Fun Day

The crossbow project has wound it's way to a conclusion. The prod was a bit weak in one limb as demonstrated by the sting not being at right angles to the stock at brace. I eased off the other limb by removing a little from it's lower edge especially from the glass fibre lamination. Finally plucking up courage to cock and shoot it first with the 100gn point on the bolt 141fps and finally with the 70 gn point 151.7 fps . Excellent!After a couple more shots the nock partially sheared off one limb, this adequately demonstrates the problem of searching for greater and greater projectile speed, it simply leaves more energy in the limbs and thus modern compounds and crossbows and up being noisy brutes with shock absorbing buffers built in.
I could go back to the Boo/Yew prod, but I'm not that fussed about shooting, the best speed I got was 244fps from the natural materials and 251 with the glass belly. I've learned a lot and I now have a good design for a shoot through prod mounting and a usable crossbow prod test bed.

Shock horror probe! Del buys a bow! Well I couldn't resist, its a 1950s Accles and Pollock take down steel bow, it's a bit scruffy but for £25 quid i had to have it. I've put a string on it at low brace and drawn it. The lower limb looks weak, but maybe just needs a little judicious bending. I'll probably make a decent string and try shooting it, I can't imagine it will fail as it's steel.
Update:- I've had many people on Facebook warning me that these have a reputation for breaking and rusting from the inside. I'll probably draw it to full draw on the tiller, don't know if I'll make a proper string for it.

Talking of Facebook, there are some odious idiots on there.
A nice woman archer who I know posted her new English Longbow on there... then some bloke asks "what makes it an English Longbow"
I (and the woman in question) replied at some length in good faith assuming he doesn't know that there are various definitions and a difference between a Victorian target bow and a warbow.
Anyhow it turns out he's well aware of the differences and was just Trolling for an argument, complete tosser.
He tried to sucker me in by saying "don't you want to discuss things with people who have different opinions?"
What...? No I don't!
a) He didn't offer any opinion.
b) He asked a question under false pretenses as he already knew the answer.
c) He accused me of arguing, when I was merely answering the question which was originally posed.

My pet hate is people who ask questions when they don't actually want the answer and are aren't interested in it...