Rubber Band Gatling Gun

While the manual crank, Rubber Band Gatling Gun concept is not new, I decided to try my hand at building one for each of my five nephews this year for Christmas instead of simply buying another toy that would inevitably end up at the bottom of a toy box somewhere.

Eight shafts circle an octagon block to form the barrel of the gun while a spool and crank provide the action. The handle guard allows a mounting point for the spool assemble while the handle itself uses a smaller diameter dowel to connect the barrel with the handle.

How it works:

String winds around the barrel while rubber bands stretch along the top of each shaft so that the string rests underneath the rubber band. The process is repeated for each shaft of the barrel until the string runs out or the shaft will no longer accommodate more rubber bands.

As the spool is cranked, the string is wound through a guide and onto a spool which rotates the barrel and in turn, lifts each rubber band from the shaft propelling it forward.

The gun will rapid fire at least 24 rubber bands but most likely more since the only limitation is the length of string used and the amount of bands that will physically fit on a single shaft.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Rubber
• Band
• Gatling
• Gun