HuntsmanSling wrote on Apr 11
th, 2013 at 3:53pm:
How did you get into making siege weapons? Are all of your recreations on a semi-small scale? Thanks for sharing! Now I want to get into this!
I just sort of fell into trebuchets (haven't built other types, but am considering an onager). I saw a TV show on "reconstructing" Edward 1's War Wolf, silly because nobody knows anything about its construction, just a contest between 2 full-sized trebs. Then, checking out sites on medieval re-enactors I found the Grey Company, some Aussies who have built a number of siege engines. They had a link to some other sites, notably RLT Enterprises and Ripcord's (former poster here). Those showed some small trebs, and I needed a hobby, so I started.
As to size, my two biggest had frames about 6 feet (1.8m) tall. Smallest was designed to fit into a cube 2 feet on a side, threw tennis balls over 70 feet. I mostly work solo and can't handle bigger items. You can read about my stuff on a constantly-under-construction web site
Trebs on the Web. Or for current activity, Eastvale Trebuchet Works on Facebook.
My philosophy is that the frame doesn't directly affect performance; it's there to provide solid support for the moving pieces that do. So make a sturdy frame the right size and go ape with the arm, sling, counterweight, etc.
SquirrelSlinger, I've built a few trebs using Gorilla Glue instead of nails (hate those) or screws. Holds up under throwing but deteriorates from weathering. This one is glued construction:
http://youtu.be/JLDS21YdEBc