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The Caddy-Pult - This is a well designed and built catapult!
This catapult was built by a web visitor (Bob) who also built an amazing little mangonel catapult that you can see right here. This thing is quite amazing and I am stunned by the craftsmanship of it. It is truly a piece of art and my first thought was that this is the cadillac of catapults so I can't but resist to call it the "Caddy-pult" in honor of that. A big and hearty thanks to Bob for sharing this terrific project with us! |
Anyhoo, this is what he has to say about the making of it:
I decided to kick it up a level and make another catapult for show. This one is 36' long and has a rear firing pin as well as a couple other pins to secure the arm in place while the while the catapult is being carried. The holes in the front brace (pic 4) store the pins while the machine is in use.
This catapult is wound with 48' of white nylon; it will throw a small chunk of a 2"x4" stud about ten feet with minimal winding and about 25' with a tighter wind (at which time the 3/8 dowel winding rods start to take on sort of a scary "u" shape).
The throw arm/bucket consists of three pieces. When I first test fired the bucket tore away from the arm, so I had to use a piece of metal (painted black) to secure it all in place. The whole catapult is stained with Minwax Early American #230 and polycrylic topcoat.
I'll finish by saying to everyone on the web that if you'd like to build a catapult, in my opinion Will's website at http://www.stormthecastle.com/ is the best place to learn how.
Want to Build a caddy-pult? Bob has shared some great building instructions with us:
The entire catapult is made from ripped pieces of a 2"x4" stud which is fir. The wheels were cut out with a jigsaw from a 1x4, wood is yellow pine (I verified this info with a friend who works at the lumberyard). Plugs used to disguise screw holes, etc., are made from common dowel rods.
I did have to replace the winding rods with metal because the wood bent and eventually broke. Also, the rear assembly that winds the bucket down simply does not work as I intended. It'll pull the arm down but when you release it, it has too much resistance to allow proper firing. Some thought needs to go into how to make a new assembly and how to position it so it'll allow the arm to release with full force.
and The winding rods are made out of 3/8" rebar.
Want some more information about this Catapult? Bob has sent us some pictures with dimensions and more information right here: More about the Caddypult |
  Catapult Kit Lay Siege To The Doghouse! Right after you build your own working medieval catapult. All you'll need is glue, scissors and a steady hand to construct this wooden, Canadian-made siege engine kit. The finished catapult stands 6" tall x 5" wide x 10" long and will toss assorted stuff (meatballs?) 15 feet or further, depending upon the stuff. Comes with detailed instructions.
  Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction: Build Implements of Spitball Warfare
PopularMechanics.com selection for one of The Best DIY and Home Improvement Books of 2009
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