Marble Cannon - Jeremy Busken and Michael Landis

This is a tutorial on how to construct a marble cannon that is capable of shooting between 2 and 5 meters.

Step 1: Required Materials

Materials Required:
1. Drill with a phillips head tip and a 9/16 inch drill bit

2. 5 ft by 3.25-inch wooden plank

3. 13, 1 inch screws

4. 7 in by 15 in wooden plank for base

5. Two, 9/16 in dowel rods

6. Four zip ties

7. A roll of electric tape

8. Four, 3/4 inch screws

9. 1 inch by 16-inch PVC pipe

10. 1.25-inch pipe head

11. PVC pipe glue

12. 1 inch washer

Step 2: Cut the Largest Board

Cut the 5ft board into 4 smaller boards. The first two boards should be 7.25 inches tall. The second set of boards should be 19.5 inch tall. All four boards will be 3.25 inches wide.

Step 3: Drill Holes in Larger Set of Boards

Measure 15 inches from the bottom of the board and drill a hole. Drill the hole using a 9/16 inch drill bit.

Step 4: Connect the Base

Place the two long boards on each side of the base and then insert the 14 inch dowel rod. Then place the two smaller boards in between the larger boards more support.

Step 5: Screw the Base Together

This step will require 12 screws. The first screw will go in the bottom of the board and connect direct to the base. The next four screws will go into the smaller connecting boards. This process is repeated on the other side of the board.

Step 6: Construct the Mechanism

Place the pipe head on the PVC pipe and drill a 3/4 inch hole directly in center. The hole should be slightly larger than the Dowel rod that will run through it.The next step is to glue the pipe head to the pipe.

We must next construct the internal mechanism. First, you must screw a washer into the end of the larger dowel rod. This acts as a stop and helps keep the springs in place. Then you must place four strings on the end on the rod.

The last step to to connect the two pieces. Place the end without stopper into the end of the PVC pipe without the cap.