Wooden cannon

[Rayfan87]

So I've got kind of a strange idea: making a small desk cannon 100% out of maple. My father has a shopsmith and a bunch of other tools at his house. I'm thinking maybe two, one just plain wood and the other painted like the originals. The plan is a Parrott field gun since I have one about the size I want and can scale it up easily.

[Zulu]

So I've got kind of a strange idea: making a small desk cannon 100% out of maple. My father has a shopsmith and a bunch of other tools at his house. I'm thinking maybe two, one just plain wood and the other painted like the originals. The plan is a Parrott field gun since I have one about the size I want and can scale it up easily.

Rayfan87,
What's so strange about that?
Make a big one!
Zulu

[Rayfan87]

Well I was also thinking about a third one with a .177 liner and shooting bb's with it.

[Zulu]

Well I was also thinking about a third one with a .177 liner and shooting bb's with it.

I'm not sure I can help you with that but someone here will.  I do think gunpowder (no matter how small a quantity) and wood don't mix.
Zulu

[Double D]

Well I was also thinking about a third one with a .177 liner and shooting bb's with it.

It probably can be done, but why?  Why not  go the next step and build a real cannon?

[Rayfan87]

Tools, material availability, price, comfortable with materials. I don't have much experiance with metal and non building cannons. The idea is keep one thing as something I know (woodworking) and one that I don't have the experience with. Then once I have a better idea of building cannons I'll switch to a material I don't have the experience with. The little bit I've worked with metal one lesson was it's not as forgiving as wood.

[dan610324]

just think twice and make small cuts and measure often , aint any more difficulties in making it from steel

[Double D]

I do understand, for me wood is as unforgiving as a cheated on wife. Wood hates me.  But sooner or later you need to take the step.

Build your wooden gun to get yourself some idea how every thing is laid out and works.  If you are not comfortable or equipped to work metal, our sponsors can provide you with a barrel.

[hillbill]

im not a cannon guy but mythbusers made and fired a large wooden cannon on their show.they bored out a log, not sure what kind of wood and i believe circled it with iron straps every 2 ft or so. they fired it several times and it worked fine. the only way the could destroy it was to pour in 5lb of bp and pound a plug in the bore. it made a lot of kindling then.

[Zulu]

That can't be a chance you would be willing to take.
Zulu

[gulfcoastblackpowder]

The log cannon was done based on accounts of the confederates making them when they were desperate.  No one that isn't desperate would consider using one for any length of time, and certainly not while standing next to it.  You could make a small wooden cannon with a liner to shoot as proposed, but I think you should either stick with making a wooden one or a real one with a full metal tube.  

What you may want to do is make a carriage and wooden barrel that will interchange with one of the sponsor's barrels, so it can be decorative on your desk and shot with the swapped out barrel.  In this case, you wouldn't really gain much from making a painted wooden tube.  To make it more complete, you could make a pencil holder or something that allows you to display the full cannon along with the secondary barrel and bb ammunition.

[Rayfan87]

I think there might be a little confusion in my plans. Right now the plan is two or three full cannon with field carriages. One will be left unpainted just clearcoated, one fully painted carriage and barrel, and if I have enough useable wood one made fireable using a steel barrel liner. The overall size would be that of a 69 cal cannon. The firing one would use 1-2 grains and fire a bb. The plain non-shooting ones are the only ones that will be made without question. The third is just a maybe/what if idea.

[Cat Whisperer]

Lance built an oak mortar in BB caliber on a whim.  It made the calendar!  (Also was great fun to shoot!)

[Double D]

I think there might be a little confusion in my plans. Right now the plan is two or three full cannon with field carriages. One will be left unpainted just clearcoated, one fully painted carriage and barrel, and if I have enough useable wood one made fireable using a steel barrel liner. The overall size would be that of a 69 cal cannon. The firing one would use 1-2 grains and fire a bb. The plain non-shooting ones are the only ones that will be made without question. The third is just a maybe/what if idea.

Well by all means get to it. We'll help you where we can.

Have you seen these cannons--all wood.  www.jmelledge.com

[irishman]

Take the safety tip from Zulu about powder not mixing with wood, build the 69 cal. that needs a metal insert and I'll send the insert with bore for .177 out of brass, 3/4 o.d. to your specs, no charge in the name of SAFETY FIRST.

                              Michael

[Zulu]

How do you handle the vent?  A hole drilled through wood into the brass insert will not last very long.
Zulu

[GGaskill]

You would have to use a metal vent liner that threads into and seats against the metal of the bore liner.  But you would have spark burns around the vent in the wood even with the vent liner.

[Zulu]

I know we are not talking about a whole lot of recoil but would glued in wooden trunnions hold up?
Zulu

[Rayfan87]

I know we are not talking about a whole lot of recoil but would glued in wooden trunnions hold up?
Zulu

Right now the plan is to make the trunnions part of the barrel. What I'm going to do is while I'm turning the barrel, leave the spot where the trunnions and then cut them with a dremel out of the ring. That way it's one solid piece.

And if I do make the third cannon, it would get fired once then I'd take the liner out and bore out the barrel to the full amount. This is just a "let's see if I can do this" idea.

[gulfcoastblackpowder]

If you make the trunnions as one pice with the barrel, the grain would be oriented worse for shear stress than if you made seperate trunnions and glued them in.  Of course, with the meager loads you're thinking of using, I don't think this would be a big factor.

It would be possible to line the trunnions just as you are lining the bore, press fitting or screwing them into the liner.  I'm not sure that would be worth the effort. 

Addressing the trunnions or not, I can't see why you'd go through the effort to install a liner to shoot it once, then remove the liner.  If you want to do that, just shoot it with the wooden bore starting at really small charges and with sufficient fuse length to be well out of range of any splinters.

[Rayfan87]

This whole thing looks like it may just be a discussion of theory, I was looking at the material today and it looks like I only have four pieces that are long enough for barrels and carriages. So only two cannons might be made.

[Cat Whisperer]

Lance made his BB cannon from oak, banded with iron.

Worked fine.  Just a PINCH of powder and a .177" BB. 

Really!  How much pressure could it generate - especially with the size of the vent being a little less than the bore?

Check out the calendar pix from a year or so ago.