HOME Search Custom Search How To Build A Small Onager "An Onager is a type of catapult that uses the torsion of twisted string or rope as the force for firing" . This is a terrific little Onager project you can easily build out of popsicle sticks. This tutorial was created by Tom Wilson. My thanks to him for this project. You will quickly see why this style of catapult was named after the onager, a wild donkey famous for its kicking ability. Invented by the ancient Romans, it was still used by pretty much everyone in medieval Europe for smashing fortresses, throwing bombs, and generally blowing everything up. Home Surprisingly powerful, cheap to make, robust under combat conditions, and much simpler to operate than the finicky trebuchets, this ancient machine continued to be used right up the end of the middle ages, when it was finally replaced by cannons. Onager (Torsion powered) Look What You Can Make With Craft St... Kelly Milner Halls... New $6.95 Best $0.01 The Desktop Onager RLT Industries Chenille Kraft Company Craft Sticks ... CHENILLE KRAFT COM... New $7.99 Best $2.11 Wooden Trebuchet Kit Oakland Ballistics... New $26.65 Best $26.65 Table of Contents for this tutorial BACK TO THE CATAPULT MAIN PAGE Leonardo da Vinci Catapult Kit Stevens Internatio... New $18.00 Best $13.86 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 Pros: 5. Video of this catapult firing Historically authentic 6. DVD's Looks cool Documentaries Powerful and accurate about siege Easy to operate and aim engines Simple, small, portable 7. Free Catapult Plan Mostly easy to build 8. Send me your catapult pictures! Cons: Check out My Store: Siege Engines you can buy at amazon.com Unusual Siege Engine Kits Difficult to modify once built Hard to repair if the rope breaks May lose some of its power over time (because the rope stretches) The firing mechanism is difficult to build and may require extra help Materials: Kits to make big Siege Engines . 5 Full Sticks 5 Sticks cut or broken in half 34 feet of string 1 ½" square of paper Scissors Hot glue How to Build It Working Wood Catapult DIY Kit, 6" X ... Pathfinders Best Price $18.95 or Buy New $18.95 • Make the base and the uprights Glue together four full sticks and four half sticks, "log cabin" style. Put the half sticks on the bottom. Privacy Information Other Siege Engine Projects The MultiPult Five shot automatic catapult Popsicle Stick Ballista Mousetrap Catapult Sideways Catapult Attach two half sticks, flat side down, in the middle of the long side of the base, as shown below. These are the uprights. Privacy Information Abong Wooden Sundial Kit Abong New $26.95 Miniature Ballista Kit Wooden Desk... Abong New $18.95 OgoSport Aero Zipp Double Pack OgoSport, LLC New $5.00 Duke Siege Engines Middle Ages Board... Publisher Services... New $7.95 Pathfinders Medieval Catapult Wooden... Stevens Internatio... Wooden Trebuchet Kit Oakland Ballistics... New $26.65 Privacy Information 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 Make A Popsicle Stick Catapult The TeenyTiny Catapult Make and Play the Tiny Catapult Game Build A Trebuchet! Build the unique Bicycle Wheel Trebuchet Make a PVC pipe catapult The OGRE Catapult The Annihilator by Dr. Catapult! 8 Feet long! Spring Catapult The Little Ogre Catapult The Goblin Catapult Lego Catapult Kit Catapults Made by web visitors (Send me your catapult pictures too!) Catapult FAQ The History of the Catapult Catapult Timeline Brace the uprights with two half sticks, as shown below. Attach a half stick across the uprights, on the opposite side from the braces. This is the crosspiece. ??How would attaching the crosspiece higher or lower affect the performance of your catapult? You might attach it with masking tape, so you can try it in several places before you glue it. Make the throwing arm Tear your piece of paper to the center. Fold it into a cone and glue together. Use scissors to trim the sharp corners of the cone. Smash the tip of the cone flat and glue it to the end of a full stick. Attach the rope. ??How would different types of strings affect the performance of your catapult? You might try using wool yarn, artificial sinew (waxed cotton), jute or nylon twine, or other kinds of string. The ancient Romans used rope made of sinew or hemp, but both of these materials are very hard to find these days. • Take your 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. • Repeat step B once more. You should now have a strong, thickly twisted rope. • Thread the rope between the two full sticks under the cross piece, as shown below. Tie in place around the top stick with a square knot or double overhand knot. Move the knot to the side. More Creative Projects How to make a video game Make a Samurai Cardboard Katana Make a cardboard sword Make a cardboard Shield Make a cemetary Diorama Model Rockets How to Make a diorama Make a paper castle How to Make a Shoebox Diorama How to make a fantasy shadowbox How to Play Classical guitar Fantasy Art Lessons Make the ultimate terrarium How to do Stop Motion Animation Make a Volcano Make A Box Kite How to Make Mead ??What advantages and disadvantages might come with using thicker or thinner string? What changes would you have to make to your base if you were to use a thicker string? Attach the arm !!!You might need a friend to help with this stepit is difficult with only two hands. Either way, have your glue gun and throwing arm handy before you begin. • Take your remaining halfstick and cut it in half again. This is your rope twister. Insert the flat end between the ropes. Twist backwards (away from the uprights) the desired number of times. ??How many twists should you put on the rope? How will a tighter twist affect the performance of your catapult? Are there any risks to a very loose or very tight twist? • After you have the rope twisted as tightly as you want it, put a generous gob of glue on the rope twister. Attach the throwing arm and hold in place for a minute or so to let the glue set. • If you did it right, the arm should smack against the crosspiece when you let it go. Paper Making Blacksmithing Telescopes & Astronomy Model Rockets Model R/C Airplanes Art & Drawing For Writers For Webmasters Earn with your website WEBSITES Stormthecastle.com The Medieval Armory THe Fantasy Guide Will's Blog The Knight Medieval The Telescope Nerd Firing • Holding the base with one hand, pull the arm all the way down. Put the projectile in the cone. Release. MY STORES 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 All Materials, unless 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. The Desktop Onager: An Awesome all Wood and Twine War Machine Fiercely Fend Off Office Rivals Conveniently sized to sit on your desk, this intimidating little machine is an actual working reproduction of an onager. The weapon is all wood and twine with no metal parts, but it packs a big punch. Load it up with the included wooden balls or get creative with marshmallows, coffee creamers, erasers and more to see how many cubicles they can soar above before landing. Properly constructed, the onager has a range from 10 to 20 feet. The ancients were able to use nothing but wood and ropes to build machines that could hurl heavy stones great distances, now you can do the same to enforce peace in your office or dorm room. Build it yourself in under three hours, because this kit includes everything you need except for glue and a few simple tools like scissors, sandpaper, and a file. Colors may vary. Warning: This is a representative model of a real ancient military weapon. Use only with competent adult supervision. Craft Sticks Natural 150 count by Chenille Kraft Hi, Thanks for visiting my website. My name is Will and if you have questions or would like to contribute you can Email Me Popsicle sticks have been a staple of easy and creative fun for as long as there have been popsicles. A little glue, paint or other things can really set the creative wheels in motion. Here is a book of more projects with craft sticks Look What You Can Make With Craft Sticks: Over 80 Pictured Crafts and Dozens of Other Ideas (Craft)
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