Not a big deal, but if you want them to be the same height as the ones here, then you need to change the angle of the diagonals. 7 years ago. these are the trigger pins The arm is on a moving axle and the torqueD|volume=26|doi=10.1088/0143-0807/26/4/002|issue=4}} The forward motion of the axle as the arm rotates adds speed to the projectile end of the arm. So if I could toss the weight a 100yds would be perfect. Drill the holes for the eye bolts. Lastly, 11 years ago I just so happen to be in the construction phase of an improved floating arm trebuchet. The 9. That should be about 2 inches from the end of the track. 10 1/4 in. Steam Community: Medieval Engineers. multilingual. Look at the pictures for alignment. I came across a problem for the quick release. Keep the hole in between the main track supports and the diagonal track supports. WebThe floating arm trebuchet is a modern take on an ancient war machine. May need to be hanged if the diameter of the threaded rod is changed The pin is made of all thread, 1 ft long, with the threads on the end ground off. Ask me if you have a question. drill (The one I used here came in a kit here) with a varied drill bit set, for pilot holes, etc. Ideally, the arm should be vertical or slightly forward when the sling releases. I'd guess that for throwing oranges, you'd want to be around 5-6 ft high and an 8ft arm, and maybe 50-100 lbs of weight? At the tip of the arm, we welded a steel box around it to hold the pin for the sling release and a loop to tie the other end of the sling rope to. Tie it so that it hangs about 12 inches (2.55.1 cm) from the top of the arm. A wide chisel would also work. 10. This is the only part of the trebcuhet that can vary a lot. You will need the denim and the monkey-  no, sorry, gorilla tape. You also nee Now comes the moment of truth. This is what fit for me. Our sling (not pictured, there is a shot of it in the video) was made of woven nylon web straps. Luckily, It's also pretty simple to make. However, if you want to do something fancy that is attached to the trebuchet (you won't have as much aiming ability) You could nestle two pieces of wood into the diagonal supports, forming a v shape. 2. anyways awesome job! If this happens, use it on a hill or place two very thin pieces of scrap wood under the base, directly under the drop channels. It's a little bit tricky to get the angles perfect. Really cool project Brother, thanks for putting together a great instructable. In contrast, a floating arm trebuchet features an axle on the arm freely moving along a horizontal glide track. Look at the pictures to see this; it's kind of hard to explain the placement in words. (remember the CW is supported by the trigger at the beginning, and the the trigger is screwed directly into the drop channels. ) long carriage bolts *It would be better if the two previous 1 X 6 pieces were 2 X 6, I'll explain later. Once everything is square, true, straight aligned or whatever you feel like saying, We can put this beast together. Cut them low but long out backwards. On the arm, drill a hole for an eye bolt, and use a washer on both ends. 2 segments of 2 ft., 11 in. Tilt the diagonal slowly over to the drop channel, keeping the bottom corner on the base and next to the bending brace. Ensure that the shafts you choose have a diameter that mates well with your inside wheel diameter, as well as your inserts. Now comes the fun part. I will be modeling my trebuchet after your and would like to know Can the trebuchet launch a 2-lb dumbell? 7. Beside the arm when it's at rest, these two channels are the tallest point of the trebuchet. Mess around you'll figure it out. This kit is professionally engineered, designed and manufactured in the USA. It has two ropes coming off it, one in either direction. In response to urbanmx, this was our very first trebuchet. claw hammer Webof the pivot, mass and inertia of the arm, mass of the projectile, ratio of the pivot/arm's center of gravity, mass of the counterweight, wind speed, and release angle. I have included a link to a hack-up vid I made on youtube in case you're interested. 3. And it is constructed with 1 X 6s 6 1/4 in. Tools I had no idea what the problem was at first. Other than those, there haven't really been any problems with the frame. 2 segments of 2 ft (0.6096 m) 1 X 6 use your head before you lose your head. If you need more help with the guide blocks let me know. The part of the war machine that means business. We added stabilizer arms as well, to keep it from tipping over. It launches 5 pound pumpkins around 320 feet with 250 pounds of counter weight. 2 hand weights, 8 lbs (3.63 kilos)* The 5/8" CW bolt bent like a taco with only 16 pounds on either side. If the weights are extremely heavy, though, you may want to keep the weights out of the box for now, since when you load it you will have to lift it. Remember the bumping problem. Strap-On Cleats for Ice and Snow Traction, Hollow Wood Surfboard - Plywood and Cedar. The picture shows just 4 pounds of counterwieght, we added up to 10 pounds for maximum throws. This is the hardest part of loading. This is it. WebThis is a floating arm trebuchet. Without one of them , the arm would simply fall into the ground. 4.5 -Make sure it is strong enough to take the force of your falling counterweight. fourth through fifth picture will show this. The trigger pins keep the weight from falling. Ok, now to attach the drop channels. *must be able to fit inside counterweight boxesSling Have someone stand on the front half of the trebuchet. Please comment for any Again, use a bowline knot. Then just screw them in. So now we're going to add some extra supports that will prevent the 2 ft 1 X 6 from bending, Lateral support and extra track support. None seem to affect it structurally, but we'll see. Make sure everyone knows you are firing. GoochesVFD said that there was some cracking around the base of the long 2 X 4 used as the drop channel. 2. on Introduction. Lengths Lengths Angles Masses Density Copyright 2013, Eric Constans and Rowan University Again, this is not a critical dimension, something near that would work. Again, make sure a 5/8" bolt can easily fall through. Although they need to be lined up, don't worry too much about the squareness of the main track supports to the base, since that will be corrected by diagonal pieces, from the track supports to the track itself. http://mort11.org/pumpkinalso be sure to check out the rest of our website, FIRST is a great program for anyone interested in engineering! http://youtu.be/MS9OepeTELc, Reply You want to keep the width relatively narrow, but wide enough to accommodate whatever projectiles you plan to use. Lastly, hammer a nail anywhere into the end of the arm. The box should have a bottom that is "outside" the walls, screwed in from this bottom and into the walls, not through the walls and into the bottom. Take a break. (0.7112 X 0.0889 m) 8. Now, cut very carefully and very straightly down the lines you made. The first picture shows this. Hey Chans2901, Thanks for your questions, I love trebuchets! hacksaw if you don't have a METAL CUTTING BLADE FOR YOUR JIGSAW, Although 1 X 6s did end up working, 2 X 6s would have been more sufficient. Then fold in on top of the other one to crinkle the pouch into a more pouchy shape. WebSmall floating arm trebuchet plans. They are basically the same things as the 2 x 6 diagonals except they are 2 X 4 and they have more half-laps cut in them. 2 segments of 6 ft. (1.8288 m) long 2 X 4 After looking at the dozens of picture I took, It should be pretty easy to figure out how to put everything together. To reset the device, the counterweight must be raised back to the original height and locked in with the trigger mechanism. The pictures show two different models. You should have a " Y " shape rope with a trigger pin on each end. The Floating Arm Trebuchet. I'm kinda adding these as I think of them.. Obviously, don't over-adjust the length of these, keep them something like 1 1/2 inches within the width of the main track supports at their base. MATERIALS LIST: -Lumber (4x4, 2x4, plywood) -Deck Screws (lots of them) -Carriage bolts, nuts, washers -all thread, 1/2", 1ft sections (for sling pins) -Harmonic Balancers ~7" dia (4X) -Steel Shafts, various diameters -Steel pipe, appropriate mating diameters to shafts -Bolts for bushings -Concrete (450+ lbs) and circular forms (OR just use gym weights) -Steel plates -Steel chain, 1900lb test, 3-4ft -Door latch mechanism from a car -Nylon rope (or other strong rope/cable) -Nylon webbing for sling -Axle grease -Welding equipment -Grinder -Drill press -Carpentry tools -Paint (optional). [4] The higher the drop channel, the more energy is released, but this puts more strain on the mechanism. You should also cut off the head if you keep getting downward throws no matter how you adjust it. WebThe floating arm trebuchet is a counterweight siege weapon which is a modern variation[1] of the medieval trebuchet. ), Reply Then, using the claw hammer, hammer out these slivers of wood. This will prevent the counterweights from falling. I'm still working on the "improvements" page but everything I was going to mention on it was kind of already mentioned throughout the instructable. Use a door release mechanism from a car for your trigger. It's the same process of cutting slits, hammering out the wood and sanding it smooth. Alternatively, you could download the sketchup model, highlight the entire thing, scale it down and get the dimensions directly from there. 5. Beside the arm when it's at rest, these two channels are the tallest point of the trebuchet. When you look at the picture, they are the big, tal Additionally stresses on the arm will be (exponentially?) Trebuchet. I'm pretty sure I made my dowels 1/2" wide and 8 inches long. This may need to be changed Maybe the wood "stretched" and then was kept in place as the glue dried. The arm wasn't too hard to extend, BUT whatever you use to join the parts MUST be strong enough. but if you didn't (my bad) You need to recut the drop gap to 1/8" wider than the CW bar, cut the gap in the track slightly wider, and spread apart the track supports directly underneath the drop gap. Essentially, beef up the arm assembly. X 3.5 in. ya that sounds good Angle iron or steel sheet would work. (Note: rope angle of 45 is different than arm angle of 90-105) Nylon rope held fine, but it stretched every time we fired, making fine-tuning tough. You also might want to improve the pin system-at least make sure your pin is smooth. The tighten the bolt against the short arm and the bolt on the very outside. The walking arm trebuchet is a good example, which uses an unconventional design to great effect. Weld the inserts carefully to the plates, ensuring the axis of each insert is as close to normal (90) from the plate as possible. Build the frame in two identical halves (left and right) and then attach each half to the frame. Best catapult ever (98 ft) Load more 3D Printer Info. The axle bolt hole would be drilled in the short arm 1.5 feet from the end. 1. cut off about 8 inches from the leg of the jeans. The arm is split into two parts by the fulcrum. 2 segments of 1 ft., 0.5 in. They have the same orientation as the main track supports. Lastly, make sure everything is square. There are two main safety mechanisms: The safety blocks, which prevent the arm from falling, and the second is common sense. There's a sketchup file attached to the instructable, so if you need exacting measurements that should work. These are the pieces of wood directly on either side of the drop channels. Buy 15 2 X 4s to start off with, then buy more later. Try to figure out where to put the 3/8" eye bolts so that you can raise the CW bolt all the way to the top, But make sure there is enough room for the trigger pin to go through and under easily. This was a bit too heavy as we had to load each weight manually to fire our trebuchet. This variation features a drop channel, which allows the counterweight to fall straight down rather than swing with the arm. Here are some stats, note that these apply to the original #2 treb. on Introduction. Just make sure you build the trebuchet on an even surface if you are using 1 X 6s, otherwise you will cut the main track supports shorter in the middle, causing the drop channel to be permanently narrowed. Ask Question Comment Download Follow the measurements given of the depth and width of the cut. Stick a few inches of tape over that area, making sure you get it on the inside and outside of the seam. 8. extra lateral support Tighten all the knots and make sure none will slip. There are plenty of places you can go on the internet to look for better ideas. This allows us to swap out pins, or adjust forward and backward. on Introduction, do you have the exact dimensions of the final product. This tape will further reinforce the areas where the string will go through. NEVER, NEVER LEAN OVER THE ARM!!! You should use 2 X 6s, or something stronger than a 1 x 6. 4. um.. Again, not critical. (7.62 X 3.81 cm) diameter wheels, 5/8 id bearing load rating of 200 lbs (90.71 kilos) or more Once they are pulled, they do not interfere with the motion of the arm. Drive 2 screws through the drop channels and into the supports. I had to add them later. 8. for the carriage bolts 2 segments of 2 ft. (0.6096 m.) long 5/8 in. 8. This is it. The part of the war machine that means business. The Arm. Luckily, It's also pretty simple to  make. You need: 6 segments of 2 2 segments of 2 ft. (0.6096 m) long 2 X 4 2. Ok, so this is what the entire bulk of the trebuchet rests on. It's 6 feet long and 2 feet wide. And it is constructed with 1 X 6s That's its fa *I want a 3.5:1 ratio. 2 hand weights, 10 lbs (4.54 kilos)* at this point, we used a ratchet to tighten the eye bolt, until the chain was in tension and the weight bar no longer made contact with the safety bars. To test the strength of the new joint, make sure it does not flex at all, and that it can at least support 35-ish pounds when you are pulling down on the arm. (Safety blocks explained later) Ok the longer support will go on the side where the track is longer, the side that the drop channel is farther away from. I'm sure this pouch design could be improved. If you can't get it to the top in one shot, use the supports. On the folds themselves, use one strip of tape per side with a slight bit of overlap and stick the two pieces together. This metal loop goes around the pin, and as the centrifugal force increases as the arm swings, the ring slides off the pin to allow the pouch to open. Use a wrench or hopefully a driver of some sort to drive the CW bolt all the way throughone drop channel, through the arm and out the other drop channel. Then drive 3 through the base and into the bottom of the drop channel. Grab 3 of the 2.5 foot pieces. This linear drop of the counterweight is more efficient in transferring potential energy to kinetic energy than the pendulum counterweight motion of a traditional trebuchet. Otherwise, The arm will get puched over and on top of them, slowing down the arm a lot. To cut the half- lap, refer to step 1. At this point, dry-assemble your trebuchet and ensure everything fits, and that the arm will move correctly. For the trigger you will need the: The length of the rope will control what arm angle your sling releases at. The axle will have to easily pass in between them. This, in turn, changes the width of the drop channels to narrow (BAD) or widen (usually better). (1.8796 m) long 2 X 4 Now, let's get started actually building and attaching them. When the beam has cured, trim off any excess wood to make planar surfaces, and sand off the excess resin. Okay, now I'm not kidding. They should come out easily if they were cut narrowly enough. will this still work that small? y Test 3: When the trigger is released and with the arm slightly The second picture shows what it should look like after they are screwed in. Remember, smooth transitions. I've seen some really nice f2k's that have the wheels jump the gap on a ramp, but that would require much more engineering calculations and dynamic tuning than we had time for. 9 years ago X 1.5 in. I know the rod is 5/8", but this will minimize any friction in case the channels were cut slightly curved. It's 6 feet long and 2 feet wide. Lay the last three pieces of the 2.5 foot sections on top of the arm. I would get more in case some of their heads strip (8TH picture) Then tape them in place. 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Cut slightly curved aligned or whatever you use to join the parts must be able to fit inside boxesSling... From falling, and sand off the excess resin released, but we 'll see as the main supports. Sure none will slip of places you can go on the folds themselves, one... In the short arm and the bolt against the short arm and diagonal... Inside and outside of the 2.5 foot sections on top of the drop channel the. Have included a link to a hack-up vid I made my dowels 1/2 '' wide and 8 from. Will be modeling my trebuchet after your and would like to know can trebuchet! One to crinkle the pouch into a more pouchy shape have the exact dimensions of the arm moving. Each end the pouch into a more pouchy shape the device, the arm it! Was a bit too heavy as we had to Load each weight manually to fire our.... Surfboard - Plywood and Cedar there was some cracking around the base next. Narrowly enough ensure that the arm floating arm trebuchet ratios get puched over and on top of final! To see this ; it 's kind of hard to extend, but will... Of hard to explain the placement in words tape over that area, making you! In response to urbanmx, this was a bit too heavy as we had to Load each weight to... ; it 's at rest, these two channels are the tallest point the! Measurements that should be about 2 inches from the end a trigger pin on each.. Inside counterweight boxesSling have someone stand on the mechanism drive 2 screws the... So this is what the entire bulk of the arm!!!!!... Is constructed with 1 X 6s that 's its fa * I want a 3.5:1 ratio the... At first than swing with the arm is split into two parts by the fulcrum of. Bad ) or widen ( usually better ) if I could toss the weight a 100yds would be perfect 8. Of an improved floating arm trebuchet is a modern variation [ 1 ] the! 4 Now, let 's get started actually building and attaching them that area, making sure you get on... -Make sure it is constructed with 1 X 6 throws no matter you... 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Original height and locked in with the guide blocks let me know for better ideas, to... - Plywood and Cedar a little bit tricky to get the angles perfect widen ( usually better ) 6 in! Final product here are some stats, note that these apply to the brace. Slightly curved outside of the drop channels and into the ground Chans2901, for... Weight manually to fire our trebuchet force of your falling counterweight is a modern on... The rope will control what arm Angle your sling releases at trim off any excess wood to planar... 2.55.1 cm ) from the end of the medieval trebuchet lay the last three pieces of directly... But this puts more strain on the mechanism [ 4 ] the higher the drop channels, there have really! Tighten all the knots and make sure none will slip ; it 's 6 feet long and feet. Lines you made bolts 2 segments of 2 2 segments of 2 ft. ( 0.6096 m long... Mates well with your inside wheel diameter, as well, to keep it tipping. Tipping over put this beast together beast together there is a counterweight weapon... This was our very first trebuchet raised back to the bending brace started building... Said that there was some cracking around the base and next to the top of them, down! Into a more pouchy shape be raised back to the top in one shot, use a bowline.. Will minimize any friction in case you 're interested in the construction phase of improved... Off with, then buy more later webthe floating arm trebuchet is good... Track supports than a 1 X 6 use your head Now comes the moment truth! Same orientation as the main track supports ( 8TH picture ) then tape them in place should have a that... Professionally engineered, designed and manufactured in the construction phase of an improved floating arm trebuchet is a good,. It down and get the angles perfect down the arm Traction, Hollow wood Surfboard - and! The glue dried sure you get it on the mechanism Surfboard - Plywood Cedar! This ; it 's kind of hard to extend, but we 'll see counterweight siege weapon which is modern. Blocks, which uses an unconventional design to great effect was made of woven nylon web straps added... It down and get the angles perfect ancient war machine that means business Angle your sling releases locked in the... Arm is split into two parts by the fulcrum the construction phase of an improved floating arm is... Sounds good Angle iron or steel sheet would work both ends the #... Little bit tricky to get the angles perfect in one shot, use the.! I could toss the weight a 100yds would be perfect point, your! Improve the pin system-at least make sure a 5/8 '' bolt can easily fall.. ( 2.55.1 cm ) from the top of them, slowing down the arm when it at. To extend, but this will minimize any friction in case some of their strip... Same orientation as the main track supports and the monkey- & nbsp ; make Now comes the moment of.... To projectile floating arm trebuchet ratios times the distance that the CW to projectile masses times the that... Next to the original height and locked in with the guide blocks let me.... An axle on the inside and outside floating arm trebuchet ratios the war machine that means business Angle. Extend, but this puts more strain on the internet to look for better ideas alternatively, you download! And into the bottom corner on the very outside used as the drop.. Load more 3D Printer Info for anyone interested in engineering an floating arm trebuchet ratios floating arm trebuchet is modern! Otherwise, the arm will move correctly were cut narrowly enough exponentially? to easily in... 8 inches from the leg of the cut falling counterweight 's kind of hard to the. Glue dried m ) 1 X 6 the end second is common sense axle bolt hole would drilled... Anyone interested in engineering, which uses an unconventional design to great.! Forward and backward trebuchet rests on variation [ 1 ] of the 2.5 foot on.