catapult hunting?

[Jan]

I have been trying to decide what kind of wood is best to make a catapult out of, after viewing the youtube link, it seems that this guy makes his out of plywood, just not sure what thickness, any ideas....

[Jack]

It's it just ply, its LAMINATED ply, probably birch.
I use the same stuff to make gunstocks and a few catapults.

[bigpaul]

the best wood for making stuff out of is ASH!

[I-K-E]

(21 April 2013, 16:10)bigpaul Wrote: the best wood for making stuff out of is ASH!

let hope they find a variety that is resistant to the fungus causes ash dieback disease.

and replant before the SHTF

[bigpaul]

(21 April 2013, 18:14)I-K-E Wrote:

(21 April 2013, 16:10)bigpaul Wrote: the best wood for making stuff out of is ASH!

let hope they find a variety that is resistant to the fungus causes ash dieback disease.

and replant before the SHTF

well, i have to admit it would be handy if they could do that please!!

[Jack]

Depends on the "stuff" BP, Walnut is the best in gunstocks, and would of thought Ash broke to easy in bows? Not sure if its any good as a tone wood though?
Laminated woods, woods that are glued together either with parallel grain or crossing grains are extremely versatile... Probably no good in bows but its practically water proof and isn't effected by temperature change. You can also get some really unique looking effects from laminate, though an after thought in prepping I do like to add a little flare to my creations

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I'm not saying ash is no good in bows by the way, just an observation on the wood itself as I'm not familiar with crafting a bow.
Isn't Yew supposed to be the best in that department though?

[bigpaul]

(21 April 2013, 18:31)Jack Wrote: Depends on the "stuff" BP, Walnut is the best in gunstocks, and would of thought Ash broke to easy in bows? Not sure if its any good as a tone wood though?
Laminated woods, woods that are glued together either with parallel grain or crossing grains are extremely versatile... Probably no good in bows but its practically water proof and isn't effected by temperature change. You can also get some really unique looking effects from laminate, though an after thought in prepping I do like to add a little flare to my creations

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I'm not saying ash is no good in bows by the way, just an observation on the wood itself as I'm not familiar with crafting a bow.
Isn't Yew supposed to be the best in that department though?

i just said ASH cos i know its very good for tool handles and stuff, Yew would be a good substitute tho!

[Mortblanc]

Here in the states the historically favored wood for the old style catapaults was apple.

As a kid I used anything that was sturdy and available. I used a lot of boxwood, lot of pear.

Mine were made form the natural forks and not boards or plywood.

I have not made one in50 years but I still can not bring myself to throw away elastic bands!

[Tartar Horde]

Ash can be used for making a bow, as can almost any wood, the only difference being the performance as compared to other "Bow" woods. Ash was the preffered wood for making English war Arrows because as Roger Askham (Toxophilus) stated "it gives the best Stripe". Yew is the best European wood to use for Bows, and the best does not come from England nor ever did!! the vast majority of Yew staves imported for bows during the Hundred years war were from Italy, as Yew grown at high altitude is the best because the growth rings are closer together than Lowland grown Yew. For those Colleagues living in North America you are blessed with having access to the two best woods there are for making bows, Yew and Osage Orange, the best Yew comes from the Cascade mountain Range, Osage Orange I'm not sure about the geographical distribution, but I believe it has a more Southern range and can be found at lower altitudes than the best Yew.

[Mortblanc]

Osage originated in the south central U.S. in the area around Oklahoma. It was origionally confined to that area but has become a nationwide distrubution due to a fluke of modern marketing and the railroad.

Osage is very rot resistant and was peromoted and the perfect wood for fence posts. It was cut and shipped by railroad all over the nation during the lat 19th century.

No one seemed to have told anyone that osage propogates by cuttings and it is not particular about the size of the "cutting" it sprouts from. Many of the green posts sprouted and became trees with fences attached too them.

In the area where I live the best osage for bows is found growing in groups of trees lined up like a row of soldiers, where the fence posts sprouted long ago, the trees have flouished and the fences rusted away half a century ago.

Osage is a good bow wood but is incredably difficult to work and does not grow in nice long straight lengths. Most osage bows will be short by English standards. Seldom more than 4 feet long.

Our eastern natives used a great deal of elm and hickory for their bows, and both woods are excellent for the purpose.

Bsck in the days before our economic embargo against Cuba the favored bowmaking wod in our area was actually Lemonwood, imported from the sunny island. It has such a dense grain that one did not need to worry about runout or splitting due to crossing the grain.