Biggest bow in the world?

[gwynn]

I may have posted this before, in which case apologies......
Fort Nelson, just outside Portsmouth is/was home to Da Vinci's crossbow, built mostly to his spec.

To give you an idea of the size, the wheels are 6' across.

Sadly they never used it [couldn't find a spare telegraph pole for a bolt] I'm told the changes they made to DV's spec ['cos we know better don't we] made it unsafe - but.... if they had stuck to his spec and shot it....?
Me, me, I wanna do it! What sort of backstop do you use for that?
The biggest? Or do you know otherwise?

[Kae]

Didn't they reproduce one of these and shoot it?? I seem to remember that there "safer" version exploded. The general consensus was that DV's design actually made more sense.

I think a small mountain would be a reasonable backstop for it


Kae.

[gwynn]

this is the one, I think the prods developed a crack or something

[Justboy]

Would love to try and see a good bare shaft goup or paper tune for that bad boy

[vertek]

if u used todays technology.An didnt have it on wheels but on a foundation you could make a huge ballista thing.

Do u know the cata pult system on aircraft carriers if u used a modified version of that would be insane.

Edit= ballista is wrong meant to say scorpion

[NoobArcher]

a timebusters team or time team or something built one....some team who built a wooden submarine based on someones ancient designs. It fired once but they deemed it unsafe to try a second time.

[Malcy]

Originally Posted by vertek

if u used todays technology.An didnt have it on wheels but on a foundation you could make a huge ballista thing.

Do u know the cata pult system on aircraft carriers if u used a modified version of that would be insane.

Edit= ballista is wrong meant to say scorpion

I'm sure I read somewhere that if you launced a mini (original one...but still sh!t) from and Aircraft carrier steam catapult, it would throw the mini about 12 miles!!!!

Best thing for them I would say!

[vertek]

rofl. Imagine that

[N.Vodden]

nah it wouldnt chuck it that far...

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/writin...ing_a_ford.jpg

hehee, sure its a photoshop but still great

seen a video of a steam catapult launching an F14 and its engines failing mid launch, the catapult just pushes it off the side.

[its my party and]

Originally Posted by Malcy

I'm sure I read somewhere that if you launced a mini (original one...but still sh!t) from and Aircraft carrier steam catapult, it would throw the mini about 12 miles!!!!

Best thing for them I would say!

I took a 1275GT stripped down version to the Finals of the national grass track racing champs in Northampton in 1983 coming second to a ledgendary Hillman Imp that was unbeaten on grass and gravel for 4 years so they especially the 1275GT were classic racing cars that never broke down 105 races on 1 engine. How does that compare to Honda F1 this year!
Ow and by the way! The force required to throw 675Kg 12 miles would be closer to neutron instead of steam!