Mortar tube design question

[holychrome]

Well if I said the magic word where's my qupie doll?   


I'd already looked into harvesting some for myself for wood working projects but found out that I don't have the right species for  furniture/cabinet making.  My tree's have straight trunks 15' to 25' long and about 2' in diameter.  The deal with the saw guy is that he'll cut it up for me for half the lumber and I was only going to get enough for my mortar and a new floor for a trailer.   However it wouldn't be any trouble to hand him a list of pieces to cut to the right dimensions and take an extra log with me while I'm going.  It's going to be a week or two to get one of these trees cut down and on a trailer.  While I don't think there's a gold mine in these trees, the saw mill is about 100 miles from my land and it'd be nice to offset the fuel cost. 


I just saw a news report that there's 500 million standing dead trees in Texas due to the drought.


Of course even if the lumber was free the shipping may make it cheaper to buy locally.  What would be a weight and length on a common sized hunk of oak you'd need?   If they're within the weight limits of UPS then shipping might not cost a fortune.


Zulu, where are you?  I'm in College Station, where A&M University is.  Are you close enough to drive here to get it?  I'm also having to make regular trips to San Antonio on business every couple of weeks lately.


I'll let ya'll know when I'm loaded up and ready to get dimensions for a few pieces and we can go from there. 

[Zulu]

holychrome,
I live in Cypress.  I'm about 85 miles from you.
The stuff I need that I have a hard time finding is 3.5" X 3.5" X 5' long.  Since your wood is not kiln dried, it will probably warp and split a little after it is cut.  Allowing for that, say 4" X 4" X 6' long might work for me.  4 or 5 of those would last me a while.  I need a finished 3" in diameter to make a trailspike for a #1 carriage.  Ram and sponge heads could come out of the same size.
Zulu
 

[The Hayman]

I remember driving across Texas, long distance between towns. I do wonder if there isn't someone closer to you with a portable bandsaw mill. Very little waste and much easier to bring the mill to you rather than the logs to the mill. I have often had trees milled here on the farm (Maine). I have guy (The Woodchuck) who has a very nice high end Woodmiser bandsaw mill. Last time he was here, a few years back now, he sawed oak and pine for $150.00 per thousand board feet sawn (that is only 15 cents per board foot), and he does a very good job. There are a bunch of these guys in my area, but forestry is a big part of our economy here.

[holychrome]

OK how about plan G for a firing mech.





This would use a percussion cap on the nipple that's seated in the head of the gizmo at the right. 


The head would screw onto a firing pin section, the long tube, and then would be inserted and screwed into the bottom of the powder chamber.


Then the hammer section would be attached which has two pins, a safety and a release.  It attaches to the mid section like a tail light bulb in a car. 


When ready to go you'd attach the hammer section to the back of the firing pin section and when ready to fire the safety pin would be removed.


Then pull the rope to the release and BOOM.


This is a rough sketch to get the mechanics of the thing down on paper and will need a redesign since it'd be a pain if the head stuck in the chamber and the firing pin section unscrewed leaving the head behind.

[holychrome]

I remember driving across Texas, long distance between towns. I do wonder if there isn't someone closer to you with a portable bandsaw mill. Very little waste and much easier to bring the mill to you rather than the logs to the mill. I have often had trees milled here on the farm (Maine). I have guy (The Woodchuck) who has a very nice high end Woodmiser bandsaw mill. Last time he was here, a few years back now, he sawed oak and pine for $150.00 per thousand board feet sawn (that is only 15 cents per board foot), and he does a very good job. There are a bunch of these guys in my area, but forestry is a big part of our economy here.

What an idea!  I'd vastly prefer that route.


Thanks!

[holychrome]

holychrome,
I live in Cypress.  I'm about 85 miles from you.

Howdy neighbor


The guy with the saw mill is 12 miles north of Columbus.  Your not more than 35 miles from him.  I'd bet you could find a hundred dead tree's being cut down in your area, find a tree removal service.  It'd save them time by not having to chop it up into  small firewood sized pieces.  They ought to be more than happy for you to haul some off for free.  I've been talking to the saw mill guy through my brother in law who's his neighbor so I'd have to get a phone # for you tonight.

[Double D]

OK how about plan G for a firing mech.





This would use a percussion cap on the nipple that's seated in the head of the gizmo at the right. 


The head would screw onto a firing pin section, the long tube, and then would be inserted and screwed into the bottom of the powder chamber.


Then the hammer section would be attached which has two pins, a safety and a release.  It attaches to the mid section like a tail light bulb in a car. 


When ready to go you'd attach the hammer section to the back of the firing pin section and when ready to fire the safety pin would be removed.


Then pull the rope to the release and BOOM.


This is a rough sketch to get the mechanics of the thing down on paper and will need a redesign since it'd be a pain if the head stuck in the chamber and the firing pin section unscrewed leaving the head behind.

Last night right after I made my post above, my modem/router died. This morning I worked my east and then south from one radio shack and computer shop to another ending  108 miles away at  Wal mart where I finally found one.   Got home by 3 and was back on line  by 4.

Again I like your though process...clever design for a firing mechanism.  Probably work too, except...  since you want to put the vent in the end of the tube, you will have to reach under the tube and insert the charged mechanism upwards under handed into its seat. Ever had to reach under something and screw a bolt in  a hole.   It's awkward and probably hazardous. You won't be able to see the seat to align the mechanism.  Also as you work the mechanism into its seat the combination of vibration and gravity could and probably will cause the cap to fall off the nipple.

Will be much happier with a conventional location.

[Max Caliber]

This is as good a place as any to throw this in for consideration. This is a firing mechanism I made for a large blank shooter. It uses shotgun primers and is made of stainless and brass. It works very well and with the right combo of spring pressure and vent hole size it will eject the spent primer. It has a replaceable firing pin. The sear looks kind of cumbersome but it is a good safety and not subject to screw up as a wire sear can.



Cocked position


Fired position

[moose53]

Interesting firing mechanism , any chance of a disassembled photo 

[BoomLover]

  Max Caliber, that is a pretty nice looking outfit..simple, but effective! The folks on this Forum never cease to amaze me...

[holychrome]

That's beautiful.  Is this how it works?

[Max Caliber]

holychrome, you hit it right on the nose.

[moose53]

Max Caliber, I think I would like to try your primer system , to see if advantages are more then cleaning striker when done shooting. What vent hole size range do you use for ejecting primer? Thanks  moose53

[Max Caliber]

moose53, PM sent.