Making gun carriages

[Modeler12]

For my next project I need 16 guns (6 pounders). I am using the drawing published by the late Harold Hahn who came up with the formulas and dimensions for a variety of guns used by the British. The first drawing shows how he arrived at the various dimensions. It involves the scale you are working to and the caliber of the gun.

The sides of the carriage are obviously the most complicated. Using my new mini mill and a piece of pear wood, I proceeded as shown in the pictures that follow. I used four different bits, including the diamond coated V. I do not have a rounded bit with this small a diameter and will have to file the round groove by hand after the 'log' is slices. I need at least 32 of those pieces at a thickness of 0.051 inches.

     

 

To cut the last step I decided I was too close to the vise and turned the part around. All cuts were made at about 5000 rpm.

 

 

I think I would not have been able to do this without the mini mill. For me this has been a good investment thus far.

 

[src]

Jay,

That looks real nice! I am in the process of making carriages also. Wish I had a mill, a table saw and a carving chisel isnt nearly as clean or efficient! Or as safe. doing each of those sides on a sled is interesting. 

 

It looks like your using quarter sawn lumber; I have never worked with pear before, wont that be more likely to break in this case?

Sam

Edited March 20, 2014 by src

[Modeler12]

Jay,

That looks real nice! I am in the process of making carriages also. Wish I had a mill, a table saw and a carving chisel isnt nearly as clean or efficient! Or as safe. doing each of those sides on a sled is interesting. 

 

It looks like your using quarter sawn lumber; I have never worked with pear before, wont that be more likely to break in this case?

Sam

Sam, I got the wood as part of a sample kit from Hobby Mill (http://www.hobbymillusa.com/)

 

At the time I did not even consider whether it was quarter sawn or not. I also had some other woods that (as yet) I have not  used, but it included a couple pieces of boxwood.

 

As far as tools are concerned: go for what you have to work with. I did that for several years, enjoyed the 'craft' aspect and learned from that. Slow and easy, with a steady hand. Now I am at an age where my hands are not that steady any more and 'better' tools are handy to have.

One thing, though, about hand tools: get the best you can afford, keep them safe and sharp.

[src]

 

 

As far as tools are concerned: go for what you have to work with. I did that for several years, enjoyed the 'craft' aspect and learned from that. Slow and easy, with a steady hand. Now I am at an age where my hands are not that steady any more and 'better' tools are handy to have.

One thing, though, about hand tools: get the best you can afford, keep them safe and sharp.

Jay,

Your'e preaching to the choir there my friend!   Although I have been known to shop at Harbor Freight, I always try to get the best I can afford - part of why I dont have a mill. As somebody who strives to keep my cutting tools in the best shape i can, it kills me to see a couple of the "carpenters" I work with use their chisels! Opps, I mean combination screwdriver, prybar, door stop.

I do enjoy the craftsman part of this hobby very much; its what drew m to it in the first place. 90% of my Enterprise has been built with chisels, scrapers and micro planes.

I seem to have a personal problem with repetitious tasks like gun carriages so a faster more efficient way is always appealing to me.

Regardless, i will be following along here with interest.

Sam

Edited March 20, 2014 by src

[dgbot]

Pear is a great wood for milling. My problem is trying to find enough of it. Smart use of the mill for making your carriages.

David B

[Chuck Seiler]

As an alternative, check out my gun carriages in GUNBOAT PHILADELPHIA.  The process is not as precise as Jay's, but effective for the table saw and dremel folks such as myself.  (I would include the link, but I have not mastered that yet.)

Edited March 23, 2014 by Chuck Seiler

[tkay11]

The link is http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/5721-gunboat-philadelphia-by-chuck-seiler-scale-148-1776-scratch-from-ms-plans/?p=176932. To insert the link, you can click on the little white number (e.g. #6 in your last post) and there will be a pop-up with the link. Copy that. Then, in your post, highlight the text you'd like to act as a link. Then look for a little icon looking like a chain in the second line of the editing box. Click on that for a pop-up into which you insert your copied link.

 

Your carriages are very nice. For individual sets of carriages your way looks very effective at that scale.

 

As a complete novice, I have spent some time fiddling around with making carriages in a variety of ways, but eventually converted my drill stand to act as a mill stand as well, and have found that method very easy -- especially when you have to make a lot of carriages. I am now on my fourth set for the same model, having been quite unsatisfied with each of the earlier sets (for differing reasons)!

 

Tony

Edited March 23, 2014 by tkay11

[dgbot]

I have made carraiges the way chuck does. However once the profile is machined out I then slice it up at an angle like a slice of bread then add the rest.

David B

[Chuck Seiler]

Tony,

 

    Thanks for the tip.

[42rocker]

Like your mill usage. Looks good.

 

Later Tim

[Modeler12]

I must admit that the mill made it easier. But I also toyed with the idea that a fixture on a drill press might work also. All you really need is a sliding table because the grooves are all in one direction. With some care you can feed the stock underneath the routers slowly while pressing down on the part. You would need to be able to lock the spindle so it doesn't move up or down.

[tkay11]

Yes, it's fairly easy to modify the drill stand. You can see how I did mine at http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/4539-how-to-modify-proxxon-mb-140-drill-stand-to-act-as-mill/?p=130660.

 

Tony