Members project cannons, mortars & howitzers

Hello Fellow Forum Members, after a search of the Forum and not turning anything up, I was just curious as to whether or not there has been a topic where all the forum members could post pictures of their "pet" projects starting, in-progress or completed with information on dimensions, suppliers of fittings & parts etc. to help out new & old members who are either considering taking-on or are mid-project and have ground to a halt based on any number of issues that have faced any of us who have ever built a cannon, mortar or a howitzer in any scale. I will start with this one which is my 18in. barrelled field gun. I started out with what I discovered later was the drawings from the John Muller book A Treatise of Artillery 1780 ("the bible")at the time I only had photo copies of the drawings from the book without the dimension charts and I had the rough casting for the barrel. The timber used in construction of this piece is silky oak for the “cheeks” and turpentine gum for the axle tree and it is coated with Cabots (an Australian brand) maple varnish stain and the iron trimmings have been cold blued and are fixed with pyramid head screws from a company called Horton Brasses (part number ph-6) Its dimensions are as follows overall length 3ft. 4in. overall width 1ft. 10in. wheel diameter 16in. and the barrel as previously mentioned is 18in. long and is cold blued cast iron and it has a seamless liner cast in which gives a calibre of .750, should you require any further information ask away, Regards, Broadarrow

Broadarrow, that is really some nice work! Did you make the wheels too? I wanted to make a field piece but was a bit intimidated by the wheel making part so built a wall/naval gun instead. I scanned the page from the book "Round Shot and Rammers" and printed onto graph paper. Made it fairly easy to get real close to scale of the barrel. Emery

Hi Mazo Kid, you aren't the only one intimidated by the process of making spoked wheels, when I got involved in this interest and I noticed how closely some people looked over the cannons for scale accuracy & detail etc. I decided that I would track down a proper wheelright and have the field carriage built for me as my wood working skills are very ordinary. Tracking down a living wheelright was easier said than done in Australia where it is a rapidly vanishing craft, but, I eventually found a fantastic craftsman after a twelve month search when I had all but decided to give up and build a naval carriage just so I could go and play. The barrel I have was patterned from one of Captain Cooks recovered cannons from the Great Barrier Reef right down to the Cypher. I am so pleased other people enjoy the result of the effort on both our parts, also would you mind posting some pictures of your cannon/cannons Mazo Kid, thanks for your response, Regards,Broadarrow

Hi Broadarrow-that is simply fantastic!nice touch fashioning the cannons after Captain Cooks'--cheers zodd

Hi Zodd, thanks for that compliment, I was just curious as to your location if you are a New South Welshman the pattern of that barrel would be familiar as 90% of cannons on the firing line at competitions here are cast by a local manufacturer of some years experience, the carriage of course is nothing like Cook would have had on the Endeavour being a field carriage and not a naval carriage, have you got a cannon or are you a regular BP shooter and whereabouts? If so post some pictures of your cannon with a story on it here or are you "in the market" as it were? Regards, Broadarrow

BroadArrow, here are two cannons I built. The larger one has a barrel OAL of 22" and a 1" bore. The little one I built 30+ years ago, it has a 6" barrel and a .50 caliber bore. Not up to your quality of work, but I enjoy them. Emery

Hi Mazo kid, heres another one that has been laying around it has a 9in. barrel and is around .58cal. The barrel is cast in gun bronze and the carriage is made of teak (I think!). It was apparently made some years ago as a desktop ornament for the then Governor of New South Wales Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair but he failed to pick it up before he passed away so we ended up with it. Thanks for posting the pictures of your cannons, as to your reference to the quality of my handiwork I would be a fraud if I took credit for it all as I said I had a good craftsman wheelright in my corner as my skills in wood working are horrid any work I do with timber would be considered an act of vandalism! What I was originally hoping to do with this topic was inspire other keen fans of cannons etc. to at least have a crack at getting into the interest by seeing others completed projects or works in progress, all is not lost if you are not skilled with the tools, there is plenty of help on the forum, and I absolutely agree as you said Emery its all about the enjoyment of them, Regards, Broadarrow

Hi All, I just thought I would share these pictures of work in progress on these carriages, one is for me, one is for our fellow forum member 6pounder and the other two are for our other club members. We are hoping that with the appearance of so many cannons at once it will motivate some other club members to drag out their cannons or start a project themselves and then shoot them more often than just once a year if they have them. The carriages are based on those in the John Muller book using the drawings shown in plate V and the dimensions given in the text on ship’s and garrison carriages which were scaled to suit the dimensions of the barrel pattern we have which is pictured above in the first post. I will add more pictures as we get closer to completion and as we have a shoot day with them, I hope you all enjoy them, Regards, Peter B.

Hi Everyone,

Here are some photos of one of the carriages in the post above being completed which belongs to our fellow forum member 6pounder who asked me to post these pictures on his behalf,

Some of the "iron work"



Final coat of paint on the carriage,



Done and ready to play,







Enjoy, Regards, Peter B.

Would like a little more info ... I shoot black powder in Canberra. But have been having trouble finding cannons that are legal here in ACT

Hi Owen,

Not sure of your laws in the ACT, some states have minimum calibre some have maximum calibre rules for cannons, but as cast un-vented barrels are available through a supplier up here in NSW and are able to be registered on a NSW general firearms permit. PM me and we will figure out if they meet your needs,

Regards, Peter B.

Here's a Golf Ball mortar from a design by DD. It was part of a contest for such things on another forum. It is named the K.I.S.S. mortar (Keep It Simple, etc.). It is made from DOM tubing and round steel rod. The breech, machined from the rod, is removeable and is locked against a shoulder cut into the barrel; it is held in place by cap screws through the trunnion and a hex bolt through which is drilled the touch hole. I am not near it now or I would disassemble it and provide a photo of the parts.
It was the first thing I ever tried on a lathe - a little Taig lathe - and most all the lathe work is inside.
Pete

This is a Mary Rose cannon has a 20mm bore.

Hi Pete D. & Owen,

Pete,

Those golf ball mortars look like heaps of fun, what is the range and accuracy of it ?

Owen,

Interesting choice of cannon, how well have you got it shooting and do you do competitions with it ?

Regards, Peter B.

Range and accuracy.
Y'know....I don't know. I've never tried for either. I load it occasionally and shoot the balls over the trees and into the woods. I find the balls about 75-100 yards away.
Pete

The KISS mortar parts:

Pete,

Here is the M1a1 K.I.S.S. Golf ball mortar.



The lower profile came about when I found that the last piece oak I had was was split in the lower half.

This one shot golf ball as standard ammunition, but it also shots the new Fox Group buy steel golf balls.

DD said:

Pete,

Here is the M1a1 K.I.S.S. Golf ball mortar.

The lower profile came about when I found that the last piece oak I had was was split in the lower half.

This one shot golf ball as standard ammunition, but it also shots the new Fox Group buy steel golf balls.

Click to expand...

I really do know how to spell...This gun doesn't shot golf balls, it shoots golf balls. It shoot the Fox Group buy ball not shots them.

This computer of mine takes horrible dictation.

DD said:

I really do know how to spell...This gun doesn't shot golf balls, it shoots golf balls. It shoot the Fox Group buy ball not shots them.

This computer of mine takes horrible dictation.

Click to expand...

DD,
It may just be the weight on the keyboard that is the problem... :rotf:

Hi, Douglas: Those steel golf balls.....tell me about them, please. (Maybe a PM, don't want to hijack the thread) What is the powder charge? Weight of the ball?
Pete