« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Sled for my G.B. mortar  (Read 991 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline m223

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Avid Poster
  • **
  • Posts: 201
  • Gender: Male
Sled for my G.B. mortar
« on: August 02, 2007, 11:57:54 AM »
Well I finally got around to making a sled for my home made g.b. mortar, and let me say it is somewhat of a challenge working wood with tools designed for metal. Anyway it came out O.K. I still may do some minor changes to the side boards. The elevation mechanism still needs to be made and I have some sanding to do before I screw it all together. The mortar will be black and the sled will get a thick coat of olive drab or frazee army green. Sorry I forgot the powder can more pictures will follow as work progresses. Thanks for looking, Tracy  
Logged

Offline lance

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1249
  • Gender: Male
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2007, 01:42:44 PM »
Well, i wonder which color this one will be??? you'll probably change your mind before your done.
Logged
PALADIN had a gun.....I have guns, mortars, and cannons!

Offline Terry C.

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1215
  • Gender: Male
  • I see what you did there...
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2007, 03:29:34 PM »
Looks good.

What kind of wood did you use?
Logged

Offline Will Bison

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 591
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2007, 05:58:31 PM »
Well that little rascal came out nice----mighty nice.

Bill
Logged

Offline m223

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Avid Poster
  • **
  • Posts: 201
  • Gender: Male
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #4 on: August 03, 2007, 01:31:40 AM »
Lance the color will be a shade of green, That much is certain. stay tuned for further developments. Terry, The wood is kind of a mystery, As far as I know it came from Germany and is of laminate construction. It is tough as nails and pleasant to look at before I get my grubby mitts on it. I will try to find out more. Thanks for the kind words, It's not the smoothest looking thing, but big metal band saws are not ideal for delicate wood working. hopefully I'll get some of the elevation screw done today.  Tracy 
Logged

Offline Double D

  • Trade Count: (3)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12609
  • SAMCC cannon by Brooks-USA
    • South African Miniature Cannon Club
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #5 on: August 03, 2007, 05:03:49 AM »
When I first saw this I thought, that's gonna break when he fires it.  Then I remembered you are only shooting golf balls.   Then I noticed you put a floor in it.  Good move!!!

When I get home I am going to  start casting Zinc balls for golf ball mortars and you can get some...you'll never go back to rubber.
Logged

Offline Tropico

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • A Real Regular
  • *****
  • Posts: 634
  • Gender: Male
    • Tropico Beach
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2007, 07:18:59 AM »
I want one    Good show man !
I  dont have a GB yet.
Logged

Offline Cat Whisperer

  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7493
  • Gender: Male
  • Pulaski Coehorn Works
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2007, 08:38:27 AM »
Quote from: Double D on August 03, 2007, 05:03:49 AM
...
When I get home I am going to  start casting Zinc balls for golf ball mortars and you can get some...you'll never go back to rubber.

That sounds like a good place to start when making moulds - small enough so as not to require much material and the cost of screwing one up is a whole lot less labor lost too!

It'll be a while - I still have the 400-500 golf balls I got at that yard sale.

Logged
Tim K                 www.GBOCANNONS.COM
Cat Whisperer
Chief of Smoke, Pulaski Coehorn Works & Winery
U.S.Army Retired
N 37.05224  W 80.78133 (front door +/- 15 feet)

Offline m223

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Avid Poster
  • **
  • Posts: 201
  • Gender: Male
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2007, 10:59:26 AM »
 Double D, I was a little concerned about the area around the trunnions also. I intended to leave a little bit more meat there but the band saw had other ideas, and I already messed up one sled during the build process, so it is what it is. It probably would be a good idea to add some flat metal  reinforcing bands around the edges of the side boards. Let me know when you get around to casting projectiles. I'll be glad to pay you for a couple. Then I suppose I'll like them so much that I'll have to start casting too. Thanks for the compliment Tropico. To tell you the truth I have yet to fire anything but flour out of it. It is kind of a let down after firing the soda can mortar. Some of those cast balls might cheer me up a bit though. :-)  Tracy
Logged

Offline GGaskill

  • Moderator
  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5668
  • Gender: Male
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2007, 02:20:07 PM »
The most important thing to do to prevent damage to the sled rails from recoil is to make sure there is solid support in the areas directly under the trunnion.  If that ground doesn't compact, then you should be OK.  You would have a problem if the middle is unsupported and the ends are supported; that would allow the middle to deflect causing cracking. 

Civil War mortars were supposed to be fired from a platform which gave a relatively uniform support no matter what the ground was like.  You could do likewise with a couple of squares of 3/4" plywood underneath the sled.
Logged
GG
“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 Double D

  • Trade Count: (3)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12609
  • SAMCC cannon by Brooks-USA
    • South African Miniature Cannon Club
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2007, 04:00:42 PM »
No actually the area I was concerned about is directly in front of the Trunnions.  But that bottom plate will work to reduce the flex.  George is spot on about a solid base.

My first mortar was one of these.



I broke the oak sides of this with the first shot.


Logged

Offline lance

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1249
  • Gender: Male
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2007, 04:58:24 PM »
i'm sorry Tracy, missed the green color first time reading your post. i'm interested in that mystery German wood, is it something that came in at your place of work?
Logged
PALADIN had a gun.....I have guns, mortars, and cannons!

Offline m223

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Avid Poster
  • **
  • Posts: 201
  • Gender: Male
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #12 on: August 04, 2007, 02:11:37 PM »
No problem  Lance, I don't always get it right either. I found out a little more about the wood, At one time we had several multi million dollar machines, these were called Kuglers, their function was to automate the book binding process. Any way the wood came with the machine 10" wide by 1-1/8" thick x 8' long, and there are 15 layers of laminate. The wood was to be used as platforms around the machine, but for some reason it wasn't used.   Tracy
Logged

Offline lance

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1249
  • Gender: Male
Re: Sled for my G.B. mortar
« Reply #13 on: August 04, 2007, 02:35:14 PM »
good deal Tracy, i figured the wood came with machines. your making one tough mortar.........
Logged
PALADIN had a gun.....I have guns, mortars, and cannons!
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »