Mini Trebuchet update

We have delivered 10 of the mini-trebuchets to Little Monsters toy store in Lake Orion mi. They are our first official distributor. We are looking forward to finding more distributors and continuing to expose people to the scientific and historical aspects of trebuchets. Our online store is still under construction (slow) but coming along. We are also working on a DIY kit version of the Mini Trebuchet. We'll keep you posted. Thanks.

Wooden trebuchet

Our goal has been to make a world class trebuchet using wood instead of the steel that is so widely used at the level we hope to compete. To do this, we decided to enlist the help of a structural engineer named Marty Klein. Marty has been instrumental to the further development of our trebuchet design. One thing that was nice to know was that my A-frame design was strong enough on it's own. The part that needed the most changes was the Arm. This makes sense given that that is where the weight is attached to. We have decided to go with engineered wood like perilam. It has superior strength capabilities compared to standard wood alone.

A new event, some new engineering

We had an event over the weekend in Lake Orion. We launched dry ice into the lake. Why dry ice, because we had to meet certain environmental requirements, plus, it was fun. The impressiveness of the machine wasn't really there since the distances were being compared to the houses across the lake. The dry ice was fun though and we introduced the concept to some new people which is always worth it.
We have been meeting with our engineering consultant Marty, and have had some very productive correspondence. We will be using engineered wood, micro laminate, in the throwing arm and CW arm. This will reduce weight (not important in the CW arm) which will help in transportation and construction. The engineered wood is also tons stronger than regular wood. Marty is also giving us some really great input into the structural soundness of our design. It makes me feel good to hear that our design works or how to fix our design so that it will work.

Look for the new website soon (hopefully)!