DIY Trebuchet

A trebuchet is a medieval siege weapon used to sling large projectiles like rocks to destroy fortifications. Think of it as a more advanced sling to shoot large rocks.

In this Instructables, I will show how can one build a trebuchet using salvaged and discarded materials. I opted this way because I truly believe in reusing materials to help save the environment.

Some materials that I used:

1. standard construction pine wood (it is very easy to find and it is often used to make pallets. So I chose disassemble one and use some of its wood).
2. screws (although nails could work).
3. PVC pipes.
4. 1 metal rod.
5. 1 old piece of rags.
6. 1 roll of string.
7. heavy duty angle-brackets.

Tools that I used

1. 1 scissors.
2. tape.
3. drill.
4. impact driver.
5. safety glasses (You should wear them at all times while working with machinery).

In case, I would recommend:

1. 1 hand-held saw (to cut wood if you need to. For my scenario, i did not require).
2. 1 hand-held circular saw (with a special metal-cutting blade to shorten the metal rod. You can also get a blade to cut a PVC pipe if you wish to make the throwing arm shorter).

I started by sketching how was I going to build the trebuchet. I labelled individual parts.

First, I started by building the basic structure where the arms of the trebuchet will be attached to. I used two similar pieces of wood and placed them parallel to each other. In the middle, I placed a wooden block to connect both pieces.

To ensure they stay together I used the drill to make a hole for the screws, and then I used the impact driver to place the screw in.

You can also use nails and a hammer if you lack the expertise in using these machines.

The next steps is to build the arms.

To complete this step, I used some thinner pieces of wood I found and I attached them to the outer-side of each side of the trebuchet. They would meet each other around the mid-point, forming an equilateral triangle. In this mid-point is where I would make a hole to place a metal rod on to connect the left and the right side and to have a movable piece for which the trebuchet could launch its projectile.

To build the throwing arm, I first started by drilling a hole in the arm which divided it into two sides:

1. the longer side (around 3/4 of the tube will be the side with the sling)
2. the shorter side (around 1/4 of the tube will be the side of the weights, which in this case are heavy-duty angle brackets)

In the end of the longer side, I made some tiny holes to pass string through. That way, I attached the sling to ensure it would not disconnect. I used tape to make the walls of the sling more solid.

In contrast, to ensure that the heavy-duty angle brackets would not move on the shorter side, I placed 2 screws which stop them from moving from their position.

The final step is to test the trebuchet. Personally, to ensure I could test it with its maximum strength, I chose to test it outside on an empty road. I chose to launch a small plastic ball which traveled quite far.