Back in easter, to liven up the egg destruction a little, we build a trebuchet out of bits and pieces we had lying around in the garage. The ‘basket’ was a mesh bag onions came in. No two screws were the same. The uprights were made of floor.
We experimented with different weight of arms, and with dropped weights instead of bungee as propellent. We broke the arm in the video below – so upgraded to a bit of 4 by 2.
The most important factor, clearly, was the name. Was it a trEGGuchet? No – it was the Mighty Trebooshet.
Here is test launch five. Robin did enjoy it – honest – despite his squeeky grumbles on the video.
Top tip if you’re thinking about building a treb is to keep your head out of the way. That arm hurts even when it’s unladen. Also – trebuchet and three year olds are a dangerous mix. Keep a hold of those little people at all times. And dismantle the treb when you arent using it. I had a quick release pivot point to collapse the arm quickly.
Steven Milne 