650lbs - WAR or HUNTING crossbow?

Powerful crossbows like this 650lbs replica were often spanned by cranequins, a compound gear box. These were common in the 15thC, but as very similar bows were used for hunting and for war it can be hard to tell the two apart. Lets look at that.
This crossbow was a custom piece from todsworkshop.com​
Production replica weapons are available here todcutler.com​
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[@matthewhotston4287]

Other KZbinrs: and now a word from our sponsor, raid shadow legends. Tod: and now a word from my sponsor, me

[@ericaugust1501]

when the sponsor is about crafting works of art and functionality and displaying them, sponsor away!

[@mikurusagawa6897]

Other KZbinrs: Make merch about their channel Tod: Makes channel about his merch

[@hadinossanosam4459]

Louis Rossmann: Don't delay, I will have a robust conversation with you today (wonder how many viewers here will get that reference...)

[@danq.5140]

It’s great that Tod allowed one of his serfs to present one of his newest offerings. 🙂

[@tods_workshop]

Its a bit cheeky, but not too far off topic, so OK I hope

[@jb8086]

Tod: “Could be a war bow, it’s not super fancy.” Proceeds to show a crossbow that is as much a work of art as it is a weapon. I freaking love it.

[@feryth]

Makes you think how a real fancy nobleman crossbow would look. Gold-trimmed bow? Gemstone stock with a family story and a regal portrait chiseled on it?

[@alvaroasi]

Imagine a special forces member (today the close we have to a knight) with this kind of decoration...

[@breaden4381]

@Cancer McAids Punisher skull with a thin blue line. Because apparently no one gets the irony.

[@Just_A_Dude]

@@alvaroasi Nah, Special Forces wouldn't be knights. Knights were very much up-front and in your face. Special Forces guys would be more equivalent to irregular skirmishers and raiders. The modern equivalent to knights is described much the same way as a knight. The Armored Cavalry... aka, AFVs and tanks.

[@ttaibe]

I agree.

[@andrewdeering6520]

Tod, your craftsmanship is outstanding.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks

[@TheFlyguywill]

It really is. I have a Bowie knife, a seax, and a quillon dagger from him, and they are all fantastic. I actually used both the Bowie and the seax for felling small saplings in the garden, for fun. They are extremely sturdy as well as beautiful!

[@andrewdeering6520]

It's so outstandingly good combined with your honesty in your videos that I have no choice but to purchase something to support your wonderful work, keep them coming please me Tod.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks Andrew and I yes I try to be honest and I try to be good at what I do

[@andrewdeering6520]

@@tods_workshop I love how you say 'I just don't know, let's shoot it and see what happens'. What a legend you are.

[@gerardbryant4840]

Some KZbinrs take 10minutes to explain something that could have been covered in 30 seconds. Tod talks for 10minutes, and I'm like, "Well, don't stop there, what else have you got?"

[@tods_workshop]

Thank you, thats very kind

[@kevinrobinson5654]

I really want to see a collaboration between Tod and Ian from Forgotten Weapons at some point.

[@Gabrong]

I don't think that would ever happen. Ian does not really like even black powder muskets, I don't believe he has a passion for medieval weapons.

[@kevinrobinson5654]

@@Gabrong I think that Ian would become interested if he watched one of Tod's crossbow videos. Muskets ARE boring, but crossbows and their reloading mechanisms are far more complicated, and I think there's a clear evolution from crossbow technology to early machine guns.

[@edi9892]

@@kevinrobinson5654 I've seen a lot of beautiful hunting and gift muskets and Wheelock pistols. Only few Narco guns come even close today...

[@NicktheMac]

Imagine both of them collaborating with Jorg Sprave.

[@scum5]

And what the hell would be the point in that?

[@veremenko]

Bought another knife yesterday, that came back in stock I don't need it, but I couldn't resist. Such beautiful pieces and really well made. Leather sheath is an artwork of its own.

[@kevinrobinson5654]

I can always find an excuse for new toys. Rondels are for opening mail, right? These poor envelopes never knew what hit them...

[@tods_workshop]

Hi Kevin, Nice gag, but surely rondels are for opening maille?

[@earthknight60]

I bought a set of knives from him that I won't even get to see for a few years as I'm working overseas and I had them sent to my permanent address in my home country. Did I need them? No. Did I want them? Yes. Am I happy to support Tod's work? Hell yes!

[@tods_workshop]

EarthKnight - thanks and I regularly buy things I don't need but seem to not buy things I do need....

[@pooploop3509]

The couch arrived in two boxes four days early, which was great because we'd just moved into a new house and needed places to sit. My son and I put it together pretty quickly kzbin.infoUgkxitRzxya-XugamYgLwa_2G1gxPg4MCJHa . Another reviewer suggested inserting the seat into the side and I'm glad they did as the instructions weren't clear on that matter. It's incredibly light and slides easily across the wood floor, making it easy to move. It's firm, but comfortable. It will even be great to nap on. I got the gray, which definitely has strong blue undertones, but I'm okay with that.

[@jaredd9602]

I'd love to see a video just on how that 3 tooth gear works. I'm trying to imagine it in my head but I can't imagine it just staying and not spinning.

[@steamboatmodel]

Try building the object, the gearing can all be done in wood with a file to see how it works. The friction is too great.

[@liviuursegr]

It's not just the friction, but the geometry of it. Having only 3 teeth, the next point of contact doesn't come soon enough to spin the inner small disc, while each tooth is under pressure at an angle pressing almost along its length. That means that the vector on the tooth under pressure is directed towards the center of the disc nullifying any rotational motion. The other 2 teeth remain relaxed with no pressure on them unless you imply rotation with the crank through the larger disc

[@Assdafflabaff]

Having less teeth means there is less torque that can be applied. More teeth adds more leverage and therefore is easier to move but fewer means you need more force to turn it I believe.

[@liviuursegr]

Yep. That's an engineering way of viewing it. The other more related to the physics of it, but pretty much the same thing. It's all about transforming directional into rotational movement and resulting vectors. Either for torc or force it's the same

[@hanelyp1]

The friction is part of it. With modern gear tooth profiles the teeth literally roll against each other with very little friction. Even with a 3 tooth gear modern tooth profiles would not self lock like that. But the rack and pinion of that setup has teeth very different from modern gear profiles. With the more primitive gears the friction overcomes the reverse leverage when the gear is in the right position.

[@bassemb]

I appreciate that your videos have proper subtitles.

[@tods_workshop]

Yeah it takes a while, but I speak so fast (apparently) that unless English is your first language you may have trouble

[@kylestephens9593]

@@tods_workshop it's also useful for the hearing impaired

[@RAkers-tu1ey]

I would think the gear arrangement arose out of the extensive use of wooden gears in the medieval period. There would be lots of cases where the operator of a water wheel or wind mill would want to have control over the rotational speed of the wheel using direct mechanical advantage. I can imagine a set up like this asymmetric gearing.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

I suspect you hit the nail

[@loddude5706]

@@SonsOfLorgar - pegged it, end on?

[@Stigstigster]

Yes and I suspect that people also discovered things by making mistakes. Someone somewhere surely always ends up making something that works but not necessarily as intended. I can imagine someone making a gear system like this that they wanted to work both ways and it locked up. That becomes part of a person's knowledge and passed on. Some people must have also been familiar with geometry and had played with gears a lot so knew how to design something like this from the get go though.

[@snafu2350]

@@Stigstigster "I suspect that people also discovered things by making mistakes. Someone somewhere surely always ends up making something that works but not necessarily as intended. " The glue used in post-it sticky notes springs immediately to mind.. followed shortly by Fleming's discovery of penicillin :)

[@Frurin]

I want to go to a military history museum and have the whole medieval wing narrated by Todd. "And now the interesting thing about this item is that..."

[@ShadowDragon8685]

_Yessssssss._ That would be as perfect as anything Victorian-era or later being narrated by Lindybeige.

[@stevenwynn819]

That is a gorgeous piece of work.

[@brecht9863]

He sure is

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

Tod - that is a thing of beauty that would feel at home in any Museum. Oh - and where is the Knight Vision camera helm?

[@tods_workshop]

It didn't exist when I filmed this, but it is back with a vengeance very soon

[@timsippel1845]

I was thinking the same thing when Tod was shooting 😄

[@harrodharrod5239]

Yup, exactly. When I saw the naked camera under the target I was like, hmm, seems Tod really wants a new gopro :D

[@LuxisAlukard]

Life goal: being able to buy Tod's stuff once a year

[@Captain_Hapton]

Tod: So the sales pitch is over now Me on Tod's website already: Sales pitch?

[@jvin248]

After seeing the time lost running that gear back ... I'd see about redesigning it with a double ended hook system, even if you needed swivels to change string/stock hooks. Use it, then the next load you flip it end for end and it's ready to wind again.

[@llearch]

I was wondering about the possibility of redesigning it with modern components to have a quick release, but yeah, the end-for-end might be smarter. Thinks, thinks, thinks.

[@hanshorstjoachim9498]

I was about to ask the same question.

[@tods_workshop]

entirely possible - they just didn't

[@martindinner3621]

@@tods_workshop Hmm. Wonder if there's some kink that made them avoid it.

[@TheViralInfekT]

Something in this beautiful piece pleases my eyes. I really like watching it from above. well done.

[@williameddlewis4625]

tod when he starts saying that your going to need a dagger.... "and if you look to the perfectly placed table to my right..."

[@jm9371]

Fascinating. The gearing on the cranequin (new word for me) is really neat. It took me a while to think about why it is able to resist spinning out the crank handle but I think I get it.

[@goreil2489]

Amazing Tod. Seen many a cracked wrist on lock gates in France, because of a rewinding sluice gate. Never thought of this

[@Jixxor]

10 minutes with Tod showing and explaining stuff feels like 5minutes or less, that's how hooked I am by these videos. Thanks for doing this.

[@claudiobernardi3002]

it's crazy how much the dart rears when it leave the crossbow! I don't know if I wrote it correctly, hope you understand 😆

[@Stevarooni]

Like a horse rearing up when hit with spurs?

[@claudiobernardi3002]

@@Stevarooni 🤣 yeah, kind of.

[@martindinner3621]

It really does pitch up a lot!

[@chadh3441]

It was quite common for arrows to "fish tail" once they separate from the string. I was an archer and deer hunter a few decades ago I almost always chose to have my fletching on the arrows be similar to the structure of bird feathers and not the solid piece of vinyl( we called them veins), just for that very reason. The vinyl/plastic "vein" type always" kicked side to side (fish-tail), much more than the feather style. Please note, the material that we called "feathers were also made of synthetic material also except they had a structure much more similar to actual bird feathers. They had individual strands that made up the entire shape but were much stiffer.and stronger, so they weren't as.fragile as real feathers. The main advantage the solid vinyl/plastic fletching had over the feathers, was durability and their performance didn't suffer as much when rain set in or if you so happened to shoot through tree limbs, you didn't have to worry about them getting chunks of material torn away as feathers were prone to be sucsceptible to.

[@claudiobernardi3002]

@@chadh3441 I know the archer paradox, I'm an archer too 😉 I've never hunted though. it just makes another impression on me to see it on a crossbow since, unfortunately, I've never had the chance to try one. I hope to have the chance soon 😆

[@RobanyBigjobz]

"It's not super fancy" I think we may have to disagree on what constitutes fancy, Tod. That is a beautiful piece of work and looks fancy as hell.

[@tods_workshop]

Not as fancy as load of museum pieces

[@jyesucevitz]

I know nothing (yet) about bows, but I know a work of art when I see it.

[@pegee6406]

Idk if you noticed, but you said "Tod of Tod Cutler and Tod's workshop here"-- it made me laugh

[@adminaccount5274]

Two separate companies run by the same guy

[@Chasmodius]

Nice intro! It looks like Todd remembered that his KZbin channel is primarily a place to showcase the work he gets paid for. This whole video is little more than an ad showing off the incredibly beautiful things he can create. Good for him -- nothing wrong with self-advertisement.

[@IamOutOfNames]

Tod, Townsends and Varusteleka all make videos that are basically adds for their products and I'm always happy to watch them. Marketing done right.

[@Chasmodius]

@@IamOutOfNames Glad to see I'm not the only one with such diverse tastes in KZbin channels! To a certain extent, I think every food channel is always something of an advertisement platform for recipe books. But again, there's nothing wrong with that, especially if they're providing useful and interesting content at the same time.

[@earthknight60]

@@Chasmodius You should take a gander at Max's Tasting History Channel. That's pretty much purely about the food and the history, no selling of things yet.

[@Chasmodius]

@@bo_392 this is so much more preferable -- thank goodness!

[@joshuacantin514]

That gearing design is brilliant!

[@Entiox]

"they seem to love shooting crossbows from horseback", me and my replica late 15th century German light cavalry crossbow would agree. Not that I've ever shot it from horseback though, but the maker is supposed to have modeled it after that style.

[@unknownmenace1957]

That would be an interesting experience. Though you'd best fire it beside the horse first rather than on it. Last thing you need is a startled horse rearing or bolting off while your hands are off the reins and you are not in a proper riding posture.

[@Entiox]

@@unknownmenace1957 it would be interesting, but considering I haven't been on a horse since around 1983 it's not something I'm likely to do. Though given that they're doing more equestrian things in the SCA now I'd love to see someone who actually rides try working their house up to doing it, and I'd absolutely let them borrow my crossbow for it.

[@jwilbrahamford]

I really liked it Todd. You really bring the periods from which your designs come from alive for me. Beautiful made.

[@suntiger745]

Really ingenious design on that crank. And a beautiful crossbow as well. Fascinating to see. :)

[@another3997]

Another excellent video. Thanks Tod. The workmanship is amazing and the detailing exquisite.

[@keithallardice6139]

Be-au-ti-ful crossbow there Tod, and quite the loading system!! Love the way it shoots, love the way it looks and it's DEFINITELY a war crossbow (just cos I love the military rondel dagger so much!) Thanks for sharing pal, stay safe and have a good one!

[@Zelmel]

Wow, what a beautiful piece! Great job Tod!

[@tods_workshop]

Thank you kindly!

[@joshuagayouauthor8401]

Gorgeous piece of craftsmanship.

[@peterleffler2062]

Thank you for another great explanation of stuff I never even knew I was interested in - until you engaged my interest.

[@UncleRJ]

Whoever did the subtitles needs a raise. Perfectly timed transition, really line up with the words that it is flawless and unnoticeable. Props to the big man.

[@SuperOtter13]

Great stuff Tod! Beautiful machine you've made there

[@niklasfischer1781]

Beautiful bow. The horn and bone inlays look absolutely amazing.

[@APV878]

that is some gorgeous work, and thanks for showing the inner workings of the cranequin, fascinating

[@kelseywatson1974]

Beautiful work of art and engineering!

[@DETHMOKIL]

Those are really cool looking pliers. You should do a video about any strange or unique tools you have found throughout the years. Maybe even compare them with historical examples?

[@Benjamin7341]

Uploaded 30 seconds ago. 10 likes. We just know it's going to be a good video.

[@justafloridamanfromthe75thRR]

How many of those ten likers had finished the 10 minutes long video in just 30 secs?

[@joejoelesh1197]

@@justafloridamanfromthe75thRR how many of Tod's videos are not worth a thumbs up?

[@Benjamin7341]

@@justafloridamanfromthe75thRR The view count said 22.

[@Assdafflabaff]

The view and likes are always buggy on newly uploaded videos, how do people not understand this yet? It doesn't properly and accurately count them for a while after uploading and everyone sees something different.

[@EdBruceWRX]

@@Assdafflabaff sure does. I started the same kind of post. By the time I was about to post numbers changed and now the video had been posted 30 minutes ago. Glad I saw that and deleted it

[@takingbackthehammer6527]

Beautiful work Todd

[@serenmm]

As always tod ... your work and videos are mind blowing.

[@user-vt5hx1kz7l]

Love this video! Seeing the inner workings of the cranequin was great.

[@picaro85]

Would love some videos of the crafting side of things, these complex mechanisms and decorations. Masterful.

[@robertshell4176]

Great stuff. A Tod video always improves the day.

[@keyem4504]

That's a really nice piece. You are really an artisan with emphasis on art...

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks

[@custardthepipecat6584]

Your work is true art!! 😺

[@Rouverius]

Either way, that's a beautiful piece. And that cranequin's gearing is really clever!

[@edwardthormann1928]

I've been wanting one of your crossbows for years now, one year soon ill be able to afford one of these lovely bows.

[@markhensel1843]

Thanks Tod for the great videos. I’ve picked up some very useful information from your videos ( often from small things I spot that aren't talking points of the video ) which has allowed me to turn some of my selfbow Osage Orange leftovers into a fair crossbow while blending some of my Greenland skin-on-frame kayak joinery background for the stocks / leavers - which of course meant I learned more stuff while solving build problems - which means I start looking for new places to apply them. never ending cycle.

[@tods_workshop]

Glad to help

[@briangindling1266]

Thats one fancy crossbow!

[@euansmith3699]

What a glorious work of art, and a fascinating look at the technology behind it. It tickles how, in D&D, you can load and fire a Heavy Crossbow in 6 seconds.

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Tod

[@mr.cliffordjohnson6304]

Absolutly, beautiful bow and knife set.

[@DarthBop]

Todd's content is facinating.

[@zethron1173]

I just received one of your 12th century byzantine mace heads in the mail. It made it all the way to Texas. It is absolutely awesome! Very durable and pretty. Thank You!

[@tods_workshop]

A pleasure, now go and smack something with it!

[@zethron1173]

@@tods_workshop I did! I broke a 2x6 in half! Thing is I mounted it on a pine handle. Time to get some ash! The head held up beautifully, my handle not so much.

[@tengwean6182]

Beautiful piece

[@mishmashmedley]

That crossbow is a beautiful work of art. Simply stunning

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks

[@sleepyrasta14820]

Beautiful craftsmanship

[@undefined40]

Thank you for that insight into the gearbox. I learned a way to lock a gear without using a ratchet.

[@CamStLouis]

You employ such exquisite detail to the methods of engineering used in the period - even if you produce them with modern means, to include the right fittings etc. is really cool. I'd love to see a video breaking down some of the notable mechanisms and precision metalwork from medieval times so we can appreciate how hellish it must have been to do it with period methods! I'm in the process of developing a number of historical bagpipes and other period instruments, but there's no way I could create an affordable instrument with traditional methods!

[@derekmendoza6547]

Your intro is awesome. I came across your channel when looking up how strong a sling is. I hope you get the recognition you deserve.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks - I appreciate it

[@chrislatchem1854]

Very interesting, especially about the "one way" gearing!

[@darwinism8181]

Was not expecting a Forgotten Weapons-type takedown of the cranequin but I am 100% here for it

[@neilwilson5785]

This is gold dust. Wish videos like this were around back in the day.

[@tods_workshop]

Glad it was useful

[@123456gordon]

What a piece of beauty.

[@kainuu3157]

I like it. Thanks, Tod! 😊 Wonderful crossbow, and you shot it masterfully. ✌

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks

[@firsttpt]

I understood what you said about the number of teeth in the gears, but the mechanics of why that would bind and not just unwind, totally escapes me.

[@terrencebeers7105]

Very interesting. Thanks Tod.

[@Kradlum]

What a beautiful bow!

[@michaelwhite8031]

Beautiful work

[@brotherandythesage]

Tod definitely knows his crossbows!

[@Ka0s]

Nice craftsmanship.

[@willd6515]

Nice insight on how this works.

[@shellbackbeau7021]

The fancy work in that rope loop! It speaks to my Boatswain's Mate heart!

[@tods_workshop]

Just need to get into the rhythm of it and it is easier than you think

[@shellbackbeau7021]

@@tods_workshop agreed! I did hundreds of 3 strand eye splices for the lifelines and a while bunch of other stuff that had people ogling over my work. Especially my whipping.

[@bencoomer2000]

Thanks. Been using you as references for fantasy minis and potential crossbows for somethings that might be plausible at least.

[@ihcfn]

A true craftsman.

[@railroaderreddoor76]

Breath taking!!

[@JohnLadan]

A video showing the progression of crossbow technology would be fascinating! I'd also love to see some video of how you make them.

[@Kanner111]

Fascinating about the three tooth gear, but also it looked like a right bastard to crank earlier on. Interesting (if undeniably correct) tradeoff!

[@MrBigCookieCrumble]

It's such a joy to be blown away by the genius of our ancestors, that sounded a bit more poetic than it did in my head, but to see engineering from centuries ago that still manages to impress is quite wonderful!

[@Leverguns50]

Very interesting, thank you for sharing

[@fuferito]

We're starting the weekend on target.

[@DontKeeptheFaith]

That's the nicest looking crossbow I've ever seen.

[@MartinAhlman]

This a great video! Loved it, engineering done right.

[@tods_workshop]

Thank you very much!

[@CraigLYoung]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Heroesflorian]

Btw one topic I would really love to see for future videos: Fire arrows! Depicted frequently in movies and games, and criticized even more frequently as being depicted historically inaccurate / ineffective, fire arrows basically ask for closer examination and experimentation at the hands of one artisan like Tod.

[@tods_workshop]

That very thing will be coming

[@Heroesflorian]

@@tods_workshop whoa nice!

[@wrongturnarchery2337]

Probably the most beautiful one I've seen well dun sir

[@guntherhuemer1767]

I simply love your german crossbows!! Thanks tod!

[@tomtruesdale6901]

Outstanding lesson in German crossbows. Who ever designed that cranequin was either a genius or a mad man. I have never seen a three or four tooth gear set.

[@tods_workshop]

Thanks

[@JoshuaFoy]

Why does it not have a catch on both sides, so you can just rotate it instead of spinning the gears to the original position? Perhaps because the gear design only allows for catching in one direction?

[@hanelyp1]

There's a combination of mechanical advantage and friction. The lever turning the gear to move the rack has good mechanical advantage. The rack trying to turn the gear has poor mechanical advantage, especially with the gear in certain positions. So having hooks on both ends should work.

[@forkshootertb96]

Great job! Nice music!

[@ThunderLord1]

Very cool ! Such refined craftsmanship. Also Tod, on a side note I couldn't help but sweat a bit when I saw you remove the pins from the cranequin and just put them on your table where they could roll off and be lost, the table being outside. A magnetic plate could help in that regard ;)

[@tods_workshop]

no magnets! make stuff stick to stuff.

[@aarsandijvie]

Beautiful!

[@domm5715]

that is a F#$@ing work of art dawg!!

[@darthkek1953]

I like how Tod's crossbows can be twice or more the poundage of modern crossbows.

[@dmitriymironov5177]

Wonderful!

[@valkoharja]

That three tooth gear thing is fascinating.