How To Build A Catapult

Build the Table-Top Troll Catapult. This is a great little siege engine that really hurls projectiles! You just need some wood, a few screws, a rubber band and a couple of hours. This little catapult really hurls projectiles. And you can really tweak it to be quite a powerful little troll.

This is a tiny replica of the massive siege engines that were used to tear down castle walls in the Middle Ages.

This tutorial on how to build a catapult takes you through all the steps in showing you how to do it. Want to see it in action? Here is a quicktime video of this catapult in action - Table Top Troll Catapult video.

What do you need to build this catapult?

Parts List: You don't need a whole lot of parts or tools to make this catapult and this is just a suggested list and these are the parts I use to make the catapult in this tutorial. You can fudge and replace lots of the parts. If you are creative there is a whole host of parts and things you could use instead of these parts. As you can see though it is pretty basic and you don't need a lot to build a basic catapult.

parts in the picture:

• 3 pieces of wood 12 inches long
• 8 pieces of wood 6 inches long ( two of these pieces have the ends cut at 45 degree angles - I will explain more about these.
• An assortment of small screws and/or nails
• 1 large rubber band or several smaller ones
• 2 eye hooks (to the right of the rubber band
• Some glue (optional but a good idea)
• 1 four inch square piece of cardboard or poster board (This is the basket that your projectile sits in
• 1 metal bar at least 6 inches long, I am using the axle from an old toy car (thats the wheels)

About the metal bar from the axle: This is what I am using but you can use almost anything similar. This is going to be the pivot point for the catapult arm so you need something thin and strong. Here are some suggested things you could use: very firm coathanger wire - the cut off blade of a screwdriver, the metal bar handle from a bucket. Take a look at the close up of the catapult arm pivot on the left. See how it is going to be installed. So think of this and find some kind of metal bar for this. If all else fails you could even use a pencil or a pen. You would just have to drill a hole large enough for it to pass through. I used the axle from a toy car which works perfectly. So you may want to scrounge through your toy box to find one.

That's pretty much everything unless you want to paint and decorate your catapult. So lets start on the tutorial and make one ourselves!

Let's Begin building our Catapult !

BOOKS

Want to build a bigger, better, more powerful or fancier catapult? There are some great books available to you. These books, available at Amazon.com will help take your catapult building to new heights! Pun intended!

Catapult Design, Construction And Competition With the Projectile Throwing Engines of the Ancients

The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient Artillery - Nice book that shows you how to build ten different catapult projects, moderate wood working and pvc piping kind of stuff. Good book with complete instructions and materials lists.

Buy from Amazon.com: The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient Artillery

Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis Ball Mortars, and More Dynamite Devices Want to get a little more creative? This book is off the hook!

Buy From Amazon.com Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis Ball Mortars, and More Dynamite Devices

Whoosh Boom Splat: The Garage Warrior's Guide to Building Projectile Shooters

These are the homemade machines that you've dreamed of building, from the high-voltage Night Lighter 36 spud gun to the Jam Jar Jet, the Marshmallow Shooter, and the Yagua Blowgun. Including detailed diagrams and supply lists, Gurstelle's simple, step-by-step instructions help workshop warriors at any skill level achieve impressively powerful results.

Kits and More Siege Engine Projects

Another Interesting Project: How to Build a Trebuchet

The Trebuchet was a unique siege engine of the middle ages. It was extraordinarily powerful and was easier for military engineers to build because it used gravity as the energy source. I also have a complete project on how to make the Little Dragon Trebuchet.

New Product for Summer Fun

The key to winning any good water battle is a strategy. Improve your odds by drenching your opponent with the Water Balloon Catapult. Launch your water balloons the old fashioned way with this catapult that hooks to your feet. Just lay down and let 'em rip! Or, position yourself between two other people and get each of them to hold one of the orange handles, standing approximately 1.5 meters apart. Place a water balloon in the sling launcher and use the red handle on the sling launcher to pull the sling back - until the elastic tubes are tight and ready for firing! Additional water balloons available separately for unlimited fun! Not recommended for children under 8 years old. Purchase extra water balloons now - 100 for $1.99! (search product ID B00068IYLI.) For ultimate team fun, purchase two sets! Buy from Amazon.com: Water Balloon Catapult Set with Hose Adapter and 75 Balloons

Looking for a catapult kit?

Here is a great little catapult kit from Edmund Scientific made of basswood and uses the torsion of a twisted string as its power source. This thing hurls objects more than ten feet.

The Edmund Scientific Catapult Kit

Get 12% off all orders over $100 or more at Edmund Scientific use coupon code spring12 at checkout to save. Coupon does not apply to Telescopes, GPS or Cameras and is valid April 1st through April 30th.

Save 10% on purchases at ScienceKit.com with coupon code SKIT410. Valid April 1st through April 31st. Coupon does not apply to Telescopes, GPS or Cameras.

Amazon.com also has a catapult kit you can build

Working Wood Catapult Diy Kit, 6" X 5" X 10"

Expand your kingdom one cubicle at a time with this working replica of one of the most infamous and powerful siege engines... the catapult. When completed, the catapult can shoot a ball of soft clay more than 15 feet! Lay seige to your entire department with this formidable weapon and mercilessly crush cubicle uprisings. Includes all needed parts and soft modeling clay for projectiles. Requires knife and wood or white glue for assembly

Science Project Experiment Catapult Kit (S.P.E.C.K.)

The Ultimate Science Project Experimenter's Catapult Kit! It's fully adjustable, multi-configurable and repeatable. It's a perfect model for learning the scientific method! All in all, there are more than 400 different configurations and tuning options possible with this kit. Suitable for hundreds of experiments and learning opportunities. The completed frame is 14.5 inches long, 7 inches wide and 11 inches tall. The arm measures 20.25 inches long with multiple axle and power attachment points. This machine can hurl projectiles up to 40 feet, depending on configuration, tuning, and lots of other variables! What you can learn: This kit provides a real world, hands on example of many aspects of basic physics. It exposes the student to concepts of mechanical advantage, levers, gravity and energy, to name a few. It can demonstrate the storage and conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy through levers, and it is equipped with optional wheels, to demonstrate conservation of momentum. All in all, the concepts of efficiency, power and work can be demonstrated and applied. This kit is useful for teaching engineering, science, design of experiments, problem solving and cause-effect relationships. It was designed to get students to think about physics in a real world, tangible context. Theories can be made and tested; this process, and analyzing why the observed results occur can ultimately lead to other, more advanced concepts in physics, mechanics and mathematics. Analyzing the data can make use of statistical methods from basic averages to much more advanced topics if desired. With 18 pages of instructions including assembly of every basic configuration, suggested experiments, tuning guidelines, independent and dependent variables to record and measure, data tables, historical information about trebuchets and catapults, and more, it should be easy to get started with this Ultimate Science Project Kit!

Looking for a great Catapult Game?

Battleground: Crossbows and Catapults War Chest Starter Set

Build your fortress and position your weapons to protect your kingdom. Battleground is the game that puts you in the heart of the battle between knights and orcs. The War Chest unleashes the epic battle right into your home. Includes castles, crossbows, cannons, figures, building bricks and more -- 80 pieces in all ; Read the great reviews about this game.

The Backyard OGRE Catapult

This is a powerful two foot long catapult. I have complete instructions and tutorial on how to build it here The OGRE

What good is a catapult if you don't have a castle to attack!

I have another project you might like. It is the Paper Castle and it has everything you could want in a castle making project including all the art work you can download. You just follow the instructions and make it yourself with some glue and cereal boxes. Build a Paper and Cardboard Castle It also has a learning sheet that helps to learn about castles when you are building it.

If you are looking for something easier to make you might want to try my project on making a popsicle stick catapult. Fast, easy and fun project! Goes great with the paper medieval castle. Make a popsicle stick catapult

Storm The Castle Catapult Game - Build a Popsicle stick catapult and hurl paper balls at the castle. How to make the Game and the catapult are here

Stormthecastle.com

Table of Contents for this tutorial

BACK TO THE CATAPULT MAIN PAGE

1. Make the Table Top Troll Catapult Home and materials requred
2. Begin assembly of the sides and base
3. Assemble the catapult firing arm
4. Complete the assemblly and finish by painting
5. Video of this catapult firing
6. Books/Medieval store
7. Free Catapult Plan

Stormthecastle.com
Castlefiction.com
Epic Fantasy.com
The Medieval Armory
THe Fantasy Guide
The Heroic Dreams Blog
The Knight Medieval
The Telescope Nerd

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