Cannon Barrels 101

Where was I… oh yeah- I’ve got the wheels.

When we were initially cannon pondering, we were envisioning something like a pipe strapped to a cinder block, or some such. But I, your humble narrator, was a machinist in a former life, & I would have none of that.

Nossir, with wheels in hand, I devised a plan.

Paul, my other bud, had some plans for a little cannon, like tabletop size. Using those plans & my trusty calculator, I scaled everything I’d need to make (which WAS everything) based on the proportional size of the wheels I had.

Jeez- I shoulda paid more attention in algebra class.

Ordered 3 feet of 1026 seamless tubing from a mill, 4" OD x 2" bore. Made up a breech plug (cascable end on the gun) & threaded it 2"-8. Mounted the tube on a big lathe, & machined away everything that didn’t look like a Napoleon. Made trunnions, & welded them on. When I was done with the work, I had a passable copy of a cannon barrel.

But- on what would it sit? I’m a crappy woodworker, I don’t like it, but woodwork was now in my future, like it or not.

NEXT: woodworking sucks