Building a catapult

[Stan J. Lefosi]

Anyone knows how I can build a wooden catapult for a feud with an enemy warlord?

[Groggy]

The key word you want is "trebuchet".

Some references here:

thru rec.woodworking: based plans: information:

Greg

[DexAZ]

Try these:

wouldn't be using these to launch cows/peasants/etc. into enemy warlords castle would you? (ala Monty Python's "Search for the Holy Grail") We do have laws prohibiting that sort of thing now, you know.

DexAZ "Heads up...incoming cow!!!"

[Gfretwell]

Try a google. There is a thriving community of folks who build these things. The only question is how long it will be before Homeland starts cracking down on them. Try Trebuchet too. (a catapult type device that uses a falling weight and a sling on the end of the arm).

[David J Bockman]

I would tell you, but all the feudal warlords are using trebuchets these days.....

Dave

[Silvan]

Search the web. Oodles of stuff out there. You can do it too.

Mine isn't small enough to hurl much more than a baseball, but I joined the trebuchet club too.

No plans or technical info, but you can see a few inspirational me too pictures at:

[Riley]

Yes! Catapults are definitely out and trebuchets are definitely in.

This fashion trend started in the 1200's. You just have to keep up with the latest military hardware or your out on your ear.

Thanks,

Tom Riley [e-mail]

Woodware Designs

out our new Book:

"Look the Future Straight >Anyone knows how I can build a wooden catapult for a feud with an enemy warlord?

[Gfretwell]

They did this on Junkyard Wars a while ago. A trebuchet and a catapult. I think the catapult was powered with garage door springs.

[Mark & Juanita]

Which one won? ... and was it a matter of the technology or the execution?

[Silvan]

OK, OK, I have to step in here. All trebuchets are catapults, but not all catapults are trebuchets. Sort of like how all dogs are mammals, but not all mammals are dogs.

What you guys probably mean by "catapult" is something like an onager. A torsion engine. Those are catapults too, of course.

[Bruce]

If I recall the episode correctly, it wasn't even close. The trebuchet was orders of magnitude better.

[Andy Dingley]

If it's the UK version of the program, then it was just a "catapult", because it used a long skein of elastic and I know of no approriate medieval term for such a thing.

Their trebuchet failed immediately. Beam snapped just outboard of the axle, which will be no surprise at all to anyone who has built a big treb.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods