Trebuchet or Onager

[dubliner]

I have to help my son make a "simple machine" for school and I wondered if anyone had plans for such a device before I make it & then you tell me you have a cut file for one. The Vac table is on hold - I have to make a weapon :-) TIA Neville

[jamesgilliam]

Neville, I checked my saved sites for one that I had saved that had plan for one, but alas it is not there anymore. Have you tried a google search? I just did and there are lots of sites shown, but I don't have time to go through all of them.

[jamesgilliam]

Just did a search for free plans, here is one of the links

http://www.ripcord.ws/plans/plans.html

[srwtlc]

Neville,

I built a couple of these several years ago. They work great. I could sling cherry tomatoes 50 - 70 feet. The bucket is filled with old wheel weights.

I think it was from an American Woodworking magazine. If you would like, I can dig it up.

It was pre-ShopBot so no files. It wouldn't really require the Bot anyway.

Scott


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[ernie_balch]

I built a big one years ago. It used a 55 gal drum filled with 210 lbs of sand for the weight. It would throw a 12 lb pumpkin about a hundred yards.

I have a simulation program around here somewhere.

ernie

[srwtlc]

Ernie, I'd love to see that! I've been wanting to build a garden size treb for years, but just haven't had the time.

Scott

[wiese]

Neville,

I have my students design, cut on the ShopBot, and assemble a small treb in one of my classes. I have the cut files for one that can be cut from a 24'X48" piece of 3/4" plywood. It will throw a golf ball about 100 feet using 10Kg of counterweight. Let me know if you are interested.

[wiese]

I found a couple pictures of the trebuchet.

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[ernie_balch]

I'm still looking for photos of the one we built. It was 12 years ago. Imagine a home built race car trailer with part of the tire rack removed to mount a laminated 12 foot long beam. To power it I hung a 55 gal. drum half filled with sand. It took 2 or 3 people to get it set for each shot. It threw pumpkins out of site upwards and about 100 yards outward.

ernie

[myxpykalix]

ernie you were born about 800 years too late i think!

[zeykr]

Jay, I think it'd be fun to build one for the kids if you'd share the files.

Thanks

[wiese]

Those who requested the treb files should have email. Let me know if you didn't receive the files.

[toddmaci]

Jay,
Could I get a file as well?

Thanks,

Todd

[handh]

Jay,

If you would send me a copy of the file. This would be a great project for my nephew.

Thanks,
Jeff

[wiese]

Todd and Jeff, you have mail.

If anyone is interested, the program that we used to design our trebuchets can be found at http://www.rlt.com/trebuchet/sim/