Log in

View Full Version : Engineers and Pumpkins

carpenma
25-10-2009, 23:31
So, the time of year for carving pumpkins is upon us. Today my family took part in this yearly event. When my Dad took out his reciprocating saw (we used a power drill last year and next year we're gonna use a CNC mill :) ) to form his pumpkin I got to thinking what other interesting things can happen when you mix pumpkins with engineers? Anyone have any interesting stories or comments concerning this?
Trying to Help
26-10-2009, 01:10
Here, they fling pumpkins with a large trebuchet. www.yankeesiege.com

Trying to Help
CraigHickman
26-10-2009, 01:46
At my work we're planning a pumpkin carving machine that takes a .jpg in black and white and carves it out with a dremel on an arm. I'll throw a picture up here once we finish it.
Greg Needel
26-10-2009, 03:03
I saw this blog last year do a cnc picture carve thought it would aways be fun to do it. http://lumenlab.com/2008/10/pumpkin/
Adama
26-10-2009, 10:33
Dremel carving. Its a bit messy but very precise and easy. Just use the drywall plunge cutter.
Andrew Schreiber
26-10-2009, 10:42
Dremel carving. Its a bit messy but very precise and easy. Just use the drywall plunge cutter.

Yeah, be prepared to clean your ceilings, your walls, and your cat.
DUCKIE
26-10-2009, 12:09
The World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' (based right here in Delaware) is still my favorite.

For those not in the know.... the competition has a few different types of Chunkers.
-Air Cannons
-Centrifugal
-Catapults
-Trebuchets
-Human Powered
-Torsion

Teams are going for distance.
Pumpkins that disintegrate before leaving the barrel do not count.
EricH
26-10-2009, 13:49
A few weeks ago, some engineering students at my school were given standard trebuchets (with certain allowed modifications) and the challenge:

Hit a tractor tire at a certain distance. The "victims" were about the size of two fists.

Some pumpkins survived... the ones that weren't shot.
dlavery
26-10-2009, 17:18
http://trampolinesundays.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/pumpkin.JPG

This is still my very favorite.






.
Cory
26-10-2009, 17:47
That is unreal, Dave.

Someone must have spent days making that.
Carol
27-10-2009, 09:21
The World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' (based right here in Delaware) is still my favorite.

For those not in the know.... the competition has a few different types of Chunkers.
-Air Cannons
-Centrifugal
-Catapults
-Trebuchets
-Human Powered
-Torsion

Teams are going for distance.
Pumpkins that disintegrate before leaving the barrel do not count.

Andrea's right - this event is amazing. The winner last year shot their pumpkin 4483.51 feet. (Probably with an air cannon)

Last year a couple of MOE students took 2nd place wiith their school machine in the youth trebuchet division, flinging their pumpkin 694.06 feet.

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/