Newtonian Summer

Last weekend, in anticipation of the End of School, Samuel, Nathan, and Aaron built a catapult. They had some help from Grandpa and me. Nathan had been lobbying on behalf of catapults for several weeks. It is constructed entirely of vintage 2x6 scraps, 3" deck screws, an old bicycle inner tube, and a plastic flower pot. The project came in within budget ($0.00) and schedule (2 hours on a Saturday morning.)

In the end, the power was impressive but the range was underwhelming. But, hey, WE BUILT A CATAPULT. Never one to be satisfied with the status quo, Nathan has now moved on to lobby for catapult improvements, such as wheels, a longer throwing arm, and a lock/release mechanism.

Our ultimate aim, of course, is to construct a siege engine huge enough to hurl pumpkins, logs, stray dogs, or even boys over the lake and into Fort Musteen.

For those interested in catapults, we gleaned inspiration from the following sources:

Books:

Websites:
Storm the Castle
TrebuchetStore.com
Dan Beard's Boys Outdoor Handy Book