Play Catapult

You might need a catapult to destroy the action figures you've fortified in a Lincoln Log castle, or to lighten the mood during a late day at the office by lobbing paper clips into a friend's cubicle. Whatever the reason, they are easy to make using tools you've more than likely got lying around the house.

Instructions

1 Make a rectangle measuring 10 inches by 4 inches using two long and two shorter wood strips. Hammer a nail into each of the rectangle's four corners, going through one strip of wood and into the other. This will form the base of the catapult.
2 Make a 3-sided square with 4-inch strips of wood. Nail the two corners together.
3 Raise the three-sided square vertically from the catapult's horizontal base. With the missing side facing down against the catapult's base, nail the 4-inch vertical sides into the horizontal base 3 inches from the base's corners. Ultimately, this vertical structure will stop the catapult's arm.
4 Place a 5-inch strip of wood diagonally between the catapult's base and the top side of the vertical arm-stop. This strip of wood should be nailed to the midpoint of the 4-inch side of the base, 3 inches from the arm-stop uprights. Nail the other end of the diagonal strip to the midpoint of the arm-stop crossbar. This will strengthen the arm-stop so it won't fall over when hit by the moving arm. If you look at the catapult from the side, you should now have a right triangle with a 3-inch horizontal bottom, a 4-inch vertical height and a 5-inch diagonal hypotenuse.
5 Drill a hole through the remaining 10-inch strip of wood. This will be the catapult's arm. This hole should be larger than the diameter of the 5-inch screw so that the arm can rotate freely around the screw. The hole should be 1 inch from the tip of the strip.
6 Screw the 5-inch screw through one of the arm-stop's uprights. This should be done 1.5 inches from the catapult's base. Then run the screw through the hole in the catapult's arm and continue to drive the screw into the other upright. You should now have a base, an arm-stop and an arm that pivots.
7 Nail a small cup to the tip of the catapult's arm.
8 Screw a wire eye lag (a.k.a screw eye) into the base of the catapult just below diagonal arm-stop support. Screw your other wire eye lag into the side of the arm that will hit the arm-stop. Screw this lag in just below the cup.
9 Run a rubber band from one wire eye lag over the arm-stop to the other wire eye lag. The rubber band should be small enough that it forces the arm to stand upright.
10 Insert a projectile into the cup. Pull the arm back from the arm-stop until it rests horizontally against the base of the catapult. Release the arm and the rubber band should snap it upward, into the arm-stop, and fling your projectile out of the cup.

---

• 

  How To Do Perfect Vacuum Resin Infusion of a Carbon Fibre (Fiber ...

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=VodfQcrXpxc
  Video guide to accompany our http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/resin... - This practical guide explains exactly how to use the Resin Infusion technique to ...
• 

  How to Make a Static Electricity GeneratorShock Anything and ...

  nighthawkinlight.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-static-electricity...
  How to Make Clean Burning and Inexpensive Hydrogen Gas at Home; How to Turn Empty Water Bottles into Alcohol-Fueled Rockets; How to Make Exploding Targets for Airsoft ...
• 

  How to build a catapult - StormTheCastle.com

  www.stormthecastle.com/catapult/how-to-build-a-catapult.htm
  How to build a catapult. Build the Table-Top Troll Catapult with easy instructions, pictures and about 2 hours of time.
• 

  How to Build A Trebuchet - StormTheCastle.com

  www.stormthecastle.com/trebuchet/how-to-build-a-trebuchet.htm
  How to Build a Trebuchet - Make the Little Dragon. A complete and free tutorial on making this 12 inch table top trebuchet.
• 

  How to Make Your Vagina Taste Awesome - Jezebel - Celebrity, Sex ...

  jezebel.com/5915592
  Ever since I've been old enough to sneak copies of Teen Magazine at the middle school library, I've known that vaginas (sorry, "down theres") are mysterious ...
• 

  Sewing - How To Information eHow

  www.ehow.com Hobbies, Games & Toys Crafts
  Don't just sit there scratching your head, find useful info on Sewing on eHow. Get essential tips and learn more about everything from How to Create a Sunflower ...
• 

  Wonder How To Show & Tell for Creators & Doers

  www.wonderhowto.com
  Wonder How To is your guide to free how to videos on the Web. Search, Browse and Discover the best how to videos across the web using the largest how to video index ...
• 

  How to build a Trebuchet (Catapult) - Wilderness Arena ...

  wildernessarena.com/supplies/weapons/how-to-build-a-trebuchet...
  A Trebuchet (pronounced treb-oo-shay) is a medieval siege engine that transfers gravitational energy into kinetic energy similar to a playground see-saw...
• 

  Womens Clothing - How To Information eHow

  www.ehow.com Fashion, Style & Personal Care Women's Fashion
  Don't just sit there scratching your head, find useful info on Womens Clothing on eHow. Get essential tips and learn more about everything from Can Corsets Give You ...
• 

  How to draw and paint tutorials video and step by step

  idrawgirls.blogspot.com
  How to draw and paint. Learn art online both traditional and digital with FREE video tutorials and step by step images from profession concept artist Xia Taptara.
• 

  HowStuffWorks "How Car Engines Work"

  auto.howstuffworks.com Engines Types of Engines
  A car engine is one of the most amazing machines we use on a daily basis. Learn all about car engines and the different types of combustion engines.
• 

  HOW TO STUDY - UB Computer Science and Engineering

  www.cse.buffalo.edu/rapaport/howtostudy.html
  1. Introduction It has been claimed that everyone has a different "learning style". If you believe in the existence and validity of learning styles, then you might ...
• 

  Omnomicon makes how to make a rainbow cake!

  www.omnomicon.com/rainb
  Aleta Meadowlark enjoys both omming and nomming. Daily noms are daily. Recipe Round-Robins are monthly. Recipes are often biweekly. So tell me, what can I do for you?
• 

  The "Low-Tech" Whistle: How to make a PVC whistle

  www.ggwhistles.com/howto
  Detailed instructions for making fine whistles out of cheap materials, using only simple tools. Regularly maintained and illustrated with photographs and technical ...
• 

  eBay Buying Guides - Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles ...

  www.ebay.com/gds
  No matter what you're buying from eBay, it's important that you're making well informed purchasing decisions. Our guides will lead you through the process.
• 

  Recipe: How to Make Your Coffee BulletproofWith Butter and MCT Oil

  www.bulletproofexec.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-an
  Recipe: How to Make Your Coffee BulletproofAnd Your Morning Too
• 

  How to make a European skull mount - The Green Outdoors Hunting ...

  ecosportsmen.com/?p=256
  Do it yourself European skull mount. ... A couple words of caution first: Do this outside. Believe it or not, there are some people who think the scent of cooking ...