This crossbow might be tiny, but it can sure pack a punch.
It can shoot metal tipped toothpicks with great power, launch wooden toothpick into
apples and even light matchsticks when shooting them at an angle.
Now let’s get started by taking a template that I will show you how to get for free in
just a second.
After cutting the shape of the crossbow stock from the template, I traced the contour of
the stock 3 times on a big popsicle stick with a regular pen.
I went ahead and carefully cut them out with a utility knife and glued them with a generous
amount of wood glue and applying steady pressure for 5 minutes using a clamp.
You can get your free template simply by clicking the first link in the description.
I glued the middle piece about half a matchstick deep that will allow the ammunition stay in
place when shooting.
You might have noticed that the wood is not all even on the stock, so I took a utility
knife and cut out the wood that was sticking out to make it look a little nicer.
There was some glue in the flight groove so I got rid of it using a utility knife. Then
I went ahead and made a small notch that will catch the string.
Now we need to paint the stock, that can be done quickly with a permanent marker. I chose
the color because that’s my favorite color.
We can make the limb out of a big binder clip since this kind of metal is strong and flexible.
I took a black one, clamped it down on the side of a table to make sure it doesn’t
close up on the blade while cutting it. After tracing the shape of the limb with a blue marker
I used a dremel with metal cutting blade to cut the binder clip and being careful to not
cut inside of the lines. You can see that there are some sharp sides
after cutting it. We can fix this problem by filing down the sides to a nice smooth
finish.
We will also need to make some grooves at both ends of the limb, this is where the string
will attach to.
After adding some hot glue in the middle of the limb we can press the stock firmly on
it for 10 seconds. Once the bond was made I added more hot glue to the sides and added
three layers of black sewing thread to reinforce it.
Before adding the string we will need to make a small groove in the limb aligned with the flight groove.
Alright, it’s now time to add the bow string. I took some small metal wire for picture frames and
wrapped it around one end then wrapped around it self about 5 times,
I bended the bow with my fingers and then did the same thing on the other side.
Now your basic crossbow is finished.
I added some sewing tread to the handle and a small arrow holder made out of the wood of a popcicle
stick to make it shoot at any angle.
Alright now let’s make some ammo.
I went ahead and cut some matches 4cm long, this will the perfect length for this micro
crossbow.
Of coarse you can’t pull the string with your fingers so I made a small string puller
made out of a big paper clip.
After adding a match for ammunition, you can press on the string by pinching the side of
the crossbow.
Well now you know how to turn some simple household items into a surprisingly fun and
powerful micro crossbow.
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