Firecracker Cannon

[Shawnee_b]

A customer in CA wanted a firecracker cannon. Get snowed in in upper Maine sometimes 2 weeks at a time so I went for it. Being a knifemaker and licensed firearms dealer at the time, had tools, stock and needed a break.

1.25 in brass stock 4" long for the barrel. .325 bore (3/8). I made everything (except the lead screws and acorn nuts), cranks, wheels, everything. Used a small lathe and mill. Adj for elevation, place where you want for windage. The lever is spring loaded, drop breech and load, snap breech shut and fire.

It's featured on "Ray Vin Cannon" site, took a week to make, paid very well for my week.

 

[Gdjjr]

Cool!

 

[Gdjjr]

Not many craftsmen left- hope you're passing it on to someone who cares to learn.

 

[Shawnee_b]

Thank you. I did pass knifemaking on to a few persons and actually three of them are making a full time living off of it.

Since I moved here I haven't met many inclined but then haven't tried hard anyway. Did teach one young man how to do some knife basics, made his own and happy with it.

 

[rightwinger]

You are not going to show us how it works?

 

[waltky]

How powerful is it?...

... Can it be adapted...

... to make an M-80 cannon?

 

[rightwinger]

You’ll shoot yer eye out

 

[Shawnee_b]

You are not going to show us how it works?

Sold it, was a commissioned piece back around 2002 or 3

 

[rightwinger]

You are not going to show us how it works?

Sold it, was a commissioned piece back around 2002 or 3

You do good work

 

[Shawnee_b]

How powerful is it?...

... Can it be adapted...

... to make an M-80 cannon?

Only a firecracker but a strong breech and barrel so it could have fired more. 3/8 .325 is a 38 cal. No prob loading it up a bit and dropping a 38 slug in it. Maybe go thru one side a pop can! They could be bored bigger to handle an m80 is the fuse came out the end not side.

Honestly if you want more power since this is basically a dedicated firecracker cannon, use the traditional touch hole, fixed breech and steel would be stronger. Then you could put them thru 2x4's

Watch for my next thread, pop can mortar

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

How powerful is it?...

... Can it be adapted...

... to make an M-80 cannon?

Only a firecracker but a strong breech and barrel so it could have fired more. 3/8 .325 is a 38 cal. No prob loading it up a bit and dropping a 38 slug in it. Maybe go thru one side a pop can! They could be bored bigger to handle an m80 is the fuse came out the end not side.

Honestly if you want more power since this is basically a dedicated firecracker cannon, use the traditional touch hole, fixed breech and steel would be stronger. Then you could put them thru 2x4's

Watch for my next thread, pop can mortar

We used to make cannons on the sly in metal shop.
You could sink a one inch ball bearing 4 inches into an oak tree.
I'll never forget our first attempt at firing the thing.
We'd welded a piece 1/4 in flat bar on it so we could put it in a vice that we then sat in the driveway thinking it would do a fine job holding it.
We packed about three inches of black powder in it and tamped down a 1 inch bearing,lite the thing and ran around the back of the garage and waited for the boom.
It went off and we ran back from around the garage to check the canage. We'd placed a five lb coffee can full of water in front of the tree as a target.
It was obliterated!! And at first check we couldnt find the bearing it was buried so deep.
Then we turned to the vice only to find the cannon was no longer there.
We looked for a while until one of us noticed it buried in the wall in the garage.
We just moved his dads clock over to cover the hole.
Of course he noticed the repositioning and the hole in short order.
He acted pissed but you could tell he was trying not to laugh....it was then that I learned how to patch drywall.

 

[Shawnee_b]

We used to make cannons on the sly in metal shop.
You could sink a one inch ball bearing 4 inches into an oak tree.
I'll never forget our first attempt at firing the thing.
We'd welded a piece 1/4 in flat bar on it so we could put it in a vice that we then sat in the driveway thinking it would do a fine job holding it.
We packed about three inches of black powder in it and tamped down a 1 inch bearing,lite the thing and ran around the back of the garage and waited for the boom.
It went off and we ran back from around the garage to check the canage. We'd placed a five lb coffee can full of water in front of the tree as a target.
It was obliterated!! And at first check we couldnt find the bearing it was buried so deep.
Then we turned to the vice only to find the cannon was no longer there.
We looked for a while until one of us noticed it buried in the wall in the garage.
We just moved his dads clock over to cover the hole.
Of course he noticed the repositioning and the hole in short order.
He acted pissed but you could tell he was trying not to laugh....it was then that I learned how to patch drywall.

Haha good story, good memories too. That was one powerful cannae you guys made for sure.

I remember metal shop too, 4 years of it. "no cannons, no knives" We didn't even bother to be sly he just shook his head.