Note From Will: If you are looking to buy a Siege Engine kit that you can make yourself you should check out my siege engine store. I have all kinds of trebuchets, catapults and more all available from Amazon.com - The Siege Engine Store
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 !
Note from Will: The Template and the tutorial are both absolutely free! But would you consider a donation of $1 to support my work? Paypal makes it very easy and safe. Click here to donate $1 - Every little bit helps Will to keep making great tutorials and templates. Thanks!
MORE CATAPULT PROJECTS 
The Torsion Powered Mangonel.
A mangonel is a type of catapult that is true to the real catapults they made in the Middle Ages and Medieval Times because they didn't have rubber bands! They used twisted rope for power and this table top Mangonel does the same. It is more historically accurate. It is also easy to build and pretty powerful for such a little catapult. How to build the Torsion Powered Mangonel Catapult Want to Build a Bigger Catapult? I also have this project:
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
The Wyvern Torsion catapult
Complete project with step by step assembly instructions, blueprints and a video for making this powerful 3 foot catapult. It uses twisted rope for torsion. This type of catapult is called a Mangonel.The Wyvern Catapult
How to make a Mouse trap Catapult in about 1 minute.
You don't need much and this thing is really powerful. You can probably fire small projectiles about 40 feet. How to make a Mouse Trap catapult
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
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.
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!
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.
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!
Defending Your Castle - Your home is your castle, but could it withstand an attack by Attila and the Huns, Ragnar and the Vikings, Alexander and the Greeks, Genghis Khan and the Mongols, or Tamerlane and the Tartars? Engineer William Gurstelle, author of the bestselling Backyard Ballistics, poses this fascinating question to modern-day garage warriors and shows how to build an arsenal of ancient artillery and fortifications aimed at withstanding these invading hordes. Each chapter introduces new bad actors in the history of warfare, details their conquests, and features weapons and fortifications to defend against them-culminating, by the end of the book, in a fully fortified home. Clear step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and photographs explain how to build a dozen projects from table-top models of the Cheval-de-frise, Da Vinci's Catapult, and Alexander's Tortoise to the fullsize working Carpini's Crossbow, Hour-Glass Watchtower, and Palisade Wall. With a strong emphasis on safety, this book also gives tips on troubleshooting, explains the physics behind many of the projects, and shows where to find the best materials. It's sure to be an indispensible guide for at-home defenders everywhere.
Kits and More
Boy Craft Catapult Wars by Horizon Group USA -
- BUILD AND CUSTOMIZE YOUR OWN CATAPULT: Calling all engineers! Put your building skills to the test when you put together the real wood pieces to create a customized catapult!
- KIT INCLUDES: 20 Wooden Pieces, 2 Wooden Dowels, 2 Rubber Bands, 8 Mini Bean Bags, 2 Braided Ropes, 1 Sticker Sheet, 1 Glue Tube, Easy-to-follow Instructions
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Construction Model Kit – DaVinci's Battalion -
- BUILD THREE REMARKABLE MACHINES - a Ballista (an enormous crossbow), a Bombard (an early form of the cannon) and a mighty Catapult.
Leonardo da Vinci Catapult Kit -
Catapults were first invented in Ancient Greek and Roman times, however our common idea of them is based on drawings we have from the Medieval Ages. Leonardo redesigned the catapult around 1485, and used the springlike energy stored in bent wood to give power to the swing arm.
Check out my siege engine store. I have all kinds of trebuchets, catapults and more all available from Amazon.com - The Siege Engine Store
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