More Naval Cannon
by John
Some temporary bolts inserted until I get around to making the permanent brass fixtures. And the quoin and bed finished. And the wheel halves joined with brass pins.
The quoin is the wedge which is used to set the elevation of the barrel. It has a dovetail connection to the bed underneath. The brass pins which connect the wheel halves are also seen here.
The dovetail groove was smaller than any commercially available router cutter. That top opening is only 3mm (1/8″) across. After considering options I elected to cut the bed in half and then machine a 60 degree groove into each half, then superglue the halves together. The tongue in the quoin was similarly machined, but in one piece. That handle hole in the quoin is not centered, despite careful positioning. The wood grain must have pushed the drill bit laterally. I will use an end mill to get a bigger, centered hole and glue in a patch.
The barrel is 300mm-12″ long. It has straight sections, a taper section and several curved sections. Plus several types of bands called astrogals. It would be ideally suited to turning on a CNC lathe, but is much too long for my Boxford. So I am asking around, to locate a larger CNC lathe for hire/loan. If all else fails I will use my manual lathe, but I expect that the finish would be better on a CNC.
I will drill the bore first, and after considering the options, will use the Jerry Howell recommended method, which is to use a D-bit.
johnsmachines 