Play Catapult

Harvest festivals are a big draw for communities during the Fall season every year. Families get together and celebrate the colorful time of year by putting their focus on arts, crafts, live entertainment and food. A variety of games and activities take place at these festivals and one that usually gets a solid response is the pumpkin catapult. Participants get a chance to compete to see how far they can get a pumpkin to fly. Building a catapult can be done with a bit of skill and elbow grease.

Instructions

1 Position the two 2 x 4 pieces of wood together on top of one other. Draw a line halfway across the bottom board. Situate the top board so that its end sits flat across the line.
2 Position a heavy-duty door hinge in the space between the boards Pressing the hinge against the end of one of the boards and the top of the second board. Mark the spot so that you can later drill screw holes to attach the hinge.
3 Drill a wood screw part way into each mark that you have made to prep the wood for the final attachment of the hinge. Remove the wood screws and position the hinge over the holes that now exist. Attach the hinge to the boards. Connect the two boards so they stand at an "L" shape when set upright.
4 Drill a hole at the center of the top board four inches from the top to place a hook. Drill another hole at the center of the bottom board four inches from the bottom between the end of the board and the top board for another hook. Insert the hooks into both holes. Tighten the hooks by hand until firm. Avoid tightening too much because you do not want to strip the holes. Secure the hooks so that they are as secure as possible.
5 Create a concave curve in the center of the three-foot long 3x3 board in which you can place a pumpkin. Use sandpaper and a power sander to create the concave. Place a series of pumpkins of different sizes on the board to determine the depth at which you need to make the concave. Focus on making the depth of the concave to be able to cradle the pumpkin.
6 Arrange the board with the concave on top of the board at the end that sits opposite the hinge. Drill through the center into the second board until it is secure.
7 Attach a 10- to 16-inch long rubber strap that is at least two inches wide and equipped with metal ends around each of the hooks. Use the type of rubber straps with metal ends that you would use to secure cargo in a vehicle.
8 Place a heavy object such as a solid concrete block to the front and rear of the catapult or attach the ends to the ground by placing metal stakes through them and hammering the stakes into hard ground.
9 Load a pumpkin onto the board with the concave and pull back on the launch board as hard as possible to get the rubber straps to stretch as far as possible. The farther back you pull, the farther that your pumpkin will launch into the air. Aim your pumpkin at a target made with a large paper bulls-eye attached to a hay bale and launch the pumpkin into the air.

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