Who made medieval weapon?

Answer 1

It varied greatly depending on the weapon, the region and the time in history. Many weapons were simply tools that had been adapted for warfare by peasants in times of need, like axes, hammers, and scythes. Typically these weapons would have metal parts, like the axe head that were constructed by a blacksmith, and then set on wooden haft which could be made by a less skilled craftsman, and could fairly easily be placed on a new haft as need be. However, many of these weapons, axes and hammers especially, became staples of combat, and eventually specialized black smiths would make improved versions, balanced more more precisely for military use, made from more varied and specialized materials.

Similarly, spears were by far one of the most common types of weapons, and part of the reason was that they were the most effective melee weapon that could cheaply and easily be manufactured quickly in huge numbers. All a spear really needed was a not-particularly-well-trained-blacksmith to make a flat iron point with a socket in one end and for someone to stick a wooden pole in there and hammer/nail it closed. Of course there were more elegantly made versions, often made in large numbers, but even crudely made spears could be effective when wielded in great numbers by a militia. Compared to an axe for example, they needed much less iron to produce, and significantly less training to use in great numbers with decent effectiveness.

Swords were a different matter, as they required a complex construction process that typically involved a number of crafts people. Most commonly in Europe, specialized black smiths in a country with good steel production capabilities, like the Germanic countries, would forge large numbers of "blade blanks" which were flat, rectangular slabs of metal with one end prepared to be fitted into a hilt (sword-handle) at a later date. Smiths in other countries like France would import these steel blade blanks and a specialized black smith would combine the thin steel slab with thin iron slabs to condition the blade's metal composition to be more flexible. Then they would heat-treat the blade to properly condition the metal and carefully control the weight distribution. Then the fire-treated blade blank would be sold to a special type of craftsman called a cutler, who would carefully cut, and shape the blade into whatever form was appropriate for the sword he was crafting. Usually a customer would deal directly with the cutler, and have the sword custom made, selecting the size and style of the blade and the hilt, as well as the materials and decoration for the hilt. The cutler would purchase the scabbard (sheath) from a scabbard maker, and would purchase the wood/leather/metal/bone/gemstone components of the hilt, from different types of crafts people, and would assemble these pieces with the blade. Additionally, the cutler would use a grinding wheel to give the blade its sharp edge.

Bows, crossbows, and some other more complex weapons, similarly, would have their own complex process involving specialized craftsmen handling different parts of the process.

Answer 2

barbers of couse