house design using popsicle sticks

this article of desktop weaponry accommodatesmultiple rounds of ammunition, launches exploding tipped cross-bow bolts, and slings woodenmatches over 30 feet away. in this project we're turning some ordinary household items,into a surprisingly versatile, micro-crossbow. to start this project, we'll need a handfulof popsicle sticks, and a template showing how to cut them. you'll see how to get onefor free in just a minute. once the popsicle sticks are all marked, we can use somethinglike a pair of gardening shears to cut the pieces to size without ever having to makea single measurement. you can get your free template by clicking the icon, or by followingthe link in the description. alright, now that our pieces are cut, let's paint themcompletely black. and that can be done quickly

and easily with a permanent marker. the inkwill probably take just a minute to dry, so now would be a good time to round up somemetal hair clips. we're only going to need 2 of them, and you can see that with a littlemanipulation, the inside clip breaks off cleanly at the bottom. now the first step of assemblyis securing the clips to the wooden supports with a bit of hot glue, so that when it cools,the limbs arch away from each other in a bow shape. now let's go ahead and add some hotglue to the inside of the arch so we can press the second support firmly into place. i cleanedup the excess glue with a utility knife, and now we should be good to set this to the side,and move on to making the pistol grip. the outer rail needs just enough hot glue to securethe smaller, "rail spacer" flush with the

tip. you might notice i dropped the top downa touch, to form a little groove about half a matchstick deep. now, it's important thisflight channel stays clean, so we need to check for any excess glue and ensure itall gets removed. at this point we can attach the handle support right behind the spacer,then glue the last rail in place. you can see i left a matchstick in the flight channel,and that's to ensure i get the spacing right. to finish the frame, all we need to do isglue the "pistol grip" panels so they overhang slightly at the back. alright, were goingto need a very shallow groove for catching the bowstring, so let's try using a knifeto carefully whittle out a small catch in the upper rails, in-line with the front ofthe pistol grip. while we're at it, why don't

we use a bit of sand paper to lightly roundthe edges of the barrel to help prevent the bowstring from fraying and breaking. don'tworry about messing up the paint job … it's super easy to touch up make good as new. now,the crossbow starts to come together as the tip of the gun rails are pressed firmly intoa dab of hot glue on the inside of the bow. and about 30 seconds of steady pressure workswell to keep the connection strong as the glue begins to cool. i chose to glue somefillets on the side for added support and durability, and you should be able to seethe flight groove is slightly higher than the limb supports. now, when a matchstick'splaced in the channel, it will hopefully slide freely and without restriction. alright, it'stime to pick out a bow-string. this is embroidery

floss from the craft section of a local supercenter,and i'll be using yellow. now, if we push one end of the floss through the hole in thetip, tie it in place with a double knot, and add a bit of hot glue, it should keep theknot from unravelling. before we go any further, i'm thinking we need a second string gluedto the backside of the bow, and wrapped around the support 8-10 times on each side. thiswill reinforce the connections exponentially, and a small dab of hot glue should keep thestring from unravelling. alright, let's get back to the bow string. we'll need to twistit around a few times to keep it tight, then flex the hair clips a little before synchingdown another double knot. you can see this will keep tension on the string and increasethe draw weight of the bow. of course we'll

need to add some glue to this knot as well,and trim off the excess thread, but other than that, our basic crossbow is finished.let's try it out by cocking the bowstring, inserting a wooden match for ammunition, andusing our thumbnail to press up gently on the string. you can see the wooden bolts fireoff at incredible speeds, and over 30 feet away. now, occasionally the string will jumpthe bolt, and fail to launch. so let's address that challenge with some pieces from the scrappile. if we glue them to the back and create a makeshift "retention spring", it'll firethe bolt every time. the finger holds the bolt so securely, that it can be fired fromany angle, even upside down. i went ahead and wrapped the handle with yellow thread,and added a couple of mini-clips for additional

ammo. these "side-mount" quivers are simplymade from a plastic drinking straw. i cut two small pieces from off the straw, cappedone end with some hot glue, and attached them to the side of the barrel at a bit of an angle.now when the bolts are inserted, there's plenty of tension to hold them in place, even ifthe crossbow's completely inverted. with this simple modification, we've tripled our easyaccess ammo, which should give a nice edge to our gameplay. now, let's take it to thenext level with some contact explosive bolt heads. i made these ones by securing individualsnappers, to the tips of the sticks with a bit of electrical tape. this is super awesomebecause now our bolts make a bang when they impact a hard target. of course this shouldonly be done outdoors and with adult supervision.

well now you know how to turn some simplehousehold items, into a powerful, and amazingly versatile, micro-crossbow. by the way, ifyou can't find any embroidery floss, try twisting about 4 strands of dental floss instead. itworks great, and it's slippery enough to cock and fire a bolt that's already set in place.well that's it for now. if you liked this project, perhaps you'll like some of my others.check them out at www.thekingofrandom.com

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