I've been considering this for some time and have finally decided to take the plunge. I'm gonna make a midieval style crossbow, kinda like this one

I don't want to spring the bucks for a steel prod just now, so I'll make a wood one. Haven't decided yet whether I'll back it with rawhide or just wimp out and fiberglass it. Probably hold the draw weight to around 100 pounds. I figure I can make the whole thing for $30 or so.

Our club let the local kingdom of Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) have an archery tournament at our range a few years ago. A guy was there using one of these kind of crossbows and it was really neat watching him in action. That's what got me thinking about this project.