Awesome Mini Catapult!

Have you ever wanted a simple, easy to build, powerful Mini Catapult?!  Who hasnt!

This is a very simple yet powerful plastic spoon type catapult that utilises the elasticity of 4 rubber bands.

You will need:

Tools-
-Dremel
-Dremel cut-off disk
-Chisel (or sharp knife)
-Drill
-8mm drill bit
-2mm drill bit
-Ruler
-Pencil
-Safety glasses (for Dremel)
-Hacksaw, file (if you don't have a Dremel)
-Saw
-Hot glue gun

Materials-
-Plastic spoon
-4 rubber bands
-Nails
-Timber (26mmx23mmx260mm or similar)

Ok lets get started!

Ps. It took longer to make this instructable then it took to build the catapult!

Picture notes coming soon 






   

Saw the timber into 4 pieces; 2x85mm, 65mm and 24mm

Draw a line 20mm from the end of one the 85mm pieces of timber on the widest face (the 26mm face on mine) 

Make a little cross in the centre of this line, this is where you are going to drill

Do the same for the other 85mm piece of timber

Drill the holes with the 8mm drill bit

Take the burrs off the holes with the chisel

Take a nail and hold it like in the picture and hit it with the hammer until it is sunken into the wood, creating a slot that the nail fits perfectly into. Repeat with other piece.

Take the nails out of the wood. Thread all 4 rubber bands through at once through one of the holes in one of the pieces of timber. On the slot side, pass a nail through all 4 rubber bands and pull tight. Then thread the loose end through the other piece, pass the nail through the bands and pull tight. Refer to the pictures.

Place the 24mm piece between the 2 pieces connected by the rubber band and position it 20mm from the opposite end from the bands. Place the 65mm piece just in the other end as to hold the whole thing open. Then using the 2mm drill bit drill a pilot hole through one of the 85mm pieces, and into the 24mm piece. Then hammer a nail into the hole you have just made. Repeat on the other side.

Put a small piece of waste wood or something similar between the rubber bands and twist! The amount of times you wind it is completely up to you depending on how much power you want out of this amazing machine >:)
When you've finished twisting, slide the end of the spoon inbetween the rubber bands right beside the waste wood or whatever you used, then pull the waste wood out.

Alternatively you could just wind the nails to wind up the rubber bands, but i didnt thing of doing that at the time!

Now trim the bottom of the spoon so it doesnt hit the surface the catapult is resting on.

Position the 65mm piece of timber like in the picture,  20mm from the end (or any measurement that causes the body of the spoon to rest flat against the side of the stop), drill pilot holes then nail as far as the nails will go without passing through the bottom.

Using the Dremel and cut-off disk or hacksaw, trim the nails flush with the wood. Round off the sharp edges of the nails with the Dremel or file.

Put a blob of hot glue just under the rubber bands on the spoon to keep everything in place.

And you're done!