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The Pennsylvania State Navy took delivery of its first full-scale English 3 pounder in June of 1999.  Three more cannon were then ordered, averaging one every six months.  The tubes were manufactured by Cannon LTD, with a slight design modification over the normal artillery pieces made at the foundry.  Because of the Navy's prity for live-fire demonstrations, the use of the typical 3/8" steel liner that is standard in most modern artillery reproductions was changed.  The Navy's full scale English 3 pounders were reengineered to include a 1/2" steel liner, making these cannon far stronger than any other of their class.

Taking delivery of the cannon was one thing.  Adapting 18th century carriage plans to accommodate the particular size of the tube was something else.  Damian Siekonic and Don Becker researched John Muller's "Treatise of Artillery", printed in London in 1780.  The only detailed plans for a naval or garrison carriages depicted in that publication were for an English 24 pounder.  Granted, the text does go on to provide calculations and rudimentary measurements for most of the guns of that day, which include the 3 pounder.  However, mathematics aside, there seemed a much more accurate way of devising suitable plans for the English 3 pounder naval carriage using the existing drawings for the 24 pounder carriage.

Using some modern technology, Becker and Siekonic employed an overhead projector, laptop and an interesting gadget that when plugged into a laptop's video port and placed over the top of the overhead projector projects any image you can conjure up on the computer's monitor.  Muller's plans for the 24 pounder were scanned at high resolution and then projected onto a white painted 4'x8' sheet of plywood.  Then using Adobe Photoshop, the plans were adjusted to accommodate the length and width of our cannon barrel.  The plans for the carriage were now life-size and proportional in every detail.

Using another piece of plywood, one of the 3 pounders was laid on top and traced using a square and a pencil.  The outline was then cut with a jigsaw and painted black.  The result was a silhouette cut-out of the cannon barrel.

The convenience of using an overhead projector for this exercise is clear.  By moving the projector nearer or further from the 4'x8' sheet of plywood, the technical plans for the carriage were increased or decreased in size as necessary.  The cut-out of the cannon barrel was held up to the projection against the plywood, and when the silhouette of the cannon barrel fit the plans, the cut-out was removed and the plans were traced onto the plywood using black markers.  The result was an accurate set of building plans that were custom-fit to our barrels.

Instead of using solid oak, which was an option, it was decided that the carriages would be built using laminated mahogany.   Mahogany, although not as hard as oak, has the same waterproof qualities without all of the weight, and when laminated using four pieces of 1"x8" and set counter-grained, it provides more strength than oak with an increased durability over any one piece of wood.  Experience with oak carriages, especially those cut from single pieces of oak, seem prone to cracking over time.

The two carriages depicted here took just over two months to build, which included custom blacksmithing.  The only piece of ironwork that was not fashioned by hand or purchased from an antique building supply store were the trunion caps.

Two more carriages are being built for cannons three and four, and with time being the most valuable commodity they should be ready for service by the end of 2001.

Hindsight tips: Although the laminated mahogany works wonderfully for the carriages, there is much to be gained by having solid oak wheels.  The current laminated wheels hold together quite well, being lag-bolted from inside, countersunk and filled.  However, the wheels are not as hard as we'd like them to be and don't hold paint very well during extended use.  A solid oak wheel will last far longer as well as afford the crew the option to not paint them, but instead stain them black.

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