Author Topic: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon  (Read 22783 times)

Offline TLGriff

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A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« on: September 30, 2013, 12:01:57 AM »
Here's a little cannon I built a few years back (like 35). It's a 1/5 scale shooting replica of a Civil War Napoleon cannon. I researched the project by taking a trip to Virginia and touring some of the battlefields, tape measure, camera and sketchbook in hand and came back with quite a collection of dimensioned sketches to base my project on. The barrel has a .94" bore and shoots a .88 lead ball using about half an ounce of black powder. It's made of free machining brass and weighs in at about 20 pounds. The carriage is made of hard maple. The wheels are about a foot in diameter, have spokes that wedge into the hub just like the real thing with a steel tire shrunk on to hold it all together.

The cannon is starting to show her age a bit in patina. I do polish the barrel fairly regularly, but the carriage just gets an occasional wipe down. This thing is far from a showpiece and gets fired regularly. It makes a deafening roar that you can feel in your chest more than hear. If you look in the video section of my YouTube channel, there is a video of it in action "deactivating" a computer hard drive.

Hope you enjoy the pics.

Tom












Offline angus

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2013, 01:41:56 AM »
your you tube link does not work for me

Offline Meldonmech

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2013, 02:02:53 AM »
Hi Tom

                    That is a fine looking cannon, well done

                                                                                 Cheers David

Offline TLGriff

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2013, 10:04:29 AM »
Sorry, my fat fingers made a typo in the link. It should work now.

Thanks David, I've had a lot of fun with it.

Tom

Offline DaveH

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2013, 10:38:26 AM »
C'on Tom - your 'fat fingers' are still not working right.  :lol: That link is to your 'Stevens favorite .....'

Good job that coke can is there otherwise I would swear it was full size.  :bow:
 :beer:
DaveH

PS. Scroll down to the bottom of Tom's You tube page to see the video
(Ex Leicester, Thurmaston, Ashby De La Zouch.)

Offline TLGriff

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2013, 10:58:18 AM »
Better look again Dave, I don't think it's my fingers that are fat here.  :bugeye: The link is to my YouTube channel, you'll need to find the cannon video yourself in the video section. I'm pretty sure you've seen it once or twice by now anyway.  :loco:

Tom

Offline DaveH

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2013, 11:03:13 AM »
Yep, I found it  :Doh: Must have been my brain cell playing games again  :Doh:

It is worth watching a few times if only to watch the recoil.
 :beer:
DaveH
(Ex Leicester, Thurmaston, Ashby De La Zouch.)

Offline Brass_Machine

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #7 on: September 30, 2013, 01:44:59 PM »
Nice Cannon!

Seriously, where did you get that huge Coke can?
Science is fun.

We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

Offline micktoon

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #8 on: September 30, 2013, 03:52:21 PM »
Hi Tom , that is one class cannon  :drool: :drool: top class workmanship  :thumbup:

Cheers Mick

Offline doubleboost

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2013, 05:22:44 PM »
Some nice detail there
I like the "elevation" screw
Great job

Offline TLGriff

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #10 on: September 30, 2013, 05:43:38 PM »
Thanks guys.

I'm actually a huge Coke drinker and would love to find a can that big.  :clap:

I like the elevation screw as well John, especially now that it has acquired some patina. It is starting to get a little rough though and will need to be tuned up a bit. I see there are a few loose screws (how appropriate) and I never got around to making the swab and ramrod. I've also been thinking of making a howitzer barrel for it and maybe a limber for the supplies. The fun never ends.  :whip:

Tom

Offline ieezitin

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2013, 06:55:32 PM »
Nice job there Tom, smashing.......... i bet the wood work took longer than the metal machining......


Thank you for sharing your build..

Anthony..      :beer:
If you cant fix it, get another hobby.

Offline TLGriff

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2013, 07:47:12 PM »
Thanks Anthony.

There is actually more metalwork there than meets the eye. The barrel (duh) and it's trunnions which were fabricated, the elevation screw and nut with their square threads, all the wood parts that were banded with steel, the trunnion mounts and caps on the carriage, The axle assembly with it's washers, clips and bearing plates, the tires on the wheels and all the special screws to assemble them and the tongue with its skid and aiming loops. In addition, all of the steel furniture was case hardened for wear as shooting cannons lead a hard life. The wood work was a piece of cake.

Tom

Offline DaveH

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #13 on: October 02, 2013, 09:16:00 AM »
You know why it shoots so well ......because ..............................

Things go better with a Coke  :lol: :Doh:

 :beer:
DaveH
(Ex Leicester, Thurmaston, Ashby De La Zouch.)

Offline TLGriff

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #14 on: October 02, 2013, 10:02:17 AM »
You are dating yourself Dave, that slogan is out of the mid 60's (Don't ask how I know).

Tom

Offline Jonny

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #15 on: October 02, 2013, 04:48:05 PM »
Noticed earlier your videos. Others members will learn a lot more than any other book or videos I have seen to date. Swear blind most of your practices image exactly mine except for the glasses.

Were the originals brass, most are cast.
Bet that goes with a boom and respectable shock wave. 10G Winnies used for the boat race test fired indoors just with primers bellowed the windows out. Walk outside, look around, what was that.

Offline TLGriff

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #16 on: October 02, 2013, 05:31:48 PM »
Thanks, it's good to hear the videos are being watched. Hopefully they will help to get newcomers make projects sooner.

The original barrels were cast bronze. I would have liked to cast this one but didn't have the capacity for that big a pour.

The report from this thing is deafening for anyone closer than 30 feet. You can feel the concussion in your chest when it goes off. :clap:

Tom

Offline BronxFigs

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Re: A 1/5 Scale Napoleon Cannon
« Reply #17 on: June 30, 2014, 04:30:33 PM »
Mr Griff-

Thanks for the inspiration. 

I may try making my own Black Powder cannon barrel.  I would like to know just how you attached the trunnions to the barrel.  Just guessing the order of machining operations....drill/bore/ream the barrel bore....drill holes in the side of the barrel for mounting the trunnions, re-chuck the barrel and then turn the barrel profile....machine the separate trunnions, install the trunnions and braze them onto the tube....finish the barrel, etc.  Would that be about the correct machining order for machining cannon barrel? 

Just curious.  Years ago I had a barrel cast in iron from a wooden pattern that I turned, and then had the barrel-casting drilled and lined by South Bend Replicas....so, I really didn't "make" the tube, I only finished it.  I mounted the tube on my own homemade, naval-style carriage.  I was a nice project.  That was 30 years ago.  I still have the cannon, but I don't shoot any blank-loads....the noise drives my dog crazy.  It also attracted the wrong attention....and I felt that it was just a matter of time before the NYCPD "confiscated" my antique cannon.  So now, I want to try turning some smaller-size barrels from scrap steel.  There's still a spark of little boy left in this old geezer!  I always loved cannons!!

Love your cannon.  Really nice work.


Frank