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Author Topic: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun  (Read 2045 times)

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Offline Zulu

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #30 on: July 14, 2011, 12:20:40 PM »
Shooter2,
Can you cut a curve with it?  Say a 1/2" blade?
I did all this with a jig saw with a metal blade.  It took a long time and was hard on me.  I'm looking for an easier way.  I need to cut on a table, vertical, and all work hand held. :P
This is one of my powder chests I made.
Zulu
 




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Offline shooter2

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #31 on: July 14, 2011, 01:07:48 PM »
Zulu,
      Gentle curves only with a half inch blade.  The problem relates to the blade popping off the rollers and drive wheels when placed under side stress.  I have had a saw blade company make me some quarter inch blades for this very purpose and I have cut hardwood and 1/8 steel with them on slower speeds.  I have made some model sized (6inch diameter) wooden wheels as per the instructions in Windy Hill book using the 1/4 inch blade (6 tooth per inch) The 1/8 steel was to make a pop can crusher better than the store bought ones and the curves were fairly gentle on the 14 tooth blade.
 
When faced with smaller curves and profiles in steel I generally cut bigger and then use air powered grinders and belt sanders to get the final shape prior to filing and hacksawing if I have to.  40 grit belt sanders can remove a lot of material (and skin if not careful) to bring you in close enough for air powered rough stones and smaller drill powered drum sanders to do the finish shaping.  You could even mount the stones on 1/4 inch shafts and drum sanders on the drill press for more control as you bring the material in for final shaping.
 
These ideas are all things I have done for one off items.  Mass production is a different story.  Thats where prepared jigs and guides become handy.
 
kindest regards
Shooter2
 
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Offline Zulu

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #32 on: July 14, 2011, 01:39:19 PM »
Shooter2,
Thanks for your input.  I am hardly "mass production".  Just looking for an easier way. :)
Zulu
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Offline GGaskill

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #33 on: July 14, 2011, 02:10:59 PM »
You need to reduce the blade speed to around 100 feet per minute to saw steel but once that is done, it should be easy to get a fine tooth blade (for thin stock) that is only 1/4" wide.  I have a 12" pulley for my Rockwell vertical bandsaw when I want to reduce the speed.  PITA but it does work.
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Offline GGaskill

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #34 on: July 14, 2011, 02:19:56 PM »
Interesting thread, did you end up getting the barrel lined or did it stay in its natural state?

I have bored two of the four castings I made.  Both have a 1" diameter chamber in the 3.15" diameter reduced area in front of the breech ring.  One is bored for golf balls (1 23/32") and the other for 2 lb sinkers (2 5/32").  Neither have steel liners.  I just gave the golf ball one to a long time friend of mine last month.  The other one I have fired only once or twice. 

They are proportionally thicker than the originals so I do not believe they are unsafe.  But they do not have an unlimited life any more than the originals did.  The old ones were retired after 500 shots is my understanding.
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“If you're not a liberal at 20, you have no heart; if you're not a conservative at 40, you have no brain.”--Winston Churchill

Offline Cannoneer

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #35 on: July 14, 2011, 06:59:24 PM »
shooter2,
 
I just saw the finished project photos you posted on replies #17 & 18, and that's some impressive work, the gun and mount turned out beautifully.
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Offline shooter2

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #36 on: July 15, 2011, 12:03:42 AM »
Cannoneer,
                  Thanks for the kind words.  With all this praise I was having trouble getting my now big head thru the door until my lovely partner said "Whats that hunk of iron doing on the dining room table?"  She has a way of bringing me back to earth.  Even explaining about the Kewpie Doll did not seem to help much  :-[   She now thinks I make guns to collect dolls.   :o   My (faded) image as a big rough tough Aussie outback guy has taken a bit of a battering.

Women, can't live with 'em and can't shoot 'em either.  Still, she loves me and lets me do reasonably stupid things.

shooter2
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Offline oltom

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #37 on: July 15, 2011, 02:04:18 AM »
well done! stand up and take a bow~ you deserve it!

now.......what's next? ;D

i'm still finishing projects....and i WANT to build a 1" wall-gun........ ::)
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Offline Max Caliber

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #38 on: July 15, 2011, 02:15:31 AM »
shooter2,
 
Very fine work, looks great.
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Offline flagman1776

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #39 on: July 24, 2011, 01:28:42 PM »
My wife tollerates my cannon....   
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Offline shooter2

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #40 on: July 24, 2011, 09:02:17 PM »
Kaintuck,
                You asked what was next?  I intend to build a Dictator Mortar of indeterminate scale .  I have a chunk of 4 inch by 8inch 1218L that seems tailor made for this project.  I have the William Green Plans for same and after my 'little' trip around the world looking at cannons I hope to have sufficient reference photos to finish the important small details.  If it comes out any good I might even attempt to register it as a firing replica with the Police (Australian Laws on cannons suck by the way). 

After that I might start a series of smaller scale non firing cannons for my own amusement.  I am thinking of standardising on 1/16 scale for ease of handling.  The ordnance I want to produce are mainly English Seacoast Guns of various types that I have been gathering data on for some years now.  I might start with the 64 pdr 64 cwt Armstrong and work my way up to the 17.72 inch 100 Ton Rinella Gun.  This level of activity should keep me amused for many years to come.  There are dozens of guns in between to research and build.

Oh yeah, thanks to a little agreement between gunsonwheels and myself I will be recieving the AOP plans for the 12 pdr Dahlgren Boat Howitzer and he will get a (hopefully) complete set of detailed photos of the Grasshopper Cannon Model in the Woolwich Firepower Museum.  The plans will be used to produce a full scale version for mounting in the front yard (I live on acreage).  It will go with my full size field gun letter box. 

kindest regards
shooter2
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We are the Guns and your masters!
Saw ye our flashes?
Heard ye the scream of our shells in the night, and the shuddering crashes?

'The Voice of the Guns'
Captain Gilbert Frankau Royal Artillery 1916

Offline dominick

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Re: Building a Bronze Rodman Gun
« Reply #41 on: July 25, 2011, 09:52:11 AM »
shooter2,  Very nice work on building your cannon!
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