Office Weapons: Catapults, Darts, Shooters, Tripwires, and Other Do-It-Yourself Projects to Fortify Your Cubicle

Introduction

It’s war!!

If you’ve spent any time in a cubicle, you know that there are times when you might need to fashion some kind of weapon out of office supplies. Maybe you’re waging war on your cubicle neighbor, or simply defending your domain from the devious IT department; whatever your office turmoil, Office Weapons has got you covered. This collection of weaponry are made from easy to find supplies, and can be found in many offices. And, in the spirit of DIY, you can easily substitute some materials for other items you may have on hand instead of the ones listed. Better yet, use the ones here as inspiration and make your own bigger, better version!

Inside, you’ll find grappling hooks, trebuchets, darts and more—all made out of office supplies! We’ve even included some fun non-warfare projects at the end to keep you entertained in times of peace.

—Mike Warren (mikeasaurus)

Editor’s Note

*Special thanks to Instructables Interactive Designer Gary Lu for the Instructables

The wonderful thing about Instructables is that they come in all shapes and sizes. Some users include hundreds of high-quality pictures and detailed instructions with their projects; others take the minimalist approach and aim to inspire similar ideas than to facilitate carbon copies.

One of the biggest questions we faced when putting this book together was: How do we convey the sheer volume of ideas in the finite space of a book?

As a result, if you’re already familiar with some of the projects in this book, you’ll notice that selected photos made the jump from the computer screen to the printed page. Similarly, when dealing with extensive electronic coding or complex science, we suggest that anyone ready to start a project like that visit the Instructables’ online page, where you often find lots more images, links, multimedia attachments, and downloadable material to help you along the way. This way, if you get stuck on a particular step or want more reading on a project, more information is just a click away.

Section 1

Bows and Arrows

• Popsicle Stick Crossbow

• Simple Bottle Cap Crossbow

• Hidden Crossbow

• Reception Desk Paperclip Crossbow

• Arrows for Paperclip Bow

• Easy to make BIC Pen Bow and Arrow

• Clear BIC Pen Bow and Arrow

• How to Make a Mini Wooden Crossbow

The bow and arrow was probably prehistoric man’s first advanced weapon—knowing that there are only so many foes that can be defeated by a club, a more sophisticated approach was needed. The bow and arrow is where we start our office weaponry; a classic ranged weapon that’s silent and accurate.

Making your own bow and arrow out of odds and ends around your cubicle is an easy way to get your feet wet in the world of office warfare. There are simple designs to start with, moving up to more technical types of arrow slingers, for those with loads of time between meetings that really want to build something special. Get ready to nock an arrow and fire! Your coworkers won’t know what hit them.

Popsicle Stick Crossbow

By pmac93

(http://www.instructables.com/id/Popsicle-Stick-Crossbow-2/)

Okay, here’s my made up version of a crossbow. It’s kind of like a BIC pen crossbow on a larger scale. I used gorilla glue on all of the joints of the body, but hot glue would probably work.

Step 1: Materials

• 7 popsicle sticks

• Pen tube (pen minus the writing part and end cap)

• Chip clip or some other strong clip (not a clothes pin)

• Gorilla glue or hot glue

• Bamboo skewers for ammo

Step 2: Make the Body

Start by gluing a popsicle stick perpendicular to two others, as shown in the first picture. Then glue another one down the middle of the two parallel sticks, like the picture. I used other popsicle sticks to support it. Then, glue two more just like the front half of the body, but without the cross piece. Make a notch in each end of the cross piece.

Step 3: Add the Pen Tube and Clip

Glue the pen tube in the center of the front half of the body. This will guide the arrow as it goes out. Now just clip the clip onto the end of the whole thing and put some glue on it so it only opens to the top. Add the rubber band as shown, wrapping it around the notches and onto the end of the pen. It is helpful to put a notch in the end of the pen so the rubber band doesn’t slip off and to help load it.

Step 4: Load and Fire

Shove a bamboo skewer in the pen tube and center it on the rubber band so it stays. Push it all the way in, center it on the body, and clip it. It improves the flight and makes it easier to load if you add a little bit of electrical tape on the front of a skewer. Fire by just unclipping the arrow.

Simple Bottle Cap Crossbow

By tankguy

(http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Bottle-Cap-Crossbow/)

In this Instructable, I’ll show you how to make an easy, simple crossbow from a recycled bottle cap in under 5 minutes. Enjoy, and be safe.

Step 1: Materials

Supplies

• 1 Bottle Cap

• 2 Toothpicks

• 1 Rubber Band

• Tape

Tools

• Scissors

• Swiss Army Knife

Step 2: Holes . . .

First you’ll need to make four holes in the bottle cap, like in the picture. Think of it as two sets of holes that are exactly opposite each other.

To make the holes, I used the can opener on my knife, which has a very sharp point. I then expanded the hole by forcing my screwdriver through it.

Note: Make sure one set of holes is slightly lower than the other so that the toothpicks don’t touch each other.

Step 3: Toothpick

Now put one toothpick through a set of holes and firmly secure with tape. This toothpick will act as the anchor for the rubber band we attach in the next step.

Step 4: Rubber Band

Now secure the rubber band around the toothpick with a Lark’s head hitch. I tried my best to show it with pictures.

Step 5: Ammunition

In order to prepare your toothpick ammo for firing, cut off one of the pointy ends with your scissors. This will allow for better grip when firing.

Step 6: Loading & Firing

To load the crossbow, take your ammunition and thread it through the remaining holes. Now pull it back with the rubber band and fire away.

Step 7: Now What?

Well, there you have it, a pocket sized tooth pick shooting cross bow. You can use your shiny new weapon to annoy people at school, work,