1 TREBUCHETTREBUCHET A trebuchet owner’s manual by Jennifer & Andrea

2 Trebuchet A trebuchet is an ancient weapon, sort of like its predecessor, the catapult. The difference is, a trebuchet uses a counterweight, and gravity, to throw an object. The object that is thrown is also in a sling not in some sort of bowl.

3 Four Main Designs First is the simplest, and the least affective; which is fixed counterweight without wheels. The second is a fixed counterweight with wheels. Third is the swinging counterweight without wheels. The last is the most affective is the swinging counterweight with wheels.

4 Materials for building a trebuchet These are the materials to build a swinging trebuchet with no wheels. For the base –A lot of wood –Nails and screws. Preferably 5 to 6 inch nails, that way they go through the 4 x 4s and 2 x 4s. For assembly –Hammers –A drill with many drill bits. –A father or two for help using the powerful tools.

5 Materials needed to build a trebuchet... For the arm: –Wood and Nails. Screws work well also. –An axle that the counterweight will be attached too. Rope attached to the projectile. For the counterweight: –A 5 gallon bucket –A bag and a half of Cement –An eye bolt connected to a piece of wood, placed halfway down the cement to give it strength. –Chain to hold the counterweight

6 Team Members

7 Assembly Once you have all of your materials and a design on how you want your trebuchet to look, here comes the fun part…the assembly. First focus on the base. Make sure that it is small enough to transport it from a house to the launching site. But also big enough to hold all of the weight. Next work on your frame, for us it was an A-frame. Make SURE the frame doesn’t wobble when it is attached to the base. Your frame should be able to hold the weight of the arm, axle, and counterweight. If your frame wobbles there is chance of destruction on first throw. While working on your frame, have a couple people working on your counterweight, so it has time to settle, and set. Now that you have that done, it is time to build the arm. In construction of the arm make sure you have people out getting a VERY strong (preferably solid metal) axle. Then assemble how exactly you want it and you have yourself a trebuchet.

8 Adjusting After you have a design and have put it together, here are some tips for adjusting the trebuchet. –For distance: adjust the length of the string or sling. Also the angle of the release hook. To make the angle higher make the hook a little straighter. –For Accuracy: first move the trebuchet in the direction of the target, making a straight line from the arm to the target. If you are throwing too high or too low, adjust the angle of release by moving the release hook like for distance.

9 Trouble Shooting If the trebuchet is not working, and won’t release the projectile properly, you’ve done something wrong, either in construction or in the angle of the hook. To fix this problem, there are some things you need to do. First, if the projectile is going backwards, readjust the angle of release, going in the opposite direction. Test it again, and if it is still not working, you’ve screwed up. If the projectile is not going as far as you would like (meaning 2 feet in front of you), forget the whole idea of using a sling, and attach the projectile to a string instead. If you are already using a string, redo the knot and try again. Either that or add more weight to the projectile, depending on the weight of your counterweight.

10 Safety Always remember that when you are working with a trebuchet, it can fall on you and/or your partners. Never, I repeat, NEVER put your head under the counterweight, this could prove disastrous. Also, never stand in the path of the projectile, it might go backwards, you never know. Little siblings on the other hand, can be substituted for targets if there is not one readily available. Also remember that a trebuchet is a weapon and can cause damage to the surroundings.

11 DISCLAIMER The miss proper use of this equipment will result in injury. Please be sure to properly assemble this trebuchet in order to have the utmost safety. We as the trebuchet experts, are not held responsible for any mistreated materials or faulty construction and cannot be held responsible for any injury as a result there of.

12 Celebrity Endorsement We are the cast of the television series: Star trek Voyager. We heard that our friend Jennifer was in need of a celebrity endorsement, so we gave her a call and asked what for. When she told us that it was for an ancient weapon we jumped on the chance to help her out. So all 9 of us are here to support her and her partner’s efforts. Therefore we encourage everyone to go out and build their own trebuchet and remember, when we get home we expect everyone to have their own trebuchet.