Slashdot Mirror


Lego Trebuchet

An anonymous reader submitted linkage to a trebuchet made of legos. Using australian coins for counterweights, it is able to throw a marble 50 feet or more. I wish they had some photos of it in action, and maybe some schematics for do it yourselfers, but regardless, looks like a fun project if you have a pile of legos and a 4-day weekend ;)

20 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. If only they made lego cows to throw by Cow_With_Gun · · Score: 5, Funny

    If only they made lego cows to throw. This will change my castle wars now though.

    --
    "And your both 6 months pregnant by Billy Ray Sirus" "Then why is mom showing and i'm not?" - Married With Children
    1. Re:If only they made lego cows to throw by SILIZIUMM · · Score: 3, Interesting
      You can still throw cows there :

      http://www.flingthecow.com/ :)

  2. Australian Coins? by Lev13than · · Score: 5, Funny

    Of course, a major design flaw is the use of Australian coins, which only go about 56% as far as American ones.

    http://au.finance.yahoo.com/m5?a=1&s=AUD&t=USD

    --
    When you have nothing left to burn you must set yourself on fire
  3. distrubing trend in lego creations by Darth_brooks · · Score: 5, Funny

    So we've made a trebuchet out of lego bricks, but at what cost? Don't these mad men realise what they're combining? Weapons design, unlimited creativity, and lego bricks!

    A few more rungs up the evolutionary design ladder coupled with another advance or two in mindstorms and we'll be recreating the first ten minutes of Teminator 2. Only this time, instead of a steel chromed skull, it'll be a smiling yellow face.

    We're doomed.

    --
    There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell 'em.
  4. What should I make next? by brejc8 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As a buzy research student currently writing his thesis I have no time to sit about and play with LEGO all day.
    Oh wait no. Thats what I do all day every day while avoiding work.
    Anyway after making a internet controllable camera and an internet controllable robot, I have run out of inspiration.
    The research group lego has two motors and I want to make something that people can control over the internet. Any suggestions?

  5. awesome! by herrd0kt0r · · Score: 5, Funny

    but you can only build the lego trebuchet after you upgrade the lego blacksmithy to make the lego siege workshop.

    and don't forget to defend your lego trebuchet with lego archers and lego knights.

    AND LOOKOUT FOR THE LEGO ZERG!

  6. PBS program he's talking about by gambit3 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It was first broadcast about a year ago, part of a series called "Secrets of Lost Empires", and also included a nice Construction of a Chinese Rainbow Bridge.

    The Trebuchet episode is scheduled to be rebroadcast on Tuesday, July 16, 2002, in the States.

  7. Lego French Knights by AgTiger · · Score: 5, Funny

    All we need now is the castle and Lego French Knights to taunt the English King and his men below...

    And a Lego Cow.

    RUN AWAY!!

  8. Australian gun laws by Alien54 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Given the draconian gun laws that were passed in Australia a few years back, this is what the australian criminal element has had to resort to.

    kinda sad really.

    --
    "It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
  9. I can see it now by swankypimp · · Score: 4, Funny

    New NRA bumper sticker: Make Lego trebuchet criminal, and only criminals will have Lego trebuchets.

    --

    --All your stolen base are belong to Rickey Henderson
  10. wheels by Ubi_UK · · Score: 5, Informative

    Although the photos section mentiones that the wheels are not quite necesassry, they are indeed:

    The motion of the counterweight falling tries to pull the treb over. A counter to this is to put the trebuchet on wheels. So, as the counterweight falls, the treb rolls forward, allowing the counterweigtht to fall more vertically. This also dramatically increases the distance the treb can make.

    More info on DIY trebuchets here

  11. Design similar to one seen on Junkyard Wars by nweaver · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The "Floating Arm" trebuchet design was used on an episode of Junkyard Wars.

    IN that design, the arm has two wheels, and runs on a track along the top of the trebuchet, while the counterweight drops purely downwards down a vertical track.

    It wouldn't be suitable in midaeval times (due to the wheel on the arm), but is quite easy to do for modern designs, and nicely effective (as you no longer have the big counterweight swinging along, but only going up and down, something easier to engineer for with Legos).

    --
    Test your net with Netalyzr
    1. Re:Design similar to one seen on Junkyard Wars by Scrameustache · · Score: 3, Funny

      It wouldn't be suitable in midaeval times (due to the wheel on the arm), but is quite easy to do for modern designs

      Yes. As we all know, Sir John C. Wheel only invented and patented the Wheel (tm) in 1876.
      Along with Fritz Von Brakes, he was the most important contributor the modern car...

      (Man, I hope someone mods me up as Informative!)

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

  12. Re:Neat... by scott1853 · · Score: 3, Informative

    The site links to another site where they got some inspiration from. The first product listed is a desktop trebuchet for $49.00.

  13. Tinkertoy Trebuchet! (aka 'Tinky Flingy') by Shayde · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Feh, that's nothin! Too many parts, too easy to fail. What you -really- want to do is make a trebuchet out of -tinkertoys-.

    Like I did!

    http://www.stonekeep.com/trebuchet/

    --
    Event Management Solutions : http://www.stonekeep.com/
  14. Re:Not lifesize, but pretty darn funny... by colmore · · Score: 3, Funny

    not quite as funny as this

    *ducks and runs*

    --
    In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
  15. Construx Semi-Automatic and Gatling Gun by Rubyflame · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've made some pretty badass weapons with Construx. They shouldn't be too hard to replicate with other building systems, if anyone's interested in doing so.

    | |
    ___| |__
    ________ =====|

    Okay, so basically what this is supposed to look like is two hollow tubes that are connected like a T, open at both ends. Then there's a plunger sorta thing. You insert it into the tube and attach it with a few rubber bands, so when you pull it back and let go it goes back into the tube.

    When the plunger is in its normal position inside the bottom tube, it's blocking the intersection. So drop a bunch of marbles (or whatever projectiles you like) into the top tube. They should be slightly less wide than the tube itself. When you pull the plunger out, one projectile falls into the bottom tube. Let go of the plunger and it hits the marble, shooting it out the other end of the bottom tube.

    I've built and fired many of these. They work very well. The one serious drawback is that there are problems firing them at angles too far from the horizontal.

    Here's how to turn that semi-automatic into a gatling gun.

    | |
    ___| |__
    ________ =====|---( o )

    Okay, if the illustration is a bit unclear, this is a wheel behind the gun. On the edge of the wheel is a small rod. One end of a string is affixed to it, the other to the plunger. Now you can operate the weapon by turning the wheel. The wheel has to be attached to the gun by some structure along the side which doesn't interfere with anything.

    You should put a handle that turns the wheel from the other side. If you use a gearset that allows you several shots per revolution, you'll have something resembling a gatling gun in action.

    --

    All it takes is nukes and nerves.
  16. OT: Pumpkin Catapult by MacJedi · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Here are some photos from a pumpkin launching catapult that I made with some fellow physics students back in college. It's technically not a trebuchet because we didn't use a sling. The pumpkins kept getting tangled in it. Also including one greatly complicated the calculations. ;)

    /joeyo

    --
    2^5
  17. This guy took it a step further by Lorgalis · · Score: 3, Informative

    a trebuchet sounds cool but this guy took it into modern warfare, and built a Beretta!!
    He even put out a manual so you can build it yourself.

    --
    If at first you don't succeed, remove all evidence you ever tried.--David Brent
  18. hmmmm by Phybersyk0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apparently the guy who's hosting the site built his webserver from LEGO too.

    NOTHING withstands the /. effect.