Imajalapeno Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 Hello there, I need some help with plans for a ballista( a big crossbow). It's for my friends larping thing in Harrisonburg Va. It needs to be small enough to fit in a 6th bed and fire a javelin(which weighs about 2-4 pounds). Any and all recommendations are welcome, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 ummmmm ya are you planing on storming the castle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 The problem comes that the bow needs to be able to fire the javelin. Yet in order to get that, it needs to be able to bend, flex, and be pretty much one piece. (Laminations can be done with bolts, but the bolted areas become weak points.) Going by theory here, you could set it up as a tripod or easle stand, a long body to hold the bolt, and then a two or three part bow. Or, for convenience sake, take a look at the Mythbuster's design/video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DvdKvdoViI. While not specifically a ballista, you might find some inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 I believe historical ballistas often had two pivoting arms instead of a bow. Each arm was mounted into a twisted rope which provided the "spring" needed to fire the javelin. Here's a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imajalapeno Posted February 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 Well thanks for the help(except comment #1) I also saw one with two pieces of metal connected with a spring in the middle, could I replace the metal with wood yah think?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 hey i thouht my comment was the most entertaining..............after all how often do people make there own war machines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFatBaron Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 One thing to consider - it's just just "how can I build a ballista" - it's also "how can I build a ballista that will throw a projectile while not hurting the other guy." Check out this article at Ars Technica for some details about a bigger LARP. They mention ballistas specifically on page 3. Obviously, I don't think you're going to be using the leaf spring from a truck, but still... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 I saw something like this on Montey Python and the Holy Grail. Do you shoot the javelins while they are still alive or do you kill them first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 Ima, I think there were several videos on building one of these on one of the British archaeology websites. I don't recall which one, but if you google it, you should find something on "siege machines". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch02 Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 This page has a decent picture of how a ballista works. You could follow that page's amazon link to buy the kit, or just infer from that picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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