Postal project, new shop toy

[Cat Whisperer]

New toy for the shop.  It was working well when taken out of service.  Came with a dozen wheels too.

.50cal cannon for the postal match.  Needs barrel freshened (have 9/16 reamer coming) and trunions and carriage rebuilt.  Breech is about 3" dia.  not quite 2' long tube.

[Double D]

 

[dan610324]

wow that surface grinder look almost new

is the breach plug an glow plug to a model engine ??
have that cannon been used with starting gas ??

yes the trunnions need an small adjustment 

[KABAR2]

Until I enlarged the photo I didn't even know it had trunnions........
are you sure they are not nipples? .... Zerk fittings.....

[Cat Whisperer]

wow that surface grinder look almost new

is the breach plug an glow plug to a model engine ??
have that cannon been used with starting gas ??

yes the trunnions need an small adjustment 

The grinder is not new, but repainted.  Well maintained.  It's all manual, but that means "I" don't have to mess with hydraulics!  Similar units were going for 1500 or so; I paid $200 and a friend brought it from work to home for nothing.

The cannon breech plug has a copper crush disk on the end.  Black powder used but not cleaned; therefore I'll ream it out.  It has ball bearings in the wheels - can't see how that would lend to accuracy.  Trunions I'll replace (and weld) with 9/16" rod.

[Cat Whisperer]

Until I enlarged the photo I didn't even know it had trunnions........
are you sure they are not nipples? .... Zerk fittings.....

1/2" base with 1/4" extensions.  Micro-trunions.

[RocklockI]

C.W. A free surface grinder for free .  Good score !

Now about that ....cannon ...er..agethinga marroo .

Sometimes a fresh start is in order ? I'm just sayin ..... Glow plug ignition is not really in the 'spirit' of things , cool for sure though !

I wont file a complaint with the moderators unless you win . yea i know "call the cops !"     "dude we are the cops .... "

Gary

[Cat Whisperer]

Does NOT have glow plug ignition - that was merely a vicious Swedish rumor.  It does have a copper disk to crush-fit at the end of the bore.  Standard touch-hole for 1/8" fuse.
 The grinder did cost $200.  Cheaper than I could image - no other bidders for it at the company auction.  (all the folks that might hve wanted it already had one.)

[GGaskill]

A bargain at twice the price.

[Cat Whisperer]

A bargain at twice the price.

Yea - If push came to shove I could sell the magnetic chuck and cover my costs.

[dominick]

I guess you have to redo the trunnion mounts on the carriage if you go with larger trunnions?

[Cat Whisperer]

I guess you have to redo the trunnion mounts on the carriage if you go with larger trunnions?

ABSOLUTELY!  The verticals are 1/2" x 3/4" coming straight up from a hex 'axel'.  I'll start over.  Haven't a clue as to design yet, but I do have a bunch of scrap stainless 1/2" plate.  Might do a pratice design in aluminum for speed and then do a final one for keeps.

Any ideas as to what style/design would look good with the barrel?

[Cannoneer]

I personally don't think it's appropriate to call those two things trunnions, maybe stubs would be a more fitting description.   Seriously Tim, that isn't a bad looking barrel, it kinda/sorta looks like it has the profile of a 3-inch ordnance rifle.

[GGaskill]

One thing to check if the grinder didn't come from your shop is the looseness of the head in the vertical track.  I know of a shop that sold their surface grinder because it had developed wear there.  They tightened the gibs and got rid of it cheap.

[Cat Whisperer]

One thing to check if the grinder didn't come from your shop is the looseness of the head in the vertical track.  I know of a shop that sold their surface grinder because it had developed wear there.  They tightened the gibs and got rid of it cheap.

Thanks, I will check it's performance.  We (the company I work for) almost kept this one - it was in service when things were rearranged.  Since we make so many different types of motors, and that is always changing, the needs for machining are always changing and space is precious.  Therefore, work cells get rearranged and equipment comes and goes.  We machine just enough to get a new product on-line and then subcontract 10,000 end-bells or whatever.  So MOST of the equipment is fully automated and we have just enough manual equipment for the model shop to produce prototypes and tooling.

[Cat Whisperer]

I personally don't think it's appropriate to call those two things trunnions, maybe stubs would be a more fitting description.   Seriously Tim, that isn't a bad looking barrel, it kinda/sorta looks like it has the profile of a 3-inch ordnance rifle.

Agree.  Trunnion want-to-be's will grow up to be real trunnions.

3" would put it a 1/6 scale.  Not likely I'll be able to come anywhere close to precision that our SPONSORS do in my rebuild; functional is my goal.

[Frank46]

Can always use the surface grinder to make boolit molds. Frank

[Cat Whisperer]

Can always use the surface grinder to make boolit molds. Frank

That, by the bye, is the original reason for building the shop!   

[dominick]

I guess you have to redo the trunnion mounts on the carriage if you go with larger trunnions?

ABSOLUTELY!  The verticals are 1/2" x 3/4" coming straight up from a hex 'axel'.  I'll start over.  Haven't a clue as to design yet, but I do have a bunch of scrap stainless 1/2" plate.  Might do a pratice design in aluminum for speed and then do a final one for keeps.

Any ideas as to what style/design would look good with the barrel?

The barrel is shaped a bit like the ordinance rifles so probablly a field carriage would be the way to go.  A steel naval carriage would be the easiest to build.  It's just 1/4" plate for the sides and front and round stock for the wheels.