The Backyard Ogre Catapult

This is the Backyard Ogre Catapult

The base of this catapult is two feet long and the throw arm is about three feet long. It is made from 2x3's but you can make it from 2x4's also. It took me about two hours to make it.

This page is all about this catapult and how you can make one yourself.

Safety Note: This is a powerful catapult that uses a bungee cord as its power source. You must use safety precautions when building and using it! And you must absolutely wear safety glasses when firing it off. This is in case the bungee cord breaks. And never fire any type of solid object with it. I use balls of aluminum foil and it works just as well with a tennis ball.

How far does it shoot? Quick Answer: A lot of people email me and ask how far this catapult fires. And to be honest its not a very powerful catapult. You may be able to get about ten yards out of it in the current configuration. It is just an easy to build catapult with no hassle. You can get a lot more out of it though if you use several bungee cords or surgical tubing. And if you change the wooden broomstick and hole configuration to something more efficient like a bearing or some kind of a set up with less friction like a teflon rod.

Have other people Made the Ogre Catapult? Or do you want to make one just a little bit smaller? Here is a user submitted version of the Ogre.

Like the Ogre Catapult but want to make one a little smaller? This is called
"The Little Ogre" and it was made by a web visitor (John L. and his son.) They made it 75% the size of the original Ogre and also added some nice improvements like a better pivot for the swing arm and a locking mechanism to release it with. More information and pics here. The Little Ogre Catapult

See this catapult in action and learn more about it

How to Build the OGRE Catapult

A Note about Safety Before Starting! Please use all safety equipment when building and using this catapult! It is very powerful. Wear Safety Glasses and follow all safety rules if you are using tools and power tools. This project should not be done by minors without the supervision of an adult. Please be safe and never fire the catapult at a person or at someones personal property. Never fire any hard projectiles from the catapult.

Above is a picture showing all the parts needed to build the OGRE Catapult. I will describe them and tell you a little bit about them. Lets start at the left. You can see that there are some cut notches and some holes drilled in the wood. I will explain what these are and how to do them.

From Left to Right the wood: (All wood is 2x3) The longest one is not quite 2x3 because I used a scrap of wood that I had but you can use a 2x3.

• 2 pieces each 7 1/2 inches long
• 3 pieces 14 inches long
• 2 pieces 24 inches long
• 1 piece 28 inches long
• 1 piece 10 1/2 inches long

The extra stuff along the bottom:

• a cardboard cup (this holds your projectile)
• 2 large and strong eye hooks
• a bunch of long screws (you can use nails but screws are better)
• a bungee cord that is 24 inches long
• a broom handle, dowel or pipe that is about one inch thick and 12 inches long

Okay, once you have these pieces of wood cut to length lets modify a few of them. This is the hardest part and once you have this done the rest of the catapult goes together very quickly and easily. We are going to cut two of the pieces of wood so we can form them into a joint like that shown below. It's not that hard. All you need is a handsaw, a chisel and some safety glasses and gloves. Making this joint is important because it will make your catapult much stronger.

Okay, continue on and I will show you how to do this cut

The annihilator! This is an eight foot long catapult built by a visitor to my website. He sent me pictures, a video and some tips on how he made this monstrous catapult! You can read learn more about it, see the pictures and watch the video of it launching here: Dr.Catapults Annihilator

BOOKS

Want to build a bigger, better, more powerful or fancier catapult? There are some great books available to you. These books, available at Amazon.com will help take your catapult building to new heights! Pun intended!

Catapult Design, Construction And Competition With the Projectile Throwing Engines of the Ancients

The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient Artillery - Nice book that shows you how to build ten different catapult projects, moderate wood working and pvc piping kind of stuff. Good book with complete instructions and materials lists.

Buy from Amazon.com: The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient Artillery

Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis Ball Mortars, and More Dynamite Devices Want to get a little more creative? This book is off the hook!

Buy From Amazon.com Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis Ball Mortars, and More Dynamite Devices

Whoosh Boom Splat: The Garage Warrior's Guide to Building Projectile Shooters

These are the homemade machines that you've dreamed of building, from the high-voltage Night Lighter 36 spud gun to the Jam Jar Jet, the Marshmallow Shooter, and the Yagua Blowgun. Including detailed diagrams and supply lists, Gurstelle's simple, step-by-step instructions help workshop warriors at any skill level achieve impressively powerful results.

Adventures from the Technology Underground: Catapults, Pulsejets, Rail Guns, Flamethrowers, Tesla Coils, Air Cannons, and the Garage Warriors Who Love Them

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Penny into a Radio, Make a Flood Alarm with an Aspirin, Change Milk into Plastic, Extract Water and Electricity ... a TV with Your Ring, and Other Amazing Feats

Gonzo Gizmos: Projects & Devices to Channel Your Inner Geek - It's possible to use optics to roast a hot dog without electricity or a stove; to make a simple radio with just an iron, a few basic circuits and three shiny pennies; and to assemble a simple steam-powered boat with a plastic bottle, a candle, copper tubing and a nail. Of course, only die-hard science nerds would attempt these projects.

Kits and More Siege Engine Projects

Another Interesting Project: How to Build a Trebuchet

The Trebuchet was a unique siege engine of the middle ages. It was extraordinarily powerful and was easier for military engineers to build because it used gravity as the energy source. I also have a complete project on how to make the Little Dragon Trebuchet.

New Product for Summer Fun

The key to winning any good water battle is a strategy. Improve your odds by drenching your opponent with the Water Balloon Catapult. Launch your water balloons the old fashioned way with this catapult that hooks to your feet. Just lay down and let 'em rip! Or, position yourself between two other people and get each of them to hold one of the orange handles, standing approximately 1.5 meters apart. Place a water balloon in the sling launcher and use the red handle on the sling launcher to pull the sling back - until the elastic tubes are tight and ready for firing! Additional water balloons available separately for unlimited fun! Not recommended for children under 8 years old. Purchase extra water balloons now - 100 for $1.99! (search product ID B00068IYLI.) For ultimate team fun, purchase two sets! Buy from Amazon.com: Water Balloon Catapult Set with Hose Adapter and 75 Balloons

Amazon.com also has catapult kits you can build

LEGO® Castle King's Castle Siege - From this mighty Castle, the good King rules over all he surveys - Help him defend the kingdom against the skeleton warriors and their mighty dragon! Firing catapult flings boulders at evil attackers, and moveable walls within the castle help keep the knights safe Moveable walls for multiple build and play scenarios, working drawbridge, firing catapults and oulders and Knock-Down bridge --Includes heroic king and knights, skeleton warriors and constructible dragon --974 Pieces

Catapult Kit - Lay Siege To The Doghouse! Right after you build your own working medieval catapult. All you'll need is glue, scissors and a steady hand to construct this wooden, Canadian-made siege engine kit. The finished catapult stands 6" tall x 5" wide x 10" long and will toss assorted stuff (meatballs?) 15 feet or further, depending upon the stuff. Comes with detailed instructions. Note: Please don't propel small mammals, and please don't put anyone's eye out.

Science Project Experiment Catapult Kit (S.P.E.C.K.)

The Ultimate Science Project Experimenter's Catapult Kit! It's fully adjustable, multi-configurable and repeatable. It's a perfect model for learning the scientific method! All in all, there are more than 400 different configurations and tuning options possible with this kit. Suitable for hundreds of experiments and learning opportunities. The completed frame is 14.5 inches long, 7 inches wide and 11 inches tall. The arm measures 20.25 inches long with multiple axle and power attachment points. This machine can hurl projectiles up to 40 feet, depending on configuration, tuning, and lots of other variables! What you can learn: This kit provides a real world, hands on example of many aspects of basic physics. It exposes the student to concepts of mechanical advantage, levers, gravity and energy, to name a few. It can demonstrate the storage and conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy through levers, and it is equipped with optional wheels, to demonstrate conservation of momentum. All in all, the concepts of efficiency, power and work can be demonstrated and applied. This kit is useful for teaching engineering, science, design of experiments, problem solving and cause-effect relationships. It was designed to get students to think about physics in a real world, tangible context. Theories can be made and tested; this process, and analyzing why the observed results occur can ultimately lead to other, more advanced concepts in physics, mechanics and mathematics. Analyzing the data can make use of statistical methods from basic averages to much more advanced topics if desired. With 18 pages of instructions including assembly of every basic configuration, suggested experiments, tuning guidelines, independent and dependent variables to record and measure, data tables, historical information about trebuchets and catapults, and more, it should be easy to get started with this Ultimate Science Project Kit!

Looking for a great Catapult Game?

Battleground: Crossbows and Catapults War Chest Starter Set

Build your fortress and position your weapons to protect your kingdom. Battleground is the game that puts you in the heart of the battle between knights and orcs. The War Chest unleashes the epic battle right into your home. Includes castles, crossbows, cannons, figures, building bricks and more -- 80 pieces in all ; Read the great reviews about this game.

What good is a catapult if you don't have a castle to attack!

I have another project you might like. It is the Paper Castle and it has everything you could want in a castle making project including all the art work you can download. You just follow the instructions and make it yourself with some glue and cereal boxes. Build a Paper and Cardboard Castle It also has a learning sheet that helps to learn about castles when you are building it.

If you are looking for something easier to make you might want to try my project on making a popsicle stick catapult. Fast, easy and fun project! Goes great with the paper medieval castle. Make a popsicle stick catapult

Storm The Castle Catapult Game - Build a Popsicle stick catapult and hurl paper balls at the castle. How to make the Game and the catapult are here

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Table of Contents for this tutorial

BACK TO THE CATAPULT MAIN PAGE

1. Make the Table Top Troll Catapult Home and materials requred
2. Begin assembly of the sides and base
3. Assemble the catapult firing arm
4. Complete the assemblly and finish by painting
5. Video of this catapult firing
6. Books/Medieval store
7. Free Catapult Plan

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