Crossbow catch: lever and pivots
Detail of the nut and lever, with the measure a b within c b
A pen sketch details the catch, or nut, of a crossbow, showing its pivots and the lever that releases the cord. Points on the mechanism are marked a, b and c, and a single note records a proportional measurement: that the segment a b fits eighteen times into the segment c b. Faint show-through from the reverse is also visible.
On this page
The catch (nut) of a crossbow
The releasing catch of a crossbow is drawn in profile along the line of the stock, with its pivots and the lever that trips the cord. The detail isolates the small mechanism that holds and frees the bowstring.
Proportion of a b within c b
A note gives a proportional measure of the linkage: the segment a b enters eighteen times into the segment c b. The points a, b and c mark positions on the drawn mechanism.