Dan Vadas

Thanks for the input Janos, Michiel, Mark, Brian and Pat.
 
Janos and Mark - quite right. The tackle you are both referring to was called the "Train Tackle". It was used to hold the gun inboard for reloading when the ship was heeling sufficiently to need it.
 
My Breeching may be a fraction long, but as I am going to show the guns as "run out" it won't be at all noticeable. There is actually enough room for the train tackle and eyebolt on the gun I used as a "template" (I actually shortened the breeching by 2mm after taking this pic). You can see the position for the eyebolt in the pic below marked with a red X. The gun isn't quite centred in the port in these pics - when it is correct everything SHOULD line up :
 

 
Pat - yes, I'm using exactly the same method for rigging the breeching as you describe.
 
 
TFFM says that either method would be suitable for the time period.
 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks for the input Janos, Michiel, Mark, Brian and Pat.
 
Janos and Mark - quite right. The tackle you are both referring to was called the "Train Tackle". It was used to hold the gun inboard for reloading when the ship was heeling sufficiently to need it.
 
My Breeching may be a fraction long, but as I am going to show the guns as "run out" it won't be at all noticeable. There is actually enough room for the train tackle and eyebolt on the gun I used as a "template" (I actually shortened the breeching by 2mm after taking this pic). You can see the position for the eyebolt in the pic below marked with a red X. The gun isn't quite centred in the port in these pics - when it is correct everything SHOULD line up :
 

 
Pat - yes, I'm using exactly the same method for rigging the breeching as you describe.
 
 
TFFM says that either method would be suitable for the time period.
 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Trucks
 
I gave a bit of thought on the easiest way to make the Trucks (wheels) without resorting to using dowel - the grain would run the wrong way, although at this scale it would be difficult to pick the difference.
 
The Trucks are 4" thick, the Hind Trucks are 10.5" in diameter and the Fore Trucks are 12" diameter. On larger guns they were made from four pieces of timber with the grain running crosswise to each other and bolted together, but a 6-pounder's trucks were made from one solid piece.
 
I started off by cutting a strip of timber a little wider than the required diameter. I set up a simple stopper jig on my mill vice by CA'ing a couple of pieces of scrap to the top and drilling the 2mm centre hole. Then I cut the piece off square on the table saw.
 

 
To hold the piece into the lathe for turning the outside diameter I used a spare mandrel from my Dremel accessories. The screw was only 1.7mm, so I turned up a small brass sleeve to give a snug fit to the hole. When tightened it held the piece of timber beautifully.
 

 

 

 
I found it difficult to remove the truck from the mandrel, so I drilled a slightly smaller hole than the truck in a piece of scrap. By placing the piece over the hole I could easily remove it by pushing it into the hole :
 

 
There was a burr on one side of each piece after turning it, so to hold the rather awkward round piece without damaging it while sanding I drilled another hole in my piece of scrap which was slightly larger than the diameter of the truck and a bit less than it's thickness. The piece protrudes slightly from this hole, and a couple of wipes with a sanding stick soon removes the burr :
 

 

 

 
A view of the progress so far. The carriage sits on top of a 5 cent piece :
 

 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Thank you Robbyn and Mark.
 
Hardware
 
The final details of the guns are the various items of hardware - the five Loops for the Training Tackles, the eight Bracket and Transom Bolts, and the two Breeching Ring/eyebolt assemblies.
 
The breeching rings and eyebolts were the most difficult parts to make, as they are joined together but silver-soldered independently so they actually work. :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Quoin
 
Between the Bed and Barrel is a wedge-shaped piece called the quoin. It's function is to change the elevation of the barrel. This was accomplished with the aid of crowbars, and the quoin was either pulled backward to elevate the barrel or pushed forward to depress it.
 
I made the quoins from English Box for a bit of contrast. The handle at the aft end is a cut-off and lightly blackened brass belaying pin :
 

 
Here are some progress pics of one of the guns so far. All that's left to do is make 56 eyebolts and 16 breeching rings, and fit another 64 bolts   :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Breech Rigging
 
The Breeching is a 4" rope on a 6-pounder. As with all ropes and lines it was measured by it's circumference. The diameter is about 1.25", which is 0.66mm in 1:48 scale. The line I'm using is 0.7mm - as close as I can get.
 
The first thing I had to do was work out exactly how long the Breeching should be. TFFM specifies three times the length of the barrel, but I wasn't sure whether that was the whole rope including the half-hitches and seizing around the ring in the hull and the loop around the cascabel or the overall length without any twists and turns.
 
I've made up an overlength piece which has already been tied and seized around one of the rings. I figured the best one to try out the length on was the port with the most obstructions behind it - any further back and the pumps would be in serious trouble .
 
I used a piece of double-sided tape to temporarily fix the gun to the deck, fitted the eyebolt on the ring into it's hole and looped the rope around the cascabel. This now gives me the measurement I need - I'll undo all but the seizing and make all 8 breechings the same length :
 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Breech Rigging
 
The Breeching is a 4" rope on a 6-pounder. As with all ropes and lines it was measured by it's circumference. The diameter is about 1.25", which is 0.66mm in 1:48 scale. The line I'm using is 0.7mm - as close as I can get.
 
The first thing I had to do was work out exactly how long the Breeching should be. TFFM specifies three times the length of the barrel, but I wasn't sure whether that was the whole rope including the half-hitches and seizing around the ring in the hull and the loop around the cascabel or the overall length without any twists and turns.
 
I've made up an overlength piece which has already been tied and seized around one of the rings. I figured the best one to try out the length on was the port with the most obstructions behind it - any further back and the pumps would be in serious trouble .
 
I used a piece of double-sided tape to temporarily fix the gun to the deck, fitted the eyebolt on the ring into it's hole and looped the rope around the cascabel. This now gives me the measurement I need - I'll undo all but the seizing and make all 8 breechings the same length :
 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Breech Rigging
 
The Breeching is a 4" rope on a 6-pounder. As with all ropes and lines it was measured by it's circumference. The diameter is about 1.25", which is 0.66mm in 1:48 scale. The line I'm using is 0.7mm - as close as I can get.
 
The first thing I had to do was work out exactly how long the Breeching should be. TFFM specifies three times the length of the barrel, but I wasn't sure whether that was the whole rope including the half-hitches and seizing around the ring in the hull and the loop around the cascabel or the overall length without any twists and turns.
 
I've made up an overlength piece which has already been tied and seized around one of the rings. I figured the best one to try out the length on was the port with the most obstructions behind it - any further back and the pumps would be in serious trouble .
 
I used a piece of double-sided tape to temporarily fix the gun to the deck, fitted the eyebolt on the ring into it's hole and looped the rope around the cascabel. This now gives me the measurement I need - I'll undo all but the seizing and make all 8 breechings the same length :
 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Thank you Robbyn and Mark.
 
Hardware
 
The final details of the guns are the various items of hardware - the five Loops for the Training Tackles, the eight Bracket and Transom Bolts, and the two Breeching Ring/eyebolt assemblies.
 
The breeching rings and eyebolts were the most difficult parts to make, as they are joined together but silver-soldered independently so they actually work. :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Quoin
 
Between the Bed and Barrel is a wedge-shaped piece called the quoin. It's function is to change the elevation of the barrel. This was accomplished with the aid of crowbars, and the quoin was either pulled backward to elevate the barrel or pushed forward to depress it.
 
I made the quoins from English Box for a bit of contrast. The handle at the aft end is a cut-off and lightly blackened brass belaying pin :
 

 
Here are some progress pics of one of the guns so far. All that's left to do is make 56 eyebolts and 16 breeching rings, and fit another 64 bolts   :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Bed
 
The supports for the barrel at the aft end consist of the Bolster, Bed and Quion.
 
The Bed is nailed to the top of the Bolster, and is supported at it's fore end by the Bed Bolt. There are rebates in the underside of the bed to accept both :
 

 
The Bed Bolt has two functions : Supporting the Bed and preventing the upper parts of the carriage from spreading. The Transom at the fore end of the carriage has a similar bolt at it's upper end :
 

 

 
  Danny

Grant, Sherry, David, Brian, Juergen and Charlie - thanks very much for the kind comments .
 
 
Usually over a quiet smoke and a glass of Glenfiddich (of which I have one glass remaining   ).
 
 
I certainly don't envy you the task Sherry   .
 
Welcome to Model Ship World Charlie. From the poem in your Signature I'm guessing you may be building the "Norfolk Sloop"?? Here's your old mate Trim :
 

 
  Danny
 
 

Thank you Grant, Michiel, Mark, John and Brian.
 
I've (almost) finished the Forward Aft Bulkhead - only the hinges and locks to go. I spot-glued the upper cant to the underside of a spare quarterdeck beam and glued the three solid sections and four doors to the cant and each other :
 


 
Two pics of the assembly dry-fitted - very little modification was needed :
 


 
A closeup of one of the Cants for Brian. These are 3" square battens with a rounded top-outer edge. The sections of cant in the door openings will be cut out later :
 

 
  Danny

Breech Rigging
 
The Breeching is a 4" rope on a 6-pounder. As with all ropes and lines it was measured by it's circumference. The diameter is about 1.25", which is 0.66mm in 1:48 scale. The line I'm using is 0.7mm - as close as I can get.
 
The first thing I had to do was work out exactly how long the Breeching should be. TFFM specifies three times the length of the barrel, but I wasn't sure whether that was the whole rope including the half-hitches and seizing around the ring in the hull and the loop around the cascabel or the overall length without any twists and turns.
 
I've made up an overlength piece which has already been tied and seized around one of the rings. I figured the best one to try out the length on was the port with the most obstructions behind it - any further back and the pumps would be in serious trouble .
 
I used a piece of double-sided tape to temporarily fix the gun to the deck, fitted the eyebolt on the ring into it's hole and looped the rope around the cascabel. This now gives me the measurement I need - I'll undo all but the seizing and make all 8 breechings the same length :
 

 

 
  Danny

Quoin
 
Between the Bed and Barrel is a wedge-shaped piece called the quoin. It's function is to change the elevation of the barrel. This was accomplished with the aid of crowbars, and the quoin was either pulled backward to elevate the barrel or pushed forward to depress it.
 
I made the quoins from English Box for a bit of contrast. The handle at the aft end is a cut-off and lightly blackened brass belaying pin :
 

 
Here are some progress pics of one of the guns so far. All that's left to do is make 56 eyebolts and 16 breeching rings, and fit another 64 bolts   :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks again to Kevin, Sjors, Mark, Janos and Aldo - I'm really pleased with the way the guns have turned out too. It was well worth the effort and expense of buying the barrels and capsquares, there was NO WAY that I could have made them as well as this , although it took quite a bit to "finish" them.
 
Here are a few pics of all the completed carriages. Rigging them up will be the next job :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny