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A miscommunication has led timber framers to drill too big a hole in the arm's axle, compromising its strength. Beffeyte's strategy is to slowly increase the counterweight so as not to stress the arm. The first toss falls woefully short, as expected. Weight is added to the carriage, but still its missiles miss their mark. Before the last toss (the remaining timber framers have a plane to catch) Brandt nudges the ball's guiding ramp a sword's width to the left. The launching prong also is bent slightly. The final toss is a bulls-eye, proving that Edward I of England could have used this giant siege machine to vanquish his Scottish enemies. The men go home satisfied, their hands-on experiment a castle-smashing success. Previous Medieval Arms Race | NOVA Builds a Trebuchet | Life in a Castle Destroy the Castle | Resources | Transcript Medieval Siege | Pharaoh's Obelisk | Easter Island | Roman Bath | China Bridge | Site Map Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated November 2000 |