Ready the Cannons!

Book excerpt: From the author of Backyard Ballistics comes this new DIY handbook on building cannons and other fun things that shoot, from wiffle ball launchers and beverage bottle bazookas to super-powered water guns and model culverins. It combines military history and physics with do-it-yourself projects. Now ordinary folks can construct a dozen awesome artillery devices in their garage or basement workshops using inexpensive household or hardware store materials and this step-by-step guide. Clear instructions, diagrams, and photographs show how to build projects ranging from the simple supersonic ping-pong ball shooter to the more complex replica of the Napoleon Cannon. With a strong emphasis on safety, the book also gives tips on troubleshooting, tells the history of how and when the artillery devices were used, and explains the physics behind the projects. This book will be indispensable for the legions of backyard watergunners, model-rocket launchers, and fireworks fanatics who wish every day was the fourth of July.