Warning: A catapult is a weapon and should be handled carefully to avoid injury.
A catapult is a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the use of explosives. It's meaning, derived from Greek, means "Shield piercer." So, my son and I set out to build one of our own shield piercers, albeit a much smaller version. Our goal: to be able to chuck flaming marshmellows (warning: chucking flaming marshmellows is dangerous and should not be done -- ever). We got ideas for a design from various websites and books, including Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle. In the end, we ended up building several different versions. Read below for a short description of the tools, materials, and instructions needed to build a small version of a onager catapult; I've included a little video of a larger catapult that we built to use as a pitching machine.
You can see one of the two “winders” in the right side of the catapult... it looks like a thick wooden dowel. You can wind up the rope so tightly that it can break through the wooden dowel
Settlers of Catan is a game in which players assume the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop settlements and cities while trading and acquiring resources. Players gain points as their settlements grow and the first player to reach ten points wins. There are a number of expansion packs available for the game as well. For a period of time, this was a very popular game within the family. However, setting up the board was cumbersome (as was clean-up). So I decided to build a custom Settlers of Catan board (actually, I built two) using wood, an Adafruit Feather board, and NeoPixel LED lights to ease the setup. Upon powering the board, the layout of the various resource tiles (rock, wood, sheep, brick, and wheat) is randomized. I started by build the basic wooden board. I did this by cutting several 1x3 boards into eight different pieces measuring 24" in length. Using Elmer's Wooden Glue , I glued each of the boards togeth...
A man walks on this earth For not so very long And he wonder what He'll be remembered by When he is gone. So he struggles through the years Down a road he paves With hopes and fears Trying to carve his name upon the wall of time And so it is, my son That I stand here now Looking over the years Of all the sweat and tears That crossed my brow All the battle plans I drew And all the mountains That I tried to move Lay behind me now Like miles of sifting sand. But of all the things I've done I'll never be more proud Than of you, my son And of all the dreams I've had It meant more just to hear You call me Dad More than any wealth or fame Or any glory I wish I could claim More than anything I'll ever do Son, I'll always be most proud Of You.
Making a catapult with my son tonight. Thanks for the tips! Maybe we'll make a tennis ball launcher for our dogs...
ReplyDeletehello! can this catapult launch accurately within a specific meter(exp: 2 to 6m)
ReplyDeletehello! can this catapult launch accurately within a specific meter(exp: 2 to 6m)
ReplyDeleteWhat makes the lever shoot forward to launch the tennis ball?
ReplyDeleteHello! The tension is created by winding up the rope that connects to the throwing arm.
DeleteYou can see one of the two “winders” in the right side of the catapult... it looks like a thick wooden dowel. You can wind up the rope so tightly that it can break through the wooden dowel
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThe instructions now seem to be missing. Can you help?