Primitive Technology: Rock-Throwing Catapult (Trebuchet)
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Published 2022-08-04
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About This Video:
I built a trebuchet, a type of catapult that uses a counter weight to store gravitational potential energy which is then used to fire a projectile via a sling. I first built the frame which was made of two tripods set close together. They were of wood and lashed together with cane. Then I made a basket from cane to hold the large rocks that would act as the counterweight. For the sling I used bark fiber from dead branches of a certain type of tree. The bark was stripped and the inner bark woven into rope. The rope was then made into a sling using 2 knots and thinner rope was used to weave the sling pouch. A simple toggle release was used hold the throwing arm in position and act as the trigger. The counter weight was then filled with rocks and pulled into position to be held by the toggle. A shot-put sized stone was then placed into the sling pouch. When the toggle was released the stone would be launched 18- 20 meters (the length of the clearing) but could undoubtedly shoot further if more weight was added. Targets were set up and destroyed. Range can be adjusted by adding or subtracting weight from the basket, while shooting to the left or right is done by turning the whole catapult while the basket is empty. The whole build took 5 weeks, the hardest part being collecting the bark fiber to make the rope. The trebuchet is a simple but effective way to deliver payloads to a target destination.
About Primitive Technology:
Primitive technology is a hobby where you build things in the wild completely from scratch using no modern tools or materials. These are the strict rules: If you want a fire, use a fire stick - An axe, pick up a stone and shape it - A hut, build one from trees, mud, rocks etc. The challenge is seeing how far you can go without utilizing modern technology. I do not live in the wild, but enjoy building shelter, tools, and more, only utilizing natural materials. To find specific videos, visit my playlist tab for building videos focused on pyrotechnology, shelter, weapons, food & agriculture, tools & machines, and weaving & fiber.
#PrimitiveTechnology #Trebuchet #Catapult
All Comments (21)
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"The world's in a rough place." "Come on, it's not that bad." "Primitive tech guy is preparing for war." "Damn..."
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I thought I'd make a trebuchet for some variety. Some points on the design, The basket hits the ground on purpose because it would slip off if allowed to swing due to the weak attachment method. This rough and ready design was already getting the range required for this clearing so I didn't bother making a stronger attachment point. In future maybe, I'll drill holes in the throwing arm to attach the basket and pivot point for a more sturdy design. This design is easily built and the viewer should be able to replicate it without trouble. (Also, the animal on the left of the screen at 7:29 is a scrub turkey for those who asked). Thanks.
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Honestly, if there's one guy we need to send on a time capsule back to the stone age, it would be this guy. He'd advance humanity's technology by atleast 2000 years.
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John has also a great sense of humour. "a tax dodging village" lol
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Well, it looks like he finally changed tactics and is now going for a military victory. This is incredibly impressive!
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how did he go from: "weaving sandals" and "planting sweet potatoes" to "extracting iron out of the earth to make a knife" and "medieval siege machines". thank you for being so incredible Sir.Plant edit: i'd say im surprised at the amount of likes, but tbh my comment was kinda fire
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I see that panic at 8:09 when that rock gets remotely close to hitting the camera. Lol! Pretty awesome stuff my dude! I wonder if building the tripods taller would help some. For the scale I think this does amazing. Imagine setting this up with a tribe of 30 warriors. The amount of counter weight you could add would increase the range by a lot, with a taller tripod.
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Anybody else cheered when he successfully cleared the Barbarian Encampment? I'd like to see how much gold he earned from that.
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This man only recently reached Iron Age and now he's constructing high medieval machinery...
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I love the fact that he called his targets "Barbarian encampment", "Tax-dodging village" and "Neighboring kingdom". Just little details that add flavor when you least expect it. Awesome stuff.
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Great to see him building the superior siege weapon
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This honestly looks so much fun. I remember making bow and arrows out of this very specific "bendy" stick that grew in the woods around where i lived. We would also make rubber band guns and use close pins as a trigger and use the metal hinge inside the close pin to add weight to the rubber band bullets. Those things could shoot 40 feet with some velocity if you had the thick rubber bands weaved together.
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No shouts of excitement when hitting the target, just silent admiration of your work. Perfection
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When I was in elementary school, my best friend was obsessed with building trebuchets and we spent many hours in yards and woods building them out of anything we could find. This took me back to those times and it was wonderful to watch.
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what I love about this channel is that he shows us everything. no cuts or materials appearing out of nowhere. it is all his own work and dedication
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"a tax dodging village".... I died
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Can we make a video together? No talking just two shirtless, shoeless men in the forest making things.
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The genuine OG of primitive tech who doesn't have a hidden crew and modern machinery off camera. This is a gem of a channel
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This is how every video starts … he looks behind him finds a stick then after some amazing beautiful construction he has the coolest things imaginable and I can’t believe how much effort he puts in!
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The only youtube channel that's left from the good ol'days of youtube please never stop and never change
