posted 06-08-2001 09:14 PM            

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I have come to the conclusion that trebuchets don't like being built. I had successfully measured and cut the wood and it successfully fell on my toes a few times. Whack!!-I wonder what Jeff my downstairs neighbor thought of all the banging around. Well he knows what I am up to, I invited him to hurl rocks into the lake with me on vacation. Of course there are the splinters-I got my share of them today. I got covered in sawdust as did my floor. Then my coke got knocked over into the sawdust and made a hugh mess. In attempts at loosely erecting the frame to get an idea of how it would look, it kept trying to fall on me. I am glad that it is not one of those large anti-castle ones! Finally I got one side of the frame up and found out as I had suspected that I probably needed more wood. As it is it would look rather spindly and seems like it might shake itself apart at the first hurl. At this point I gave up because my back was hurting and my legs were stiff so that I was walking around like I needed a cane.

[This message has been edited by Shelly (edited 06-08-2001).]

posted 06-09-2001 01:29 AM            

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LOL (both Dutch and English lol)

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-Mattun-

The world can be as you want, when you are as the world wants you.

posted 06-09-2001 07:57 AM            

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Well, no wall is going to fall on my trebuchet! I am making it so that it can be erected and taken apart easily-I hope, if it doesn't kill me first. How long did that guy work on the boat?

[This message has been edited by Shelly (edited 06-09-2001).]

posted 06-09-2001 08:30 AM            

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I am using a handsaw( aren't I authentic? ). There will be no nails just ropes. and as far as getting onto the elevators I will make more than one trip. I will generally defy the laws of physics for fitting long objects into small spaces like I did when I got the wood. Of course it was difficult for people to get on with me.

Did he ever get his boat seaworthy again?

[This message has been edited by Shelly (edited 06-09-2001).]

posted 06-09-2001 09:09 AM            

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I will have a solid base and a hinged counterweight. I cut the wood in such a way that when it is tied the joints should fit tightly-in theory anyway. I admit it, I know very little about carpentry and that I am sort of winging it.

He sold it after all that work?

posted 06-09-2001 09:36 AM            

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I think your learning about carpentry and some other very ancient skills. How many others do you know that have ever built a treb. Let alone two?
Your plan sounds good and your taking your time in the building phase so it should work just fine.
This may be too late to help but there is a way of cutting joints that when pressure is applied the whole thing becomes stronger. The cuts are made wider at the end which has the most stress and narrows to the opposite end often requring a hammer to put together due to what should be a tight fit. Another ancient bit of knowldge, {no jokes about my age either!}

The guys wife may have had more to do with the selling of the boat. I thnk she said something about all of his luck up to that point and it scared him. I saw the boat off and on undersail for several years after and it seemed very graceful.

posted 06-09-2001 09:57 AM            

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Even if it is too late I would like to know what type of joints they used.

I bet he regretted it afterwards.

[This message has been edited by Shelly (edited 06-09-2001).]

posted 06-09-2001 10:32 AM            

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Have you been to this site? http://www.tfguild.org/fling/fling0.html

I would think that many of the ones we use in Timber Framing today like the three Mortise and Tenon Joints, the English tying joint, lap and maybe even the scarf joint if they were short of wood in long lengths.

posted 06-09-2001 11:20 AM            

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Wow, this lookes like a chatbox..

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-Mattun-

The world can be as you want, when you are as the world wants you.