F.A.T. 3000 Guillotine Trebuchet

Fun & Games
F.A.T. 3000 Guillotine Trebuchet

Iโ€™ve built my share of catapults (see MAKE Volume 28, โ€œGravity Catapultโ€), and this floating-arm kit has thoroughly impressed me. The parts come pre-cut in solid ash, and you clip off tabs to remove them, just like the plastic models I built as a kid. A file will help clean up the tabs.

Itโ€™s put together with wood glue,ย so use one with good tack or youโ€™ll doย a lot of waiting. The instructions call for two clamps, but you’d be much better off with eight or more. Spring clamps provide suitable force and wonโ€™t mark up your wood parts.

After all your satisfying work, you end up with an impressive 34-inch trebuchet, capable of hurling a small, dense projectile a respectable 200 feet!

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