@AntLyon Actually i'm the one in charge of the lawn/yard care in my family. I have a small business providing such services commercially. I have to say the yard was looking pretty nice when this was filmed :D
It's funny, because while grappling with my current midlife crisis, I decided to build my own medieval-England-style torsion catapult. It's a hell of a way to get out of a rut, I'm sitting on five acres of land and there's a lumber yard right around the corner, so why not? So I got online to figure out how to build it, and it turns out that I'm not the first guy out there to decide, "Hey, I'm gonna build a catapult!" Not even close. :-p The trebuchet-style sling is a nice touch for giving your catapult longer range, but I think I'll go with the traditional fixed spoon or basket; it's more durable, it'll last longer and it can launch bigger, heavier loads as well as liquid loads. I won't be launching any burning pitch or dead plague victims across my backyard, of course, but man...I friggin' well could. Once it's built, of course. Maybe I'll make a video of the construction process and the virgin launch. Wish me luck. :)
Christian Arreguin Every rose has its thorn, I'm afraid. But I could probably fish an expired beef brisket out of the dumpsters behind the local Brookshire's and chuck that instead. Would you like that? :) James Zandstra Regretably, not yet; my present unemployment dictates that I keep my spending to a minimum until I get a new job. After that happens, though, we'll see about that catapult in my backyard. It promises to be glorious. :)
BloodyBay I got about $250,000 in heavy pine timbers and feeling bored. Most of it is old ship wood I salvaged from old rail depots being demolished. So the bulk of the2x10/12's, 10x10's and 12x12's are european yew... though I do got a lot of eastern white pine too. My uncle owns a mill up the road and getting hickory is easy for bows. I know where to get some Osage orange too. I was thinking tension to torsion style. Maybe 16' long base frame.... Could go up to 24' base frame.... Ehh if you lived fairly close I'd say, come on over and see if can either die or break some bones building and tensioning one. I got about a semi load of redwood telephone poles too.... I got pretty much everything. Need some steel and a few tools I imagine.... I also got 3 semi loads of 1 ton plus granite boulders...... Oh the trouble we could get into....
It is not always necessary, the friction of the tension rods on the wood is sometimes enough to hold it. If they do slip, I found a way to overcome this by drilling holes into the wood in a circular pattern around the tension rods. Insert a bolt into any of these holes to stop the rod from spinning.
Dude that thing is awesome! I built something very similar a few years ago, but mine was much weaker. Still great for firing water ballons though. You gotta try that. Fill up a condom with water (regular baloons tend to break when you apply too much force) or use small baloons....
Actually its just typical home depot 1/2" nylon rope. I think it was about 50 feet total but i cannot remember. This is actually a somewhat inefficient catapult because it was constructed as an extra credit project out of some old rotten wood laying around. I am planning on constructing a new one complete with a 12v truck winch to crank the arm for me so i dont kill myself!
@attackofthehog Nothing, which was a bad idea. As a result it dug very deep grooves into the wood and really tore it up. I would suggest reinforcing that area with a respectably sized steel plate.
you schould consider adjusting the angle the sling releases, your shots are to high that takes alot of range and the adding of a winch to pull the arm down would also reduche the risk of injury also you cann combine the rope of the winch with the trigger
This was all made out of 2x6's and 2x4's As you can see in the close-ups near the beginning of the video, the arm is a reinforced 2x4 and the frame is made of 2x6's with 2x4's laid above and below to reinforce. Hope this helps
What about a system similar to my catapult in this video? It consists of 3 "eye bolts" of a decent size mounted in line with a bolt run through them. 2 of them screwed into the base of the catapult, 1 into the arm. The tension from the arm will hold the bolt in place until you give it a yank'
Were trying to make such a torsion catapult for a school project. Got the wood in place, the torsion is working ok, were only just wondering what is best to use as release mechanism (gotta be quick, strong, possible to fasten etc) Any suggestions? And maybe other things you found worked well? Would appreciate your help, oh catapult expert! :)
@nerf986 It really depends on your requirements/purposes such as what kind of projectile you want to fire and how far. As a generalization, torsional catapults like this are good for lighter objects, but can throw them relatively fast. Gravity catapults (like trebuchets or something that uses a really heavy weight) are good for throwing really heavy objects that dont need to go quite as fast.
@LegoScout09 I'm not sure, i know it was 1/2" rope, and i think it was about 50'. The frame was about 3.5' wide, so 50/3.5=14.285so about 14 times. Really you want to just wrap as many times as you can fit.
@nerf986 In my opinion trebuchets are funner to build and tinker with, but they are also a lot more complicated to built. Onagers are simpler to make, but there really isn't many ways to adjust one without taking it apart. If you want to build the trebuchet I would personally recommend you make it no higher than 15 feet tall with a 500-600lb counterweight, but not much smaller than 10ft tall, at least for your first one.
I made it out of scrap wood from a fort that I disassembled. So it was free to me. To buy the materials (rope, wood, fasteners, hardware) would probably cost about $100-$125
question..iam making a huge version the base is 2m by 3.5m and iam using 1 1/2" rope but what did you use to stop the tention rods from spinning back and loosing the rope....please tell me i will put up a video of it and credit it to you.....
how far did the bascetball launch, my school is having a pumpkin fling competition and my team and i need sime help, please give some instructions if you can
@CjStudiosInc it is mainly 2x6's and 2x4's. The wood i used was somewhat rotten and as a result it could not take a lot of torque. Theoretically, the distance you can throw an object is only limited by how much torsional force you can put on the ropes. If you construct a device similar to what i build, only out of fresh wood, with a longer metal rod you could put a lot of force on it.
can you please suggest me that what should i use as the throwing part? like you have used ropes in yours. should it be something rigid or flexible or like you used for more distance. suggest something we have to make this as a project in our college.
@nerf986 The last thing to remember is support, I cannot stress how important this is! See to it that all of the joints are well secured, and support the crap out of the thing. Believe me, it is no fun at all when your trebuchet topples to the ground (I have had this happen and it was not pleasant) Good luck with what ever you build! and if you ever need help send me a message, I just might be able to solve the problem.
how many times do you wrap something of this size? im made a catapult with an arm about 4.5 feet long and am not sure about the torsion part of it. and btw NICE JOB!!
@CjStudiosInc Sorry, i dont have plans drawn up. The dimensions of the catapult in this video are 3 feet wide by 8 feet long (the base). The base was constructed with 2x6's, the sides of the bases were doubled 8ft long 2x6's. You will need to drill large holes (3 or 4 inch) through those doubled 2x6's to string the ropes through, i recommend reinforcing the areas where the holes are drilled. Also, wedge a good sized piece of wood next to the ropes to keep the sides from caving in from the force.
What was the distance where everything was landing? I want to build a portable one to take to the beach and launch big baits up to at least 10 pounds for shark fishing
Wow, i cant believe people still watch this thing after 3 years. Thanks for your interest! Mine was fairly low power and inefficient as it was made entirely out of scrap (rotten) wood. Heavy projectiles would go a hundred feet or so. Seeing as this one was so poorly construction, I am certain that better result could be achieved with better design and materials
@LegoScout09 I no longer have this cannon because i was once trying to push its limits and it snapped in half due to the extreme torque. As for most of the questions about dimension and stuff: From looking at the footage your guess is as good as mine. If you look at the footage near the beginning it should be easy to make good judgements.
You look like you're going to slip and get your face ripped off when you're hanging on it to load the firing arm. Be careful dude. Good work all around though. :)
j fait une catapulte ( TRIPLE PUISSANCE ) pour l école il y a trois élastiques (extras) d'où le nom Triple Puissance dont un mécanisme qui était dans cette vidéo. ma catapulte mesure 50 cm de long et g battu le record de l'école!!! bientôt je ferai une vidéo!!!Avec une démonstration...A+
@danielaalaniss By looking at the video, and the other comments i responded too, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out the general design and layout. There is nothing sacred about the dimensions i used. Feel free to use my video and design as a general guidline, but i recommend you evaluate what you are looking to get out of it and come up with a design to suit your personal needs.
probably the best catapult on you tube I've seen that is practical.
Dog: "Mega Tennis Ball thrower? He is legend."
Best. Extra. Credit. Project. Ever.
You need to make a different way to pull the arm back or I see missing teeth soon
but the question everybody's thinking is.... can it throw a ROCK the size of a basketball?
Well... it looks like it could if you don't mind making your neighbor angry at you and calling the police 😂
I was actually envisioning politicians.
@@apexeyecare5075 that's much better. XD
Lol this guy must be a Awsome neighbor
I bet your neighbors are like, "stop shooting shit in to my yard!" lol. nice vid.
The neighbors hate this kid.
thanks...i kinda had this in mind but now that you sead it i know its right il give it a go and send you the video..........
I wouldn't want to be his neighbor! C:
@AntLyon Actually i'm the one in charge of the lawn/yard care in my family. I have a small business providing such services commercially. I have to say the yard was looking pretty nice when this was filmed :D
I had forgotten about the catapult Mr Johnston had! He was convinced you built that thing!
It's funny, because while grappling with my current midlife crisis, I decided to build my own medieval-England-style torsion catapult. It's a hell of a way to get out of a rut, I'm sitting on five acres of land and there's a lumber yard right around the corner, so why not? So I got online to figure out how to build it, and it turns out that I'm not the first guy out there to decide, "Hey, I'm gonna build a catapult!" Not even close. :-p
The trebuchet-style sling is a nice touch for giving your catapult longer range, but I think I'll go with the traditional fixed spoon or basket; it's more durable, it'll last longer and it can launch bigger, heavier loads as well as liquid loads. I won't be launching any burning pitch or dead plague victims across my backyard, of course, but man...I friggin' well could. Once it's built, of course.
Maybe I'll make a video of the construction process and the virgin launch. Wish me luck. :)
awww man no dead plague victims :(
Just curious, did you ever end up making the catapult?
Christian Arreguin Every rose has its thorn, I'm afraid. But I could probably fish an expired beef brisket out of the dumpsters behind the local Brookshire's and chuck that instead. Would you like that? :)
James Zandstra Regretably, not yet; my present unemployment dictates that I keep my spending to a minimum until I get a new job. After that happens, though, we'll see about that catapult in my backyard. It promises to be glorious. :)
BloodyBay I got about $250,000 in heavy pine timbers and feeling bored. Most of it is old ship wood I salvaged from old rail depots being demolished. So the bulk of the2x10/12's, 10x10's and 12x12's are european yew... though I do got a lot of eastern white pine too. My uncle owns a mill up the road and getting hickory is easy for bows. I know where to get some Osage orange too. I was thinking tension to torsion style. Maybe 16' long base frame.... Could go up to 24' base frame.... Ehh if you lived fairly close I'd say, come on over and see if can either die or break some bones building and tensioning one. I got about a semi load of redwood telephone poles too.... I got pretty much everything. Need some steel and a few tools I imagine....
I also got 3 semi loads of 1 ton plus granite boulders...... Oh the trouble we could get into....
It is not always necessary, the friction of the tension rods on the wood is sometimes enough to hold it. If they do slip, I found a way to overcome this by drilling holes into the wood in a circular pattern around the tension rods. Insert a bolt into any of these holes to stop the rod from spinning.
Hi! I was wondering what you used to keep the rope tied to, We used metal rods and when we tried to increase the tension they break
best dog toy ever
Nice backyard :D
this is why everybody needs a nerdy friend. lol
@TheCatapults Um, it involved a surplus of partially rotten wood, a box of screws, some rope, and a lot of free time. haha.
Tell your dad I said, "Nice Yard!"
Dude that thing is awesome!
I built something very similar a few years ago, but mine was much weaker. Still great for firing water ballons though. You gotta try that. Fill up a condom with water (regular baloons tend to break when you apply too much force) or use small baloons....
Duuude....your neighbours have gotta be getting nervous.
Actually its just typical home depot 1/2" nylon rope. I think it was about 50 feet total but i cannot remember. This is actually a somewhat inefficient catapult because it was constructed as an extra credit project out of some old rotten wood laying around. I am planning on constructing a new one complete with a 12v truck winch to crank the arm for me so i dont kill myself!
@attackofthehog Nothing, which was a bad idea. As a result it dug very deep grooves into the wood and really tore it up. I would suggest reinforcing that area with a respectably sized steel plate.
it's a nice one. i suggest you to stay away from the throwing rod when it is in action and be careful when you are pulling it back.
That's pretty cool man
you schould consider adjusting the angle the sling releases, your shots are to high that takes alot of range
and the adding of a winch to pull the arm down would also reduche the risk of injury
also you cann combine the rope of the winch with the trigger
Vietnam veteran neighbor sees a siege engine firing towards his house. Return fire!!!!
The ultimate dog toy
2:35 *loud scream* "TIIIIIIIM!!!!"
Lukeeiiee Mangonels and torsion catapults are the same thing. So yes.
This was all made out of 2x6's and 2x4's As you can see in the close-ups near the beginning of the video, the arm is a reinforced 2x4 and the frame is made of 2x6's with 2x4's laid above and below to reinforce. Hope this helps
@MrSmokeythedragon And a lot of work by the way. Keeping it green is almost impossible in the missouri heat.
a longer sling and a winch would make this shoot farther and much safer. bringing it down by hand like that is a good way to lose some teeth.
What about a system similar to my catapult in this video? It consists of 3 "eye bolts" of a decent size mounted in line with a bolt run through them. 2 of them screwed into the base of the catapult, 1 into the arm. The tension from the arm will hold the bolt in place until you give it a yank'
you should probably use a pulley system to bring the arm doing, that's what i'm doing on my catapult.
should put a shock proof camera in the sling and fire it whilst recording.
WoW!
I liked it so much. How much you pay for it
I think you should try perforate that closest end of swining wood arm with a drill in order to lower its weight.
sorta a trebuchet firing sling type thing with a torsion feel
Might want to replace the sling with leather or thick rubber
@nerf986 the basic frame is approximately 8'x3'. The swing arm is 6ft long and it is wrapped with 1/2" nylon rope.
dude sick!
Nice catapult bro !
Were trying to make such a torsion catapult for a school project. Got the wood in place, the torsion is working ok, were only just wondering what is best to use as release mechanism (gotta be quick, strong, possible to fasten etc) Any suggestions? And maybe other things you found worked well? Would appreciate your help, oh catapult expert! :)
@nerf986 It really depends on your requirements/purposes such as what kind of projectile you want to fire and how far. As a generalization, torsional catapults like this are good for lighter objects, but can throw them relatively fast. Gravity catapults (like trebuchets or something that uses a really heavy weight) are good for throwing really heavy objects that dont need to go quite as fast.
I have to make a torsion catapult for my final science project. Please send links that could help me out please :))))
lol do you live on a golf course?
I love the catapult though :)
What kind of rope did you use for torsion? IIRC the original siege weapons used sinew, but these days you can't buy fresh animal sinew off the shelf.
Hello
I am Brazilian, I would build a catapult here too.You could write down the steps of her?plese.
what would be the best angle for the release pin on top of the arm..and how do you distiguish how long the sling should be....
@LegoScout09 I'm not sure, i know it was 1/2" rope, and i think it was about 50'. The frame was about 3.5' wide, so 50/3.5=14.285so about 14 times. Really you want to just wrap as many times as you can fit.
@m5burndt be sure to post a video when you have it made :D
@nerf986 In my opinion trebuchets are funner to build and tinker with, but they are also a lot more complicated to built. Onagers are simpler to make, but there really isn't many ways to adjust one without taking it apart. If you want to build the trebuchet I would personally recommend you make it no higher than 15 feet tall with a 500-600lb counterweight, but not much smaller than 10ft tall, at least for your first one.
I want to build one that can launch a fridge. Can't find help anywhere!
I made it out of scrap wood from a fort that I disassembled. So it was free to me. To buy the materials (rope, wood, fasteners, hardware) would probably cost about $100-$125
awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
question..iam making a huge version the base is 2m by 3.5m and iam using 1 1/2" rope but what did you use to stop the tention rods from spinning back and loosing the rope....please tell me i will put up a video of it and credit it to you.....
how far did the bascetball launch, my school is having a pumpkin fling competition and my team and i need sime help, please give some instructions if you can
EMM ,,, CAN YOU TELL MI PLISSS ALL THE STEPS YOU TOOK TO MAKE IT ... i NEED TO DO ONE TOO .... PLISSS :)
can I mention this invention in my top 5 home made invention video
@CjStudiosInc it is mainly 2x6's and 2x4's. The wood i used was somewhat rotten and as a result it could not take a lot of torque. Theoretically, the distance you can throw an object is only limited by how much torsional force you can put on the ropes. If you construct a device similar to what i build, only out of fresh wood, with a longer metal rod you could put a lot of force on it.
@m5burndt It sure was! Nice work!
can you please suggest me that what should i use as the throwing part? like you have used ropes in yours. should it be something rigid or flexible or like you used for more distance. suggest something we have to make this as a project in our college.
Just wondering if you had any plans that I could follow to build this catapult??
nice
@wishcraft4u2 not in a neighborhood anyway, but in a big open field it would be sweet, as would flaming projectiles :D
@nerf986 The last thing to remember is support, I cannot stress how important this is! See to it that all of the joints are well secured, and support the crap out of the thing. Believe me, it is no fun at all when your trebuchet topples to the ground (I have had this happen and it was not pleasant) Good luck with what ever you build! and if you ever need help send me a message, I just might be able to solve the problem.
Whow I wouldnt throw bricks with that thing man... That's not safe!!!
Im serious.
how dod you figure out how to build this? my school is having a competition and i need to find a design that actually works
how many times do you wrap something of this size? im made a catapult with an arm about 4.5 feet long and am not sure about the torsion part of it. and btw NICE JOB!!
@CjStudiosInc Sorry, i dont have plans drawn up. The dimensions of the catapult in this video are 3 feet wide by 8 feet long (the base). The base was constructed with 2x6's, the sides of the bases were doubled 8ft long 2x6's. You will need to drill large holes (3 or 4 inch) through those doubled 2x6's to string the ropes through, i recommend reinforcing the areas where the holes are drilled. Also, wedge a good sized piece of wood next to the ropes to keep the sides from caving in from the force.
Do you have a tutorial of the torsion fulcrum
Could you make a video on how you build the catapult I would like to make a similar one?
coool story bro
Hi, where do you learn how to build a torsion catapult as the yours?
super thanks
How do u keep the ropes from unraveling?
If i remember correctly, It was around 50ft, so somewhere about 15m
As i said, the problem can be alleviated by the addition of some steel reinforcement on around the area. But what did you come up with?
What was the distance where everything was landing?
I want to build a portable one to take to the beach and launch big baits up to at least 10 pounds for shark fishing
Wow, i cant believe people still watch this thing after 3 years. Thanks for your interest! Mine was fairly low power and inefficient as it was made entirely out of scrap (rotten) wood. Heavy projectiles would go a hundred feet or so. Seeing as this one was so poorly construction, I am certain that better result could be achieved with better design and materials
James Zandstra you built a sick mangonel. A lot of people are using it as a reference for physics projects.
James Zandstra heck yeah dude, this thing is freakin sweet!!
I gotta admit though....the T-shirt is my favorite, lol
when u loaded it I could picture u slipping and the arm coming back up and taken ur face off,lol...pretty sweet though
Is it one thick rope or lots of thin ropes layered?
What did you use to keep the rods holding your rope from digging into he wood?
@wishcraft4u2 Yeah, i'm pretty sure most heavy objects flung from this thing have the potential to do some damage.
How much rope did you use to create the power?
will that launch peter griffin? That is the question.
If you were going to sell that, what would you sell it for?
@LegoScout09 I no longer have this cannon because i was once trying to push its limits and it snapped in half due to the extreme torque. As for most of the questions about dimension and stuff: From looking at the footage your guess is as good as mine. If you look at the footage near the beginning it should be easy to make good judgements.
how do you do that the ball does not get stuck in the bag?
You look like you're going to slip and get your face ripped off when you're hanging on it to load the firing arm. Be careful dude. Good work all around though. :)
j fait une catapulte ( TRIPLE PUISSANCE ) pour l école il y a trois élastiques (extras) d'où le nom Triple Puissance dont un mécanisme qui était dans cette vidéo. ma catapulte mesure 50 cm de long et g battu le record de l'école!!! bientôt je ferai une vidéo!!!Avec une démonstration...A+
@danielaalaniss By looking at the video, and the other comments i responded too, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out the general design and layout. There is nothing sacred about the dimensions i used. Feel free to use my video and design as a general guidline, but i recommend you evaluate what you are looking to get out of it and come up with a design to suit your personal needs.
about how many times did you wrap the ropes?
Im making a replica for this for my physics project. What're the exact measurements of the wood you used?
What did you base your design off of?
Can we buy this for our physics project
cool
@CjStudiosInc Other than that, i think you should be able to get a good idea of how it works by looking at the video.
Do you have blueprints or a schematic?
Lol medieval engineers?