My Trebuchet

 I’ve been wanting one for years, and this year, I finally have one!  Yes, a real, working trebuchet.

It's been in my wish list for years, and now I finally have one.  

In the interest of full disclosure, this isn't the exact model that was in my wish list.  Cody found this one at a hobby store up in Memphis, and it's actually better because it's a more authentic replica.  

He wanted me to put it together right away, so he could see how it worked.  Happy to oblige, I moved the cookie decorating stuff to the side and sat down at the table to do just that.  The instructions were pretty clear, and easy to follow -- and clearly written by someone with a sense of humor. 

I hope coke and cookies work, because that's what I ate when the instructions called for them.  

Unfortunately, Cody was disappointed, and didn't get to see the completed model.  It took longer than expected, due to having to wait for the glued parts to dry.  And I mean, I had to glue the part into place, then wait for it to dry before I could go on to the next step.  When it was time to glue the base into place, I ran into a snag, because the wood was warped.  I had to go find these clamps I use at work in order to  clamp it into place, and I wasn't too sure about the glue they'd included in the kit, so I went and found my Gorilla glue, and used it instead.  Just to be on the safe side, I let the whole thing dry over night.  

I won't bore you with all the details of putting it together, but  I eventually I got it done, and here is the finished product. 

Time to try it out!

It took a little bit of trial and error, most of which involved figuring out how much weight to put into the counterweight basket. I also figured out it works better if I hold the base down, because the counterweight was flinging the trebuchet across the floor.  

Once I got the kinks worked out, I tried it again.   

Cool, huh?  I sent that video to Cody and told him I wanted a full sized one next year.  I'm thinking about making a bit of an adjustment, though.  I think if I use a longer string -- and I'm talking about the string I use to crank it down -- it would allow that counterweight to swing freely and I could toss the little balls even farther.  

As it is, this is as far as the counterweight goes.  

A longer crank string would give it more follow-through, and perhaps more power.   Or maybe if I just untied that string so it wouldn't stop right here...Hmmm, it'll take some experimenting.  I'll keep you updated.

The only other thing I've done since last we spoke was to watch a lot of TV, and decorate two more cookies. 

The stocking isn't too bad, but the star didn't turn out at all like I'd imagined.  Still, they aren't bad for my first time.  

And they taste just the same.