This is a replica of a hand cannon, also known as a handgonne, that would have been used in 14th century Europe.
It is a very easy and quick project if you have access to a lathe. Total time for the project was about 6 hours not including design and the cost was about $30.
Materials:
1.5” dia. x 12” long steel
1.25” to 1.5” dia. wood pole (recommend ash or white oak)
#10 x 0.75” long wood screws
Boiled Linseed oil
Tools:
Lathe
Drill press or milling machine
Hand plane
Carving knife
Rasp
It is a very easy and quick project if you have access to a lathe. Total time for the project was about 6 hours not including design and the cost was about $30.
Materials:
1.5” dia. x 12” long steel
1.25” to 1.5” dia. wood pole (recommend ash or white oak)
#10 x 0.75” long wood screws
Boiled Linseed oil
Tools:
Lathe
Drill press or milling machine
Hand plane
Carving knife
Rasp
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Signing UpStep 1: Design
I have a fascination with artillery of any kind. My preference is American Civil War but I also like the very early artillery. When I learned about the first hand held artillery I knew that I wanted to build one. After doing some searching I came across a design that I liked and that looked easy to make. I found a hand cannon dating from the 14th century. There were pictures detailed enough to base my design on.
To go from a picture to an actual design I fist printed the picture full size. I knew that I wanted the final diameter to be approximately 1.5" and the bore to be 1/2". Once I had a print scaled to this size rough dimensions were measured directly off the print. These dimensions were then used to create the cad drawing. I tweaked the design until everything looked close to the original. Since the originals are likely to have been made one at a time I’m sure there was a good deal of dimensional variation so I didn’t worry too much over the actual dimensions. I just picked sizes that I felt were easy to work with.
To go from a picture to an actual design I fist printed the picture full size. I knew that I wanted the final diameter to be approximately 1.5" and the bore to be 1/2". Once I had a print scaled to this size rough dimensions were measured directly off the print. These dimensions were then used to create the cad drawing. I tweaked the design until everything looked close to the original. Since the originals are likely to have been made one at a time I’m sure there was a good deal of dimensional variation so I didn’t worry too much over the actual dimensions. I just picked sizes that I felt were easy to work with.
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Impressive piece of 'replicated' history.
I will definitely ream the bore on the next one. Rifling is possible but a little modern for this period and I'm not sure how much accuracy would be gained for such a short barrel.