A cannon from the new guy

You and Frank should get a long great. He is into that stuff too. Myself I just toy with potato guns, but that can get a person into enough trouble. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpAJOPzKK-M

As for wooden Cannons, I watched a myth busters show where they made a wooden cannon and used steel loops to hold the barrel together. The show got kind of goofy as deliberately tried to blow it up, but I think you could easily make a potato type gun out of wood and steel rings:dunno: I would try it, but I have already tempted fate way to much this winter, so I'll present the idea to you and the professional cannon makers out there.
 
You definitely caught my attention with that one. I haven't had a chance to look at all the pictures yet but will after church. Where did you get the barrel, South Bend Ordinance Works? If you did and talk to them again, tell Barney I said "Hi". I'll be interested in seeing your wheels, those are a challenge. Your choice of wood might not be traditional but certainly will set you apart as having the most beautiful carriage. What size is it?
You sure look like you know what you are doing, but if you need loading data or anything, I have a pretty good library of reference work I'll be happy to share. Carry on. :thumb:
 
Thanks guys
Frank I got the barrel from Grey Star Cannon works. From what I have found the wood that they used back in the day was primarily oak or maple. I just used purty maple:thumb:
Travis wrong branch, Navy not Marines.:rofl:
 
Great job on the loud shop defense tool. Definitely woodworking in my book!

A long time ago, and a couple of lifetimes ago in 1976 my scout troop built a mock-up cannon out of PVC pipe. We did a lot of the prep-work at meetings before hand, but the final assembly was at a camporee at the Oriskany Battlefield. I forget where we got the plans, but we had a blast with that silly thing. (waking up the scoutmaster at a camp-out, firing it off across a lake when some other troop decided that their bugler should play reville at dawn each day. (man could he run!))

I don't remember precisely what fuel we used, but I do remember that we had to mix it with water and the fumes were what ignited. It didn't do anything but make noise, but it was impressive when it did. For a couple of years it lived at our house, but I dont' recall what ever happened to it in the end.
 
Frank its a 1/3 scale 38" long about 125 pounds 1 1/2" bore takes about 2 oz of powder for a nice report.
I have to find a source for cotton draw string bags that are 1 1/2" by 3" so I can pre load powder and it will be more authentic looking when loading.
A charge would have been measured and put in a cotton sack in the powder magazine. The powder monkey would run from the magazine to the cannon with a charge in a leather bag, to keep it safe from sparks. When the command was given the charge was removed from the leather bag and loaded. A dipper cup can be used to load, but they more common on land.
The other thing I need to figure out is a lintstock wick I have tried soaking a piece of cotton rope in gun powder but it does not burn real well and I am having trouble lighting the powder with it.
 
I used to know the formula for making gun cotton. Will ponder on that. Is the Bull Durham tobacco company still in business? I'll betcha you could buy thar cotton bags in quantity if ye wrote a letter.
 
Travis wrong branch, Navy not Marines.:rofl:

Okay, Navy I can still relate...

Near me there is this old granite Fort called Fort Knox. Last summer Alyson and I went there and learned something as she played around some cannonballs. Apparently on ships, they had this brass plate called a "Monkey" that had holes in it.This kept the bottom rolls of cannonballs inline on a rolling and pitching ship. If you held the bottom row in place,the pyramid of cannonballs would stay in place.

Well when the temp got real cold, the brass would contract at a different rate then the cannonballs.When that happened the balls would roll around the ship and have to get picked up. That was when the Navy coined this phrase...

"Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." It sounds like it was derived from a dirty expression, but it really wasn't.

Now you know, but probably didn't care :dunno: :)

Aly_and_Cannonballs.JPG
 
Okay, same granite fort. (Fort Knox,Prospect Maine)....

Now this fort was designed to help protect the city of Bangor from naval attack. For that reason they had two of these cannonball heaters. They started a coke fire underneath this oven,then placed the cannonballs on the high side and let them roll down to the bottom. The heat from the fire would turn these cannonballs cherry red.

The powder monkeys would then carry them via tongs to the 30 pound,and 15 pound cannons and fire them at the ships. Being wooden hulled vessels,the cannonballs would set them afire.

Its hard to see in the pictures,but this fort was situated pretty well on a high bluff at a turn in the river. A ship did not have a chance!!

I posted these replies thinking you may find them interesting. I know this is semi-unrelated to your original post,so I apologize if this holds little interest for you.

Hot_Shot_Furnace.JPG


Travis_On_Cannon.JPG


Big_Cannon.JPG
 
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AAARRRRR! Chuck, be you a pirate woodworker?

That be some fine work on yur cannon! AAAARRRR!!!! :rofl::rofl:


---------- Just kidding about the pirate thing, Nice work! Welcome to Family Woodworking :wave:
 
I don't know if this is really flat work but here goes.
This is the link to my cannon making adventure.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24287523@N04/sets/72157604023182259/
Thanks for looking.
It's got flatwork, roundwork, and metalwork. Sounds like a hat trick to me. ;)

I do believe that's the first time I've seen a curly maple canon. I'll have to show that to my brother-in-law. He's a Viking re-enactor, but he's also into Ren Faire and other historical-type stuff.
 
Oh I can relate to Vikings too Vaughn. They claim Leaf Erickson visited Maine WAY before Columbus discovered the new world. In one of his diaries he describes a land of rocks and miles and miles of low grape vines off the Greenland Coast.

Many people believe he was in what is now Downeast Maine where there is miles and miles of natural blueberry fields. The skeptics say they could not have circumnavigated because they did not have compasses then, but myself, I don't think that would have stopped such seafaring people.

barharbor.jpg
 
Frank its a 1/3 scale 38" long about 125 pounds 1 1/2" bore takes about 2 oz of powder for a nice report.
I have to find a source for cotton draw string bags that are 1 1/2" by 3" so I can pre load powder and it will be more authentic looking when loading.
A charge would have been measured and put in a cotton sack in the powder magazine. The powder monkey would run from the magazine to the cannon with a charge in a leather bag, to keep it safe from sparks. When the command was given the charge was removed from the leather bag and loaded. A dipper cup can be used to load, but they more common on land.
The other thing I need to figure out is a lintstock wick I have tried soaking a piece of cotton rope in gun powder but it does not burn real well and I am having trouble lighting the powder with it.

I've been trying to find the old formula for making guncotton. The acid soak bit is not what I recall. Enneyhow....I posted the question on one of my muzzle loading forums. Not much useful came back until today. Note this exchange:

<<<<<He could probably treat his bags with potassium nitrate
> and sugar so they would quickly burn to ash after/during
> the shot.


Sounds good but there is a small problem with that...

Unlike your usual muzzle loader you load a cannon
horizontally. This means that the powder doesn't necessarily
reach the bottom until you ram it. Cannon shooters who want
to keep their hands attached are paranoid about anything
down there that might hold a spark. They worm them and wet
swab between every shot and are kinda picky about what they
put in there :eek:) >>>>
 
Frank its a 1/3 scale 38" long about 125 pounds 1 1/2" bore takes about 2 oz of powder for a nice report.
I have to find a source for cotton draw string bags that are 1 1/2" by 3" so I can pre load powder and it will be more authentic looking when loading.
A charge would have been measured and put in a cotton sack in the powder magazine. The powder monkey would run from the magazine to the cannon with a charge in a leather bag, to keep it safe from sparks. When the command was given the charge was removed from the leather bag and loaded. A dipper cup can be used to load, but they more common on land.
The other thing I need to figure out is a lintstock wick I have tried soaking a piece of cotton rope in gun powder but it does not burn real well and I am having trouble lighting the powder with it.

My friend, Robin, in England, is a very enthusiastic restorer/shooter of original old guns, including the occasional cannon. I wrote him and asked what can be done to make a slow burning linstock. His reply:
"Hemp sash cord, cotton is good, (DT fuse?) needs the kind
without the plastic core. Soaked in saltpetre solution and
hung out to dry. For ACW cannon slow match you can use lead
acetate, burns without sparks and without the hard ash you
get with SP. Doesn't burn hot enough for matchlocks but
works for cannon"

I don't know what he means by "ACW cannon". If you can't figure it out, I'll write him and ask.
 
"ACW" revealed

Once again, I wrote my friend, Robin, in England. His reply below:

Thanks, Robin. But what is "ACW cannon" ?

Hi Frank

You have to remember you're dealing with foreigners here :eek:)

American Civil War

best regards

Squire Robin
 
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