How to Bind a Prod

One of the things that I am most pleased with my crossbows is the binding.  It turned out to be one of the most difficult things to settle on, and took many tries and experiments before I got it the way I liked it.  I often get questions about binding and re-binding crossbows, so I thought I would write up the process that I use to bind a prod onto the tiller.

Please bear in mind that I am not an expert in period crossbow bindings.  My goal was to develop a  reasonably period-looking  binding (taking into account all the images of crossbows stored in my brain) that is not cost-prohibitive and is maintenance-free using readily-available materials.

The material I settled on was braided dacron.  It is not too tough to come by, often under the heading of 'kite-leader' or 'handy hundred'.  I've found it in various places, including tool-supply stores, hunting/fishing stores, and military surplus stores.  I like it because it doesn't noticeably stretch over time, and it is very nearly tangle-free.  It costs  one to two dollars a roll.  I can usually find it in an assortment of colors from off-white to amber, brown, and even forest green. I use a whole 100' roll to bind each crossbow.

I do the entire binding in one sitting, usually taking about an hour.  My favorite strategy is to go to a quiet park and lay out a moving quilt to sit on.  That way, I am assured of peace and quiet, and the rewarding experience of creating a peace of art that will be treasured for years to come (I hope).  Doing it in front of a TV never works, because you just end up watching the boob tube instead of binding the crossbow.

The first step is to fold the string into a bundle of four lines.  This is most easily accomplished by holding one end of the line in your teeth and pulling the rest of the roll out into a pile to one side of you till you get to the other end.  Then you tie the two ends together, and hold the knot in your teeth.   When you pull both lines, you find the middle.  Repeat the same procedure with the doubled line, and you have your bundle of four.  Knot both the ends and you are ready to rock.

I set the bundle through the binding hole so that center of the bundle is in the center of the hole (plus or minus a few inches).   I set the tiller, prod, headblock, and stirrup the way I want them.  I personally bolt the stirrup to the headblock, which makes this process slightly easier.  I balance them all together with the crossbow standing vertically.

The next step is to wrap the bundle over the top of the headblock on the outside of the stirrup, passing the bundle back through the binding hole.  Make sure everything is centered the way you want it.  This is the most precarious and difficult to manage part of the whole process, but it's doable.  I like to keep a little tension on the bundles all the time by using the hand that is holding the tiller to keep the bundles taut.  Teeth, pinky fingers, toes... everything is fair game at this point for keeping all the pieces in place.  Hey, If I can do all this, *and* take pictures, then you can do it, too!

After you get the first loops over, do the same thing, but this time go diagonally through the stirrup as you pass over the headblock.  By the time you accomplish this, the whole thing should be feeling almost manageable.  Keep the bundles under tension, but there is no need to pull them really tight. 

At this point, you need to add some spacers between the tiller and the binding.  I prefer to use 6" pieces of faucet hook-up tube (with the cap end left on), but I forgot to bring them with me to the park and had to make due with an oversized Sharpie and a scrap of wood.  The smaller (regular) Sharpies make an adequate substitute for hook-up tubes, if those are easier for you to find.

Continue doing the diagonal thing, alternating sides, until you have 3 feet left in each bundle.  On the last pass, don't feed the bundles through the binding hole.  Instead,  loop one bundle through the hole, and use it to snag the other bundle, and pull it tight so that the crossover is positioned inside the binding hole, as shown in the accompanying sequence. 

Now comes the fun part: making that cool knotwork on the sides. This is functional as well as decorative.  By squeezing the upper and lower bundles together as you work your way up, you will tighten the whole thing rock solid.

It's a lot easier than it looks.  Take the free end coming out of the crossover, loop it under the bundles from bottom to top, then pass the free end through the loop you just made.  Pull down hard. Rock the free end of the bundle back and forth, cinching up a little more slack each time.  If the knot slips into the binding hole, that's fine.  If you can't get the knot in there, don't worry about it.

Now, take the free end and loop it under the bundles again, this time from top to bottom.  Pull it down hard and do the same rocking motion with the free end of the bundle, trying to squeeze in the upper and lower groups of bundles.

Do this a few more times, alternating bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom, then do the same to the other side of the crossbow. Periodically alternate sides of the the crossbow as you work your way up toward the prod. When you get close to the prod, you'll need to take out the spacers you put in there when you started.  I often need a scratch awl to help snag the free ends during this part of the binding process.  Be careful with pliers or other implements of destruction; levering them against the tiller will result in unsightly marks.  I try to not touch the wood at all with any tool I use.

When you get near the top, you need to finish the binding.  Doing this the wrong way will look pretty ugly, believe me.  I've blown more than one binding at the very end.  When I do it wrong, I spend about a day trying to convince myself it doesn't look that bad.  Then I sigh, and reach for the leather snips.

Stop binding when you get near the prod , and you've just finished a bottom-to-top pass, so that the free end comes out in the direction of the bottom of the crossbow. Start your top-to-bottom pass, but pull the bundle out in-between the upper and lower groups.  Pull the free end through the loop you just formed, and pull it tight, as normal.

Then start your bottom-to-top pass, but start in-between the two bundles.  Pull the free end though the loop you just formed and pull it tight.  When you finish this, the free end should come out in the direction of the bottom of the crossbow.  Then, tie a simple overhand knot as close as you can get it to the binding.  No more than 1/4" away from where it emerges.  Pull this knot very tight. I usually use a pliers and pull on each thread individually.

Finally, the moment all you pyromaniacs have been waiting for. Clip the bundle, leaving about 1/4" beyond the knot.  Take a lighter and set the free ends of the threads ablaze.  For additional points, try to take pictures at the same time you do this.  Be careful to hold the crossbow so that the smoke will go away from the tiller and binding, or else it will leave more unsightly marks.  

When the ends burn down to a glob next to the knot, gently blow it out.  Do not use your finger to try to flatten the glob, or molten dacron will adhere itself to your unfortunate digit, causing you to hop wildly across the park, attracting the attention of  the groundskeeper, all the mothers with small children, and various park fauna.

Finally, after the glob has cooled, tuck it down into the center of the binding.  Repeat the binding-finishing operation for the other side, and you are done.  Sit back and admire your work, but only for a few moments.  You'll probably need to explain to the groundskeeper and the mothers with small children what the heck you are doing.  They'll be intensely curious by this time.  

If it's the squirrels who are intensely curious, don't bother to explain.  As a rule, they are only interested to know if you have any acorns you can spare.

Last updated: September 30, 2003.