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The Popsicle Stick Ballista
This is a great little ballista
project that was submitted by
a web visitor (Jesse L.) You
can see more on his youtube
channel here: Drako155Video
where you can watch the build
of this ballista.
Home
Here is the finished Ballista
Table of Contents for this
tutorial
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MAIN PAGE
1. Make the Table Top
Troll Catapult Home
and materials requred
2. Begin assembly of
the sides and base
3. Assemble the
catapult firing arm
4. Complete the
assemblly and
finish by painting
5. Video of this
catapult firing
6. DVD's
Documentaries
about siege
engines
7. Free Catapult Plan
8. Send me your
catapult pictures!
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Unusual Siege Engine
Kits
Materials:
9 Full Popsicle sticks
2 Three­Quarter Popsicle sticks
2 Popsicle sticks cut in half (4 Half Sticks)
6 Quarter Popsicle sticks (1 stick cut in quarters and the 2 quarters left from the ¾ sticks)
3 pieces of string 3' , 3' and 12"
Hot glue
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How to Build:
Make the base:
Glue together 4 full and 2 half sticks "log cabin" style with long sticks on bottom
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Engines .
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Keva
Rejects from
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Da Vinci Catapult
Kit, Wood
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Make the Bow:
Glue together 4 full and 2 quarter sticks together "log cabin" style with long sticks on bottom. Only
put the quarter stick half on the full sticks when gluing.
The Miniature
Trebuchet
RLT Industries
New $40.89
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Other Siege Engine
Projects
The MultiPult ­
Five shot
automatic catapult
Popsicle Stick
Ballista
Mousetrap
Catapult
Sideways Catapult
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Glue full stick in middle of frame with ½ inch sticking out front. This is your projectile rail.
Popsicle Stick
Onager
Popsicle stick and
rubber band
pyramid catapult
The Wyvern 36
inch torsion
catapult
Jim's Little Ogre
Catapult
The Tennis Ball
Ogre Catapult
The Office Supply
Catapult
Make a torsion
powered catapult
called a Mangonel
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The Teeny­Tiny
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Make and Play the
Tiny Catapult
Game
Build A Trebuchet!
Build the unique
Bicycle Wheel
Trebuchet
Make a PVC pipe
catapult
The OGRE
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The Annihilator by
Dr. Catapult! 8
Feet long!
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The Little Ogre
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The Goblin
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Lego Catapult Kit
Catapults Made by
web visitors (Send
me your catapult
pictures too!)
Catapult FAQ
The History of the
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Catapult Timeline
Take one 3' piece of string and fold it in half. Hold the folded tip in your lips (or get a friend to hold
it for you) and twist the string together ten or twenty times.
Fold the string double again, but let the string hang by one end. It should twist itself together part
way. Again, hold the loose ends in your lips and twist it all the way.
Thread the string between the two full sticks on your bow frame.
Wrap the string around toward the long side of the projectile rail and tie it.
Rotate the string so your knot is on the top and trim your ends.
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Repeat for other side
Make the Arms:
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Blacksmithing
Telescopes & Astronomy
Model Rockets
Model R/C Airplanes Art & Drawing
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For Webmasters
Earn with your website
WEBSITES
Stormthecastle.com
The Medieval Armory THe Fantasy Guide
Will's Blog
The Knight Medieval The Telescope Nerd Use one of your quarter sticks, this is your rope twister. Insert the flat end between the ropes. Twist
away from the outer frame rail towards the long end of the projectile rail the desired number of
times.
MY STORES
After you have the rope twisted as tightly as you want it, put a generous gob of glue on the rope
twister. Attach a half stick to the outside of the twister and hold in place for a minute or so to let the
glue set.
Dioramas & miniatures Siege Engines Classical Guitar store Telescope Store Terrarium Store Fantasy Art Books Model Rocket Store Siege Engine Store R/C Airplanes Store Swords
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otherwise stated are
Copyright© 2001­2015
Kalif Publishing and
StormtheCastle.com check out
my copyright page for
information about how to use
any work on this site.
If you did it properly than it should hit against the outer frame rail when pulled back towards the end
of the projectile rail.
Repeat for the other side
Hi, Thanks for visiting my
website. My name is Will and
if you have questions
or would like to
contribute you can
Email Me ­­­­­­­­­
String the Bow:
Put a slip knot in one end of your 12" piece of string and loop it around one end of the bow.
Tighten the knot so the string comes off the bottom of the bow.
Glue in place ( try to only glue the upper part of the loop because if the loose string gets glued it will
hinder the movement of the string and the bow)
Tie another slip knot on the other end of the string so it lines up with the other end of the other bow
arm. Tighten onto end of arm like before.
Glue in place.
**Your bow is now done and can be mounted on the base but you can add some firing rails to the
projectile rail if desired(These will help in aiming the projectile)**
Make the Firing Rails:
Take a ¾ stick and cut both ends flat
Cut an angle at one end of both sticks. This is the front.
Glue this on one side of the projectile rail so there is a small lip. 1/16 ­1/8 if possible
(this does not need to be very high at all)
Reinforce this with more glue from the bottom if necessary. (Keep the top as clear from glue as you
can because your projectile will need to move along this channel)
Repeat on the other side
Attach Bow to Base:
Glue a ¼ stick in bottom of bow between the 2 long sticks on outside of string
Repeat on other side. Do your best to keep the lengths of these the same. If not than your bow will
not sit straight on your base.
Glue feet and back of projectile rail to base
To Fire:
Pull back string and load with projectile (pencil, pen, drinking straw, etc.)
Release string to fire
My finished Ballista cocked, loaded and ready to fire
The projectile in the picture is rolled paper with an aluminum foil arrow head.
You may also notice that I have added a firing pin. This is just a bent paper clip resting in a drilled
hole so you can pull the string off the firing rail and fire the ballista.
The Greek Ballista
Designed and made in the USA for better quality, better performance! The
Greek and Roman Ballista is the granddaddy of all field artillery. This
display quality model is fully functional and really works! The Ballista
was an engine of war invented by the Greeks in 800 BCE, and later
adopted by the early Romans. Ballistas were constructed of different sizes for the various purposes
of siege and field warfare. The largest ones could throw projectiles weighing up to fifty pounds as
far as 400 yards! The ballista uses a pair of skeins (bundles of twisted rope) for power. Similar to the
working of a crossbow, the Ballista actually preceded the crossbow in western culture by over a
thousand years and is where we get the word "Ballistic". This model shoots five­inch long, 1/2"
diameter bolts (also called darts) about thirty to forty feet (when property constructed). It stands ten
inches tall, twenty inches long and the arms sweep an arc over twenty inches wide. When not
shooting bolts, this model is a great addition to your bookshelf or desktop. More than thirty five
parts are included in this kit, but it can be easily assembled in one day. Everything you need is
included except for glue and a few simple tools like scissors, sandpaper, a file (a utility knife would
be helpful too) and about three to six hours of your time from start to finish. The instructions are
highly detailed and complete with full­color photos, diagrams and historical notes. This kit can be
assembled to a finished model in three to six hours, plus glue­drying time. Some light sanding may
be necessary to smooth any rough edges. * Warning: This is a representative model of a real ancient
military weapon. Use only with competent adult supervision. * Shown stained as red oak. The kit
ships as a natural, unfinished poplar wood product. Colors may vary. * Can throw 40 feet when
properly constructed and using appropriate missiles. Your performance may vary.