How to Make a Tennis Ball Catapult
Learn how to make a tennis ball catapult with this step-by-step guide. You’ll need a few supplies and some basic instructions to get started.
Gather your materials
You will need the following materials to make your own tennis ball catapult:
-A large piece of cardboard
-A hot glue gun and glue sticks
-Scissors
-Tape
-Markers or pens
-Ruler
-2 rubber bands
-1 popsicle stick
Once you have gathered all of your materials, you are ready to begin making your very own tennis ball catapult!
Cut the PVC pipe
Start by cutting two pieces of 2-foot long PVC pipe. You can use a hacksaw, but a miter box with a fine-toothed saw will give you much cleaner cuts.
Assemble the catapult
1. Cut two pieces of wood that are 30 cm long and 3.8 cm wide. These will be the arms of the catapult.
2. Make a mark in the center of one of the pieces of wood, 5 cm from one end. This is where you will attach the crossbar.
3. Cut a piece of wood that is 10 cm long and 3.8 cm wide. This will be the crossbar.
4. Make a mark in the center of the crossbar, 5 cm from each end. These are where you will attach the arms.
5. Drill holes at each mark on both the arms and the crossbar. The holes should be big enough for your dowel to fit through snugly.
6. Cut two pieces of dowel that are 25 cm long. These will be used to attach the arms to the crossbar
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Attach the tennis ball
To attach the tennis ball, first tie a knot in the middle of the elastic band. Then, tie the other end of the elastic band around the tennis ball. Make sure the knot is tight so that the tennis ball doesn’t fall off.