Results 1 to 17 of 17

Thread: A friend and I just launched a project to build a bunch of trebuchets

  1. 03-22-2011, 01:02 PM #1
    carpdiem
    carpdiem is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    153

    A friend and I just launched a project to build a bunch of trebuchets

    Hey guys, since spydie owners tend to be more of a hands-on sort, I figured that you guys would appreciate seeing this kickstarter project that a friend and I just launched.

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ktop-trebuchet

    We've been working at a machine shop for the past month in order to get the tolerances good enough that the whole thing just snaps together, and any of you have access to laser cutters, you'll be interested to know that we'll be posting the full design files on our site, free for anyone to use, once the project succeeds.

    Just thought I'd share my latest adventure!

    Edit - Here's a pic of the finished design:

    Last edited by carpdiem; 03-22-2011 at 03:12 PM.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  2. 03-22-2011, 05:20 PM #2
    jzmtl
    jzmtl is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Posts
    1,415
    Ha, I built one in high school, a meter and half tall. It was for physics class project and teacher said we were going to have a water balloon fight after. After seeing how the other catapults mostly consist of rubber bands, he said we aren't going to do it, since my trebuchet would slaughter everyone.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  3. 03-22-2011, 05:52 PM #3
    wsdavies's Avatar
    wsdavies
    wsdavies is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    561
    Sweet
    Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
    Theodore Roosevelt
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  4. 03-22-2011, 07:07 PM #4
    Monkeywrangler
    Monkeywrangler is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Posts
    447
    If one builds trebuchets, one should read Lawdog's extended story of the Ratel Pit...which does in fact detail his erstwhile construction of a trebuchet...

    www.thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com

    You must search the archives for the posts on the following dates, in order.
    Tuesday, June 27, 2006
    Thursday, June 29, 2006
    Saturday, July 01, 2006
    Saturday, July 08, 2006
    Monday, July 10, 2006
    Friday, July 14, 2006

    It is one of the funniest stories you will read online...Lawdog is quite the writer and well worth following his blog!

    --MW
    Not Forgotten:
    LCpl. John Dewey Killen III
    MSgt. Timothy Roy Bodden

    Don't the sun look angry through the trees?
    Don't the trees look like crucified thieves?
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  5. 03-22-2011, 10:14 PM #5
    Nick D. Fingerz's Avatar
    Nick D. Fingerz
    Nick D. Fingerz is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    N.E. Wisconsin
    Posts
    34
    My nephew and I built one a couple years ago for his school project. His design, after we got it dialed in, it would fire a small Kong dog toy 100-120 feet. Of course, he later destroyed it launching objects that were too large and heavy.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  6. 03-22-2011, 10:42 PM #6
    Th232's Avatar
    Th232
    Th232 is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    1,937
    Seems they're rather popular to build, when I was 15 I made one that was a bit over 2 metres tall. Think the counterweight was over 40 kg, flung everything from tennis balls to apple sized rocks.
    Will

    "No one wants to look the fool. Everyone does the best they can. If they knew better, they'd do better" - old woman on the railway tracks to Sal.

    Avatar by Datan!
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  7. 03-22-2011, 10:43 PM #7
    carpdiem
    carpdiem is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    153
    Quote Originally Posted by Monkeywrangler View Post
    If one builds trebuchets, one should read Lawdog's extended story of the Ratel Pit...which does in fact detail his erstwhile construction of a trebuchet...

    www.thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com

    You must search the archives for the posts on the following dates, in order.
    Tuesday, June 27, 2006
    Thursday, June 29, 2006
    Saturday, July 01, 2006
    Saturday, July 08, 2006
    Monday, July 10, 2006
    Friday, July 14, 2006

    It is one of the funniest stories you will read online...Lawdog is quite the writer and well worth following his blog!

    --MW
    GENIUS! MW, this made my day.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  8. 03-22-2011, 10:45 PM #8
    carpdiem
    carpdiem is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    153
    Yep. Biggest one I've ever made sported 300-350 lbs of counterweight, and would throw small water jugs almost a hundred meters.

    The ones we're making, though, are only about a foot tall, and throw superballs about 20 feet.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  9. 03-22-2011, 11:51 PM #9
    clovisc's Avatar
    clovisc
    clovisc is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Ketchikan, Alaska
    Posts
    3,751
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wVADKznOhY
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  10. 03-23-2011, 02:32 AM #10
    Dr. Snubnose's Avatar
    Dr. Snubnose
    Dr. Snubnose is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    NewYork
    Posts
    8,122
    I just spit...Doc
    "Always Judge a man by the way he treats someone who could be of no possible use to him"

    *Custom Avatar with the Help of Daywalker*
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  11. 03-23-2011, 12:54 PM #11
    carpdiem
    carpdiem is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    153
    Quote Originally Posted by clovisc View Post
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wVADKznOhY
    Awesome!
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  12. 03-23-2011, 01:53 PM #12
    JNewell's Avatar
    JNewell
    JNewell is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Land of the Bean and the Cod
    Posts
    3,378
    That is truly cool. I'm going to twist my wife's arm...my two college-age boys would have a blast with this...probably as much fun looking at what you've made and how you've designed the kits as assembling and "testing" them.

    Quote Originally Posted by carpdiem View Post
    Hey guys, since spydie owners tend to be more of a hands-on sort, I figured that you guys would appreciate seeing this kickstarter project that a friend and I just launched.

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ktop-trebuchet

    We've been working at a machine shop for the past month in order to get the tolerances good enough that the whole thing just snaps together, and any of you have access to laser cutters, you'll be interested to know that we'll be posting the full design files on our site, free for anyone to use, once the project succeeds.

    Just thought I'd share my latest adventure!

    Edit - Here's a pic of the finished design:

    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  13. 03-23-2011, 04:24 PM #13
    defenestrate's Avatar
    defenestrate
    defenestrate is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    just south of the Uwharries
    Posts
    1,787
    I should build one of these down at my old farm - there's about 1/3 of a mile between the house and the reservoir, and noone to see me launching ridiculous crap, and even if they did they wouldn't complain out there.
    Love and Fury,
    D-FENS/Kris
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  14. 03-25-2011, 09:20 AM #14
    jimbo@stn24's Avatar
    jimbo@stn24
    jimbo@stn24 is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Alberta Rockies
    Posts
    455
    There's more to building them than meets the eye. My oldest girl and I built one and needed to keep reinforcing the pivot, the counterwieght attachment, and then we were only so-so in our release mechanism. The throwing arm was about 4' and we had about 40# for weights.

    Going to need to study up some more as it was good fun at backyard get togethers.
    WTC #1455
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  15. 03-25-2011, 09:21 AM #15
    JNewell's Avatar
    JNewell
    JNewell is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Land of the Bean and the Cod
    Posts
    3,378
    Quote Originally Posted by jimbo@stn24 View Post
    There's more to building them than meets the eye. My oldest girl and I built one and needed to keep reinforcing the pivot, the counterwieght attachment, and then we were only so-so in our release mechanism. The throwing arm was about 4' and we had about 40# for weights.

    Going to need to study up some more as it was good fun at backyard get togethers.
    H*ly smoke.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  16. 03-25-2011, 09:56 AM #16
    Lungbarrow's Avatar
    Lungbarrow
    Lungbarrow is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    59

    Two words, two punctuation marks.

    Trebuchet: Awesome!
    Michael
    Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith."
    -Alexis de Tocqueville
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  17. 03-25-2011, 10:06 AM #17
    jimbo@stn24's Avatar
    jimbo@stn24
    jimbo@stn24 is offline Spyderco Forum Registered User
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Alberta Rockies
    Posts
    455
    Quote Originally Posted by JNewell View Post
    H*ly smoke.
    There's ALOT of physics going on there that I admit I'm not fully understanding. And alot of scrap lumber.

    I like Carp's version more.
    WTC #1455
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Forum Rules