Cardboard Portcullis

Since I was a kid I always loved those giant medieval castle gates also known as a portcullis. so I recently made one out of cardboard and some wooden sticks (dowel rods)

Step 1: Making of the Gate

So I started by sharpening the sticks. I mount one end of the each stick to the drill and grind the other end on with a sanding disc. then I drilled some holes for the horizontal sticks on the gates body and glued the vertical ones over them.

Step 2: The Ratchet and Belt Pulleys

I started drawing the ratchet gear on cardboard then made a pulley and glued them into one piece. then made the small pulley to connect the pulley via an elastic belt. Obviously, the combination of the small pulley which drives the bigger pulley increases the torque, plus I added a long handle for turning the small pulley which again increases the torque even more.

Step 3: Installing the Gate and Connecting the Rope

I attached the gate's frame with hot glue and made a piece for the top. Then connected the two pulleys with a couple of ice cream sticks and glued them to the base. made a pulley for the rope and connected it to the shaft which the big pulley and ratchet gear were using. In the end, connected one end of the rope to the gate, passed the rope through a pulley on top of the gate, and connected the other end to the rope pulley.

Step 4: Let's Do It!

ok, at this point our portcullis is ready to run, so I started turning the handle and the smaller pulley drove the bigger one and each ratchet tooth passes the ratchet lock was followed by a click. The rope started to twist over the pulley and pulled the gate up. When the gate reached the top of the frame I pulled the ratchet release handle and the gate dropped and it was so satisfying!

I hope you enjoyed this Instructable, you can also check the video tutorial of this project by clicking on the video which is located at the top of this page. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below and
also, you can check my YouTube channel for more projects like this.