How to Make a Homemade Crossbow Out of Pencils

Put two pencils together with the erasers at the same end. Connect them tightly about 1 inch from each end with a rubber band.

Repeat step 1 with your other two pencils.

Place an eraser-less end of one pencil pair perpendicular to the other pair, making a cross with about 1 inch of pencil sticking up from the center of the other pencil pair.

Wrap a rubber band around this center joint, crossing the band over the top of the joint several times as you tighten it down. You should have a cross that stays firmly joined when the pencil bow is moved.

Remove the tip, base cap and inner ink cartridge from a plastic ballpoint pen.

Lay the hollow pen tube onto the groove between the two pencils that form the main stand of your cross, with one end at the rubber-banded joint.

Wrap tape thickly around each end of the pen and pencils to hold the three utensils firmly together.

Place a rubber band onto the end of each of the "crossbow arms," sliding each between the two pencils about halfway to the bands that hold each end together.

Pull back on the two bands until they come together near the bottom of your crossbow. Wrap tape between both band ends thickly to hold the two together, then wrap tape in the opposite direction around the taped loops to provide a pad to rest your projectile.

Place a thin dowel or chopstick through the tube on top of your crossbow. Hold the bottom of the dowel against the rear taped rubber band pad, then pull the two taut and fire in a safe direction.