Ok! Our siege engineer (Jerry) continues to make improvements to this catapult. Here is what he has to say about this next step:

And last but not least with the arm shorter I lost leverage and didn't have the ass to load it so a small boat winch was installed ($20 well worth it) the shorter arm drastically increased arm speed but did little for distance. Also when the arm broke we lowered the cross beam to make it hit at 44degrees. I was sad to see I gained very little performance. Now I have begun having board failures. I have now gone through 2arms and 2cross beams I have braced with metal and backed with and additional 4x4. And I will redo the arm with angle iron as well to hopefully make it more durable. After I reassemble I will get photos of the new bracing and mods. Also for wheels I used a wooden spool from an electrical company. I thought it gave a good authentic look.  Shorten or word all of that however you like.

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

This bestselling DIY handbook now features new and expanded projects, enabling ordinary folks to construct 16 awesome ballistic devices in their garage or basement workshops using inexpensive household or hardware store materials and this step-by-step guide. Clear instructions, diagrams, and photographs show how to build projects ranging from the simple match-powered rocket to the more complex tabletop catapult and the offbeat Cincinnati fire kite. The classic potato cannon has a new evil twin-the piezo-electric spud gun and the electromagnetic pipe gun has joined the company of such favorites as the tennis ball mortar. With a strong emphasis on safety, the book also gives tips on troubleshooting, explains the physics behind the projects, and profiles scientists and extraordinary experimenters such as Alfred Nobel, Robert Goddard, and Isaac Newton. This book will be indispensable for the legions of backyard toy-rocket launchers and fireworks fanatics who wish every day was the fourth of July.

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