Student builds medieval weapon for class project.

K

Kiffster

New member
Maybe there is hope. This article was in our local paper without any negative comments!
http://members.home.net/kiffster/SigArms/weapon.htm

Kiffster

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Sig 229 .40 - When you care enough to shoot the very best!
It's time we stop apologizing like a bunch of guilt-ridden, part-time criminals for our love and respect of firearms!
-July 2000, America's 1st Freedom
 
Wow, there are just SO many politically incorrect things with that article!

1. A child brought a weapon to school. He could have run (or wheeled, in this case) amuck, spearing teachers and children with wonton calousness.

2. He built a weapon of opression, used by the armies of Rome to conquor their peace-loving, minority neighbors.

3. It was for History class, AKA the "Chronicles of Opression."

4. He actually wants to VISIT Europe to see where this opression was carried out (a psycho-sexual fantasy about power and control?).

5. If he has the resources and knowledge to build this, he's obviously one of the opressor class himself.

It should be the recommendation of everyone that this "person" be severely punished for his actions as listed above, lobotomized, reeducated, and registered as a Democrat.

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Beware the man with the S&W .357 Mag.
Chances are he knows how to use it.
 
What I find amusing is the number of grammatical errors in the article...

PS: My school had several catapults built for 10th grade history class. One found throw bricks 100+ yards.

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Oleg "peacemonger" Volk

http://dd-b.net/RKBA
 
I'm surprised he could only get 50 feet out of it. In the sixties ballistas, catapults and trebuchets were a big fad where I lived. A friend and I built a trebuchet that would toss an old bowling ball over 100 yards in a tall arc. But we left those toys behind to pursue small cannons ... but that's another story. (I wonder if there is anyone here on TFL that shouldn't, by all rights, be a long forgotten statistic except by their family? :) )
 
I watched a show in the learning channel about a group of history nutters who built a real live, just like in old days trebuchet.
It was MASSIVE and hurled a HUGE stone several hundred feet... the power was very impressive. Just as depicted in the movie "The Messenger" (Joan of Arc story) I was thinking - "Thats pretty damn cool" They would be in serious trouble if they made Cannons... but a big seige engine isnt a problem! Had officers come - "Whats all this then?" They could of answered "Just throwing rocks..."
 
Did you see the NOVA special about Trebuchets? A whole one hour special, complete with a 30yd reconstruction of a castle wall to be destroyed by one of the 300lb. stone balls used as projectiles. It only took one to demolish enough for a party of men to successfully breach the wall.

The Limey who has one in his backyard, forget his name, is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Do you think he had to register it?
 
Gun Digest ran an article on a modern trebuchet in the 1993 edition. You never know when you'll need to throw a dead animal or a live spy into a besieged city. ;) The 50ft trebuchet could even toss a sub-compact car. This probably inspired the trebuchet episode of Northern Exposure in which the bar's piano is substituted for the builder's original choice of projectiles: a cow.
 
When I was in high school ( 1992) we made recurve bows in shop. We ordered a fiberglass kit, and made the risers out of wood. We turned out hundreds of them! I still have mine, and it will really fling an arrow! I wonder how that would go over now? We also had a kid bring in a Raven .25 auto. He was expelled, and that was it. It wasn't really a big deal then. And then......

CJB

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" I SHOOT BACK! "
 
I love it!
I am a physics teacher here in Virginia and for the last five years the first semester project ( right after we do ballistics) has been to build a small catapult which will throw a golf ball at least two meters in to a coffee can 2/3 times. Accuracy and consistency are king. Then for extra credit we go outside and shoot for distance. They are only desktop sized but get up to 80 yards. I have gotten the OK to start a catapult society at the high school. Heh heh!
The kids grumble at first but they really get into it! It is amazing how many different designs the kids come up with to do the job and nearly all of them get two out of three shots. The few devices that are left behind by the kids are quickly snatched up by fellow teachers to give to their own kids.
I am hoping to work up to BIG shooters like the societies y'all have mentioned. Wish us luck!

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Those who use arms well cultivate the Way and keep the rules.Thus they can govern in such a way as to prevail over the corrupt- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
 
Geez man. How come everyone else got to build medieval weapon in school? They wouldn't let me construct a petard in high school.
 
Does anyone remember the TV show Northern Exposure? Specifically the episode where the local artist/DJ/philosopher Chris Stevens built a 'Fling' that he used to launch a full-sized piano? Would this be a Trebuchet? I seem to remember it launched the piano around 100 yards or so.
 
Back around 49 or so I built a crossbow using the complete transverse spring assembly from the rear of a Ford Model A pickup. Took around 4,000 pounds to reverse the arc on the spring stack. Had to trip the sear with a sledge, which knocked it a little crooked, bolt was axle from same truck, axle went through pump house, water pump, water tank, bunch of canned goods etc. From then on it was ok for me to play with powder but no more crossbows. Been eying a pair of skis in the goodie pile, thinkin bout doin a compound one using both skis, have to use lighter bolt but should get some velocity.

Sam.........unsafe at any speed; but my Corvairs were ok.
 
Shipley,

I watched that Nova episode and was fascinated by the sophistication and accuracy (as well as power) of the trebuchet. Talk about a "deadly assault weapon!"

I want one in my backyard! :D

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"Pray as if your life depends on God, Prepare as if it all depends on you..." -Texas Preacher

Liberty or death, what we so proudly hail... DON'T TREAD ON ME!!-Metallica

"Many's the men who've battled foe
many the number slain,
many the lads have fallen though
Scotland shall rise again."
 
Cougar - Yes, that was a trebuchet in the NoEx episode. They did a great job with it.

Darthmaum - Was that Nova show the one where a couple of northern tech universities (MIT, Princeton, RIT) had a contest to see which one could fling a VW the farthest? They built some pretty good machines. As I recall, they sent the VW about 75 yds. or more.
 
If memory serves, a trebuchet relies on a counterweight on the throwing arm to power the weapon. A large basket full of boulders seems to have been the most often used version, but lead plates were sometimes substituted. Large boulders were the common projectile.

A mangonel or onager uses torsion (Roman) or spring tension (Medieval) for power. The torsion powered ones had a bit more range, but were considerably trickier to set up. These smaller catapults fired rocks, sheaves of arrows and the like.

Ballistas resembled large- to huge- mounted crossbows, and used torsion (Roman) or spring tension (Medieval) to fire javelins or boulders.

LawDog
 
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