For the Bookshelf
Building 18th Century Naval Artillery
By Damian Siekonic
84 pages, 8-1/2" X 11", ringbound: $24.95
Reviewed by Bill Scurlock
Artillerymen, reenactors, historians and cannon enthusiasts of all types will enjoy and appreciate this workshop book for building naval artillery. It is full of drawings, photographs and instructions that take the reader step-by-step through the process of constructing appropriate wooden carriages for naval artillery. The author, Damian Siekonic, has extensive experience building naval carriages for 18th century cannon. Carriages he has built have seen regular use aboard tall ships, at historic sites and in film. This book draws on a decade’s worth of research and practical hands-on experience with functional naval artillery.
After a brief introduction and a helpful page on naval carriage nomenclature, the first section deals with making the carriage. In this section Siekonic explains in detail how to make plans for a carriage for any size barrel. He then explains how to make the wooden components, how to make the iron components and then how to assemble it all into a working naval carriage. While sticking to original designs, Siekonic keeps it practical by explaining how to fabricate each piece using materials you can find at a lumberyard, basically by laminating dimensional lumber (also explained) to make the large pieces. If you want to build a carriage using solid pieces of lumber, you can, but that entails more risk of costly mistakes. At the end of each subsection, the author gives a helpful summary and technical tips plus leaves some space for you to add your own construction notes.
Since no cannon is complete without its various tools and accessories, the next section deals with gun tools, most of which also have to be custom made. In this section you will find instructions and illustrations for making the sponge/ram, the worm, the linstock, the slow match, the priming wire, the tompion, a block and tackle and many more tools for loading, shooting and cleaning your cannon. Capping off this section are several pages on the smallest classification of muzzleloading cannon, the swivel gun, in which the author discusses mounts, hardware and tools.
Building 18th Century Naval Artillery also contains an appendix that includes charts, tables, plans and a glossary of artillery terms, all of which will be helpful in building and using cannons.
I must confess that I didn’t take this book and build a carriage for a naval cannon, but after reading it and studying the ample illustrations, I have no doubt that I could. This great how-to book contains 88 technical drawings and 41 color plates. It’s also ring-bound, which means that it will lay flat on your table or workbench, a very handy feature for a how-to book.
Building 18th Century Naval Artillery is available for $24.95 plus shipping from Privateer Media, LLC, PO Box 66, Center Valley PA 18034, phone 610-972-9981, online [www.privateermedia.com]. You can also order Scurlock Publishing by calling 800-228-6389 or online at [store.scurlockpublishing.com].
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