Carriage building sequence ??

[cjensen]

What would be the recommended sequence in building a field carriage?

[Zulu]

cjensen,
I think you will have to have your wheels first.  Then you can figure out an axle and then design an axle housing.  Everything else sits on top of that.
Building your own wheels is a challenge or there are sponsors who can provide them.
What is the scale you are considering?
Zulu

[cjensen]

Zulu, 2/3 scale. I was afraid the wheels would be first.
I will be buying the wheels. 38-40"
Is it possible to build the axle and hold it up on stands until I have the funds and room to get the wheels?
I am going to need to build a shed before I get that far along.

[KABAR2]

How will you build the axle without the wheels?  are the hubs straight internally ? or tapered ?

if you know the height of the wheel from the center to the ground you can estimate the length of

trail and cut that to shape, and build the cheeks etc. but it would be helpful to have the wheels first.

[Zulu]

I have modified those tapered or cone shaped inserts inside the wheel hub to accept a round bar for an axle.  I did it on two pairs of 54" wheels for two limbers I was building.
Obviously you need the wheels.
I don't see how you do it without them.  What if you build something, then get your wheels, and there is some measurement different from what you thought.
Zulu

[Double D]

If you are building from a set of plans and those wheels you are buying were built to the same set of plans you should only have some minor fitting to do.  No problem.

But if the wheels are only the same height as the wheels you need and not built to the same scale you will have problems.  Proportions, axle dimensions and axle attachments all will be issues.

You need to know as much as you can about the wheels you are buying regarding these areas before you build.

Proportions may or may not be real critical.  For example is the wheel a 54 inch wheel scaled down 2/3's or is it a 52 inch wheel cut down to 38 to 40 inches. That would be ugly. 

Also, do you need 38 inch wheels or 40 inch wheels?  2 inches different is a significant difference and will change angle of trail, which can affect barrel clearance on the trail  between cheek and length of elevator screw.  This also will change the angle of thrust for the trunnions transmitted to cheeks and cap squares during recoil.   The gun could jump instead of roll, and loosen everything up.

[guardsgunner]

we made and mated our box's and axle stub's and gave them to the wheelwright first then worked trunnion straps and the nuts bolts ect.