Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Medieval Trebuchet
Medieval siege engines called trebuchets were built outside the walls of castles and used to launch large boulders at the castle walls. They use a heavy counterweight to give a substantial thrust to the object in the sling. Small trebuchets can be built in a few hours with household materials and can hurl objects 30 feet. Larger ones can be built in the same way on a grander scale.
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Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- Saw
- Screwdriver
- Needle-nose pliers
- Wood glue
- File
- Scissors
- Drill and bits
- Sandpaper
- Metal cutters
- Counterweight
- Small screws
- Small nails
- 2 eyehooks
- Wire or bread ties
- Electrical tape
- 3 feet of string
- One 6-inch piece of cloth
- Metal bar
- Wood
Instructions
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Cut wood into one 16-inch piece to be used as the swing arm; two 12-inch pieces for long base pieces; two 10-inch pieces for uprights; and three 5-inch pieces for base cross pieces. All pieces should be 1 inch wide. Cut triangle support pieces by first cutting a wooden square 5-by-5 inches. Use a saw to cut them on the diagonal.
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2
Mark one 12-inch wood piece 3 inches from the left end. Lay it horizontally and place the 10-inch wood piece vertically at the mark. Place one of the triangles with its 90-degree angle lined up to the angle made by the vertical and horizonatal pieces, its sides flush against the outside edge of both pieces. Glue it in place and secure it with nails or screws. Repeat this process for the other side, creating a mirror-image copy.
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3
To assemble the main frame and base, begin by nailing crosspieces to the finished sides. Stand up the two side pieces with the triangles facing out. Nail the 5-inch cross pieces onto the side pieces to attach them. Drill a hole through both vertical pieces, 1 inch from the top. The hole must be large enough to fit the metal cross piece through it. Be sure it is strong enough to support the counterweight while swinging.
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4
To assemble the swinging arm, insert a hoop hook in one end of the 16-inch wood piece. Make a mark three inches from the end, one four inches from the end, and one at 5 inches. Drill holes through each of these marks, slightly bigger than the metal bar. Insert another hook loop into the other end and drive a nail at an angle into the end of the wood piece. File down the nail's head so that a loop can slide off it easily. Slide the metal bar through one of the vertical pieces, through the swing arm and then through the other vertical piece.
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5
Make a counterweight using a heavy object such as a Chinese healing ball, a heavy rock or several batteries taped together. The counterweight should not be larger than a tennis ball. Use tape, wire or twist ties to make a loop around the counterweight. Insert a second piece through this loop and through the loop on the swing arm. Twist it firmly.
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6
Cut two lengths of string, 18 inches each. Fold the cloth in half and tie a string on each end, forming a pouch. Attach a metal ring at the end of one string. The ring can be made from a key ring or wire from a spiral-bound notebook. Hook the metal ring onto the angled nail on the trebuchet arm. It will slide off as the arm projects forward, opening the pouch and releasing anything in the pouch. Use small clay balls, grapes or anything else around that size, depending on the target.
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Tips & Warnings
A trebuchet can launch objects forcefully at considerable distances, so be careful what you aim it at.
References
Resources
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