The first time we fired it, we had no idea what would happen. We launched a brick. It went straight up in the air and almost hit the trebuchet. We had attacked ourselves. On the second attempt the brick went backwards and we lost it. Eventually we decided to use a tennis ball filled with sand. It had sufficient heft, and was easier to find in the weeds. Eventually, through a heuristic method, we were able to toss the projectile 187 feet.
André setting up the trebuchet for firing.
Trigger mechanism
Release mechanism - changing the angle of the steel bar controlled the timing of the release of the projectile.
Construction details
Weight - beer was used as a lubricant
Front view, as seen from the castle.