make A PVC Crossbow

This video demonstrates how to make a PVC crossbow. The process is quite simple, and the only materials that are needed are PVC pipes and a few pieces of wood. A drill is used to create the necessary holes for the arrows and firing mechanism on the wood, which is then attached to the PVC pipe. A string is then connected between two points on the crossbow, and it is ready for use. A PVC bow has several advantages over more traditional bows because it is easier to build and provides some advantages in performance. The PVC bow is also very simple to make using basic materials that can be found at any hardware store.

Simple CrossBow

Crossbows are a great way to have fun with friends and family. You can play around in the backyard or go on a camping trip and spend a fun time with people you love. The simplicity of this crossbow makes it a perfect DIY project for holiday fun with kids, who will certainly enjoy the process of making and then playing with their new homemade toy. You can make your simple crossbow anyhow you want it; big,  small, painted, designed, it is totally up to you to decide. This tutorial shows you step-by-step in making a DIY crossbow, from fashioning out the plank up to the shooting.

How To Make A Crossbow

Before you start marking up your lumber, make sure you have the proper safety equipment. We recommend a pair of safety glasses, at least. We also strongly suggest that you follow the instructions carefully, and ensure that the finished product is not used for any practical purpose that might harm someone or something.

That said, go ahead and use a pencil to mark out your dimensions on the lumber. It's best to do this on plywood as it is relatively cheap and easy to work with. Using a jigsaw, cut out your design and then use sandpaper to smooth out any rough edges. Once this is done, drill holes in your crossbow as indicated in the video tutorial. This will be used to secure the trigger mechanism later on. Next, we have to prepare our chain saw bar by cutting it in half using an angle grinder. The video tutorial shows how this should be done.

DIY Pocket Crossbow

Make your own pocket-sized crossbow out of popsicle sticks with the Stocking Stuffer DIY Pocket Crossbow. It’s the ultimate tool for causing mischief that you can carry around anywhere because it’s so much smaller than a regular crossbow. All you need are the popsicle sticks and other materials you need to make this small but mighty bow, including rubber bands, screws, and plastic connector pieces. Step-by-step instructions are included to guide you in building this mini weapon.

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