PBS Nova episode on trebuchets

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - PBS Nova episode on trebuchets

Posted: 5/17/2001 9:49:24 AM EDT

I couldn't sleep last night, so I found the only thing on that wasn't an infomercial, which turned out to be a show on PBS about a group of people at Loch Ness recreating Edward I's siege engines.

Using medieval methods, two competing designs of trebuchets were built. Think of them as catapults that use gravity rather than tension to launch their payloads, which in this case were hand-carved 250 pound sandstone balls.

Pretty cool. Of course, it could just have been the NyQuil and sleeplessness.

Made me want to make a modern version, but that would probably be banned by the BATSE. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Siege Engines.

Semper Fi!

Ken Little

Posted: 5/17/2001 11:20:11 AM EDT

[#1]

Sounds like a new summer project. Saw the same thing on "Junkyard Wars". They used cabbage for ammunition.

Isn't there some kind of US competition every year for who can toss the farthest pumpkin, or something like that?

Posted: 5/17/2001 11:22:12 AM EDT

[#2]

They showed one guy from the US that was using his to launch GRAND PIANOS! (One filled with a container of gasoline)

Semper Fi!

Ken Little

Posted: 5/17/2001 11:56:15 AM EDT

[#3]

I caught the very end of that on Friday night I think and all I can say is wow!! there is something about a 250lb rock flying at 100 + mph that is cool

Posted: 5/17/2001 12:38:58 PM EDT

[#4]

I have to agree with you guys. K'pel, I was having trouble with reception on my TV that night and it cleared up just at the end where they actually hit the target!!!! AWESOME!!

Posted: 5/17/2001 12:40:18 PM EDT

[#5]

mhmmmm medival weaponry

Posted: 5/17/2001 12:48:49 PM EDT

[#6]

I watched the whole thing the other night, it was certainly cool.

The interesting part was how they were able to tweak the thing for different releases and how they aimed the damned things, itty bitty adjustments ended up being GREATLY magnified down range, it didn't surprise me much that they were able to aim the things but they didn't have a whole lot of trial and error time to do it.

They were launching 250 and 350 pound stone balls through the air at a recreation of a castle wall, each of the two teams managed to hit the wall within 3 shots if I remember correctly. Not bad though cause I think they had the wall about 200 yards away and it wasn't all that big being only about 15ftx15ft square.

Posted: 5/17/2001 3:03:39 PM EDT

[#7]

And they usually built those things on-site.

Posted: 5/17/2001 3:14:31 PM EDT

[#8]

Did they show that English guy that built his own launcher in his back yard? It was so cool to see a Morris Minor go flying 200 feet into the air and then Wham!. He has launched pianos, refrigerators you name it. I think he wanted to fling a dead cow once, but the government wouldn't let him.

Posted: 5/17/2001 3:15:30 PM EDT

[#9]

your not the first person to think about a modern trebuech. my math teacher is a freaking genuiss and he wrote a computer program to calcualte measurments in trebuech building. he started one, but never finished it. they made them on junkyard wars. also a man made one that could throw whole cars.

Posted: 5/17/2001 5:06:16 PM EDT

[#10]

[url]www.trebuchet.com[/url]

Posted: 5/17/2001 5:15:22 PM EDT

[#11]

Punkin' chunkin'.

Posted: 5/17/2001 5:28:44 PM EDT

[#12]

Did they show that English guy that built his own launcher in his back yard? It was so cool to see a Morris Minor go flying 200 feet into the air and then Wham!. He has launched pianos, refrigerators you name it. I think he wanted to fling a dead cow once, but the government wouldn't let him.

View Quote

The piano was thrown in the TV show Northern Exposure by that same CATUPULT. It was also at that time they wanted to do the dead cow but the Gubment said no!

BISHOP

Posted: 5/17/2001 6:08:13 PM EDT

[#13]

I saw a program about that last year. Taped it. Was it the one when they tried to decide on if tebuchets were on wheels or unmovable? They also used cast iron or lead as a weight on one arm and the other used a basket with dirt as the counterbalance.

There are some good web sites on how to build one. If I ever get any land, I want to build one too. :)

Posted: 5/17/2001 7:39:07 PM EDT

[#14]

I really liked the flaming barrel they launched too.
I wish I would have done one of those for my college physics final project instead of measuring the wavelengths of radioactive isotopes.
Learning can be fun too!

Posted: 5/18/2001 5:37:41 AM EDT

[#15]

7: Yep. That's the one. The US team used a lead weight, and the French used the rubble box.

Semper Fi!

Ken Little

Posted: 5/18/2001 5:43:34 AM EDT

[#16]

not only did they 'throw" a piano. let's not forget that they also sent chris' friend down stream as a final goodbye to him also.
northern exposure. anyone else miss that show?
way ot here but
remember when maurice went to dinner with his new neighbors? he thought they were "refined" because of the way they dressed and music they listened to. then he found out they were gay!!!!!!

Posted: 5/18/2001 5:47:36 AM EDT

[#17]

If his government wouldn't let him fling dead cows, perhaps it's time he put it to its traditional use.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - PBS Nova episode on trebuchets

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