Making a model Cannon

[oliomio]

Sorry for the second post, but Jerry Howell did a plan set for a 1779 Naval 24 pounder. Usual superb quality, with helpful build information as well as the drawings. Sadly Jerry is no longer around, but his family keeps his plan sets available.

I still miss seeing Jerry and Bob Shores at Cabin Fever!

http://www.model-engine-plans.com/engineplans/bookshelf/cannon.htm?28,14

Made to Jerry Howell's plans.

 

[Richard Carlstedt]

Here is a 24 Pound Cannon I built 30 years ago.
The plans came in a school (right) machine shop drawings book ( 1940's )
Added a few details like the water pail,charging cup, swab and stuff. The second picture is wrong as the pail was not for cannon balls, but they rolled off the mantel so it became a temporary repository
This is a Fortress Cannon , as it has clad wheels , versus a Ships Cannon which has wooden wheels
Rich

Rich

 

[D and D]

Here's my semi scale Navel Truck Gun

 

[SmithDoor]

Here is a 24 Pound Cannon I built 30 years ago.
The plans came in a school (right) machine shop drawings book ( 1940's )
Added a few details like the water pail,charging cup, swab and stuff. The second picture is wrong as the pail was not for cannon balls, but they rolled off the mantel so it became a temporary repository
This is a Fortress Cannon , as it has clad wheels , versus a Ships Cannon which has wooden wheels
Rich

RichView attachment 133286View attachment 133287View attachment 133288

Looks great.

Dave

 

[MIKE4444]

Hi excellent model, I have made a few , but this one is EX Keep up the good work, MIKE

 

[Bentwings]

Hi excellent model, I have made a few , but this one is EX Keep up the good work, MIKE

I looked up some info on the real thing . Firing a cast cannon ball at 1000ft per second to be devastating thing on board a wood ship . I’ve wanted to make a brass cannon for years yours is double impressive .

 

[ajoeiam]

Here is a 24 Pound Cannon I built 30 years ago.
The plans came in a school (right) machine shop drawings book ( 1940's )
Added a few details like the water pail,charging cup, swab and stuff. The second picture is wrong as the pail was not for cannon balls, but they rolled off the mantel so it became a temporary repository
This is a Fortress Cannon , as it has clad wheels , versus a Ships Cannon which has wooden wheels
Rich

Hmmmmmmm - - - now for the big question - - - - do you have the drawings for this girl?

Impressive model!!!!

 

[Ken I]

Same as ajoeam - plans ?
I've been wanting to make a cannon for some time - your beautiful model fits the bill.
Nice work.
Regards, Ken

 

[metalmangler]

See if you can find a copy of "Scale Model Cannon History Design Construction" by Richard Stewart and Donald Heyes, ISBN 0 7195 3888 2. It includes plans for a variety of different cannons from various eras. I built a Mortar from it, came out reasonably well.

 

[skyline1]

I have considered making a model cannon for many years. A proper firing one even if not capable of propelling a projectile
In the U.K. we have incredibly strict laws on firearms. Rightly or Wrongly I do not wish to comment. But

Does anyone know the exact legal position on these as the difference between an ornament and a lethal weapon can be simply drilling the " veep hole"

Apologies to our U.S. and Australian friends but I would like to know the U.K. rules, Are they considered like shotguns or at a higher level.

And do such "weapons" need to be "proof fired"

Best Regards Mark

 

[KellisRJ]

I have considered making a model cannon for many years. A proper firing one even if not capable of propelling a projectile
In the U.K. we have incredibly strict laws on firearms. Rightly or Wrongly I do not wish to comment. But

Does anyone know the exact legal position on these as the difference between an ornament and a lethal weapon can be simply drilling the " veep hole"

Apologies to our U.S. and Australian friends but I would like to know the U.K. rules, Are they considered like shotguns or at a higher level.

And do such "weapons" need to be "proof fired"

Best Regards Mark

There is a thread addressing this about a signal cannon in the UK. Sorry can't search out the thread right now, seem to recall a bit about a special shell.

Ron

 

[skyline1]

Thanks Ron ill do a bit of research on that one !

English law has been sketchy on this for hundreds of years seems to revolve around how powerful you were (i.e. how much money) which is why many of our stately homes and castles have fully functional, full size cannons quite legally and some of them even fire them !

 

[KellisRJ]

Thanks Ron ill do a bit of research on that one !

English law has been sketchy on this for hundreds of years seems to revolve around how powerful you were (i.e. how much money) which is why many of our stately homes and castles have fully functional, full size cannons quite legally and some of them even fire them !

Sorry I can't recall the details. If it ends up not being tis forum, let me know.

 

[Richard Carlstedt]

I will have to look Ken , it's been a long time
I'll try to post an answer ASAP
Rich

Same as ajoeam - plans ?
I've been wanting to make a cannon for some time - your beautiful model fits the bill.
Nice work.
Regards, Ken

 

[KellisRJ]

See if this helps:
https://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/threads/seeking-drawings-for-yacht-signal-cannon.31749/

 

[packrat]

Remington Arms used to make a 10 GA. signal cannon, fires 10GA. black powder blanks.{Remington Arms. Co. name has been sold off
so no longer made}..

 

[Richard Carlstedt]

Ajoeiam and Ken , well, there are several things to do to get plans
There is a very nice set in Popular Mechanics magazine February 1969. You can usually get a copy from the local library or find a digitized version on the net I think

These AND MINE are for a NON-Firing models !
The Cannon I built was a compulation of several drawings and pictures and done in Brass
There was after all, thousands of cannons made and they varied slightly
from one another , especially with Trunion location which was on the bore centerline
on some and below centerline on others. ( mine is below )
Here are the old school prints given to me some 40 years ago.
They were in bad condition when I got them and marked up - just scale your desired size
They would never have these prints in a high school today, but they did during WW II
There is little difference in 24 or 32 # pieces, in the real world the 24 # has a 5 3/8" bore
and the 32 # has a 6 1/8" bore , so scale the barrel size to the bore
Rich

 

[WisJim]

This discussion of cannons brings back lots of memories and got me searching through my stuff for my cannon. Back in the late 1950s early 60s my dad made 2 sizes of cannons. One was a naval gun and the other was based on a French cannon traced from an antique book that a friend of my dad's had loaned him. My dad made wood patterns and had them cast in bronze at a foundry in Madison, WI. He used a lathe in the high school shop on weekends and evenings to bore and turn the castings, and he sold a few to recover the cost of the whole project. (He was a high school chemistry and physics teacher which gave him access to the school shop.) I have one of the French style cannons and need to make a carriage for it, and my sister has the one my dad had kept for himself, complete on a nice walnut and brass carriage. I don't know what ever happened to his copy of the naval gun and carriage. We fired them occasionally, such as on the 4th of July, etc., and used FFg grade black powder. The bore was sized to use 00 buckshot if I recall correctly. I also had a very small one made from a brass faucet handle that fire BBs.

 

[ajoeiam]

Ajoeiam and Ken , well, there are several things to do to get plans
There is a very nice set in Popular Mechanics magazine February 1969. You can usually get a copy from the local library or find a digitized version on the net I think
View attachment 139893
These AND MINE are for a NON-Firing models !
The Cannon I built was a compulation of several drawings and pictures and done in Brass
There was after all, thousands of cannons made and they varied slightly
from one another , especially with Trunion location which was on the bore centerline
on some and below centerline on others. ( mine is below )
Here are the old school prints given to me some 40 years ago.
They were in bad condition when I got them and marked up - just scale your desired size
They would never have these prints in a high school today, but they did during WW II
There is little difference in 24 or 32 # pieces, in the real world the 24 # has a 5 3/8" bore
and the 32 # has a 6 1/8" bore , so scale the barrel size to the bore
Rich

snip (plans)

For anyone else interested (mr Ken and/or any others) - - - -

https://archive.org/details/PopularMechanics1969/Popular Mechanics-02-1969/
there's your link to the issue and attached you will find a pdf of the pages in question.

(Not my work - - - am simply downloading the file from its public repository and then selecting the relevant pages.
Interesting - - - it would seem that the authors of both plans used the same ship and with a difference of the 24# and the 32# but very similar drawings - - - grin!)

 

[ajoeiam]

This discussion of cannons brings back lots of memories and got me searching through my stuff for my cannon. Back in the late 1950s early 60s my dad made 2 sizes of cannons. One was a naval gun and the other was based on a French cannon traced from an antique book that a friend of my dad's had loaned him. My dad made wood patterns and had them cast in bronze at a foundry in Madison, WI. He used a lathe in the high school shop on weekends and evenings to bore and turn the castings, and he sold a few to recover the cost of the whole project. (He was a high school chemistry and physics teacher which gave him access to the school shop.) I have one of the French style cannons and need to make a carriage for it, and my sister has the one my dad had kept for himself, complete on a nice walnut and brass carriage. I don't know what ever happened to his copy of the naval gun and carriage. We fired them occasionally, such as on the 4th of July, etc., and used FFg grade black powder. The bore was sized to use 00 buckshot if I recall correctly. I also had a very small one made from a brass faucet handle that fire BBs.

Any idea of the 'book'?

TIA