Help! I blew up my cannon!

[CANNONMAN]

I know, I know, just like ya'll said, "cannons aint safe. Y'll shoot yer eye out!" Well actually I didn't blow up the cannon. Here's what happened. I decided to try out a new milling method for my BP. I shoot by weight, 6oz/3# ball. The new BP batch is decidedly more powerful. The stats on the cannon make it presumably impervious to BP. Even if you filled and corked it. Anyway, In my store we receive large objects that come on skids made of 3"x4"x8'. This is a soft fir of some sort. I mad the cheeks, trunnnion mounts and trail by laminating this stuff. Well the new BP had so much force that the cheeks tore from the trail and shattered the trunnion mounts. Sound worse than it was. But it's time to rebuild. What wood was used in the Civil War cannons? I'd guess some kind of Oak or perhaps Maple. When I need to learn stuff I know here is where to ask. So a little help please. And Merry Christmas!

 

[72coupe]

Try Osage Orange. That stuff is really hard but nasty to work with.

I would think that elm might work because the grain is so tangled.

 

[Sam1911]

I'd absolutely suggest ash, or perhaps hickory, if you want to go with a super resilient hardwood. But oak would certainly do just about as well and its a lot easier to get.

 

[col.lemat]

White Oak is the proper wood to use. Stay away from red oak it tends to split.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The old guy that owned the foundry and made my cannon, told my whit oak or hickory for the carriage and for naval carriages, bass wood wheels.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Oak, the preferred wood of the Royal Navy.

 

[243winxb]

Paint the wood with Brownells accuglass. The runny liquid type, not the puddy.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

Ash or White Oak would hold up to the abuse. Here in Michigan there is Ash wood everywhere you look thanks to the Emerald Ash Borers. Since being introduced in 2002 they have killed nearly every Ash tree in the lower peninsula. It is being burnt for firewood mostly now since there is dead wood standing in every direction.

 

[Patocazador]

I agree with Sam, ash or hickory. Ax handles get lots of abuse and it works for them.

 

[Steve's 44cal]

Im not a cannon guy lol but i do know wood ..i would use ash its as hard as granite man

 

[BCRider]

If you go with oak be sure which you're getting. Red oak seems to be by far the more commonly found wood for sale. And unless you see the two forms standing side by side it's not that easy to tell them apart.

White oak is popular for classic wooden boat construction thanks to both its strength, flexibility and rot resistance. So if you live where there's a wooden boat building community check them out as a source.

And yeah, red oak is just about as brittle as glass when it comes to shock resistance.

 

[Cowhide Cliff]

Ash is hard wood but will split easy. That's why it's so great for firewood.

White Oak is what you want to use. Or Hickory. White Oak is what we use for trailer flooring to haul heavy equipment.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Dunno about Acraglas on the exterior. It can chip a lot. Depending on the size of the carriage, I can see putting pins in as reinforcement and acraglassing them in place.

 

[243winxb]

Its not beautiful, made to make noise on the 4th about 40 years ago. The first mount had the barrel fixed and i installed sights on it for the accuracy testing. This is the 2nd wood mount that was also damaged. After bedding rifles, extra Brownells accuglass was dumped on it. Its been holding together now for many years. Up to 100 gr 3F have been fired.

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[col.lemat]

100 gr of 3F ??? Must be a misprint I have rifles that use that much. I use 3,500 gr to achieve a range of 1200 yards in a 12 pound coehorn mortar.

 

[243winxb]

Not a misprint. Think a 9" long water pipe. Much like a pistol in 45 caliber.

I use 3,500 gr to achieve a range of 1200 yards in a 12 pound coehorn mortar.

Now thats a "cannon"

 

[col.lemat]

The wheels make it look much bigger. My mortar weighs over 160 pounds and take four people to move it. I only move short distances less then 40 yards by hand. I have never been able to get the same people to help move it though. I'll try and post some photos of the build and finished product. The ideal weight for a base or carriage is the same as the barrel weight, the least accecptable is half of the barrel weight. The wood has to be strong, tight strait grained with flexibility. No knot holes. Military specifications call for white oak.

 

[col.lemat]

Mortar Photos

Built the old way, built to last!!

 

[4v50 Gary]

243Winxb - I'd try to make it look more like a British WW II 25 pdr. It already bears a strong resemblance to it. When the Brits found out where Rommel's 88s were, they'd bombard them with their 25 pdrs from a position safe from the 88 direct fire.

 

[housepainter]

Another wood you might want to try is Hornbeam.
Otherwise known as Ironwood.

Dense, heave and strong.

Kinda like me.

 

[col.lemat]

I had trouble posting photos. Will try again on Monday (gun show weekend at Delmar Fairgrounds)

 

[Panzerschwein]

I think gopher wood might make an excellent trunnion for your cannon turret.