Vickers Bl 8 inch Howitzer cannon of 1917

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hi Rob ,

Most of all it's having the confidence to cut metal, experiment and if needs must discard and repeat.

This has been done numerous times on this build already so i'll second that.

Mal.

[Robert Irving 4Participant @robertirving4]

Hello Mal,

I've tried to reply 4 times to your last email message about hand wheels, each time I received an admin not delivered message due to suspected spam????.

Robert

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hello all, Well not much achieved these last couple of weeks, I decided to make the hand wheels for the traversing and elevating of the Howitzer cannon sounds simple but after looking at a lot pictures and diagrams off the internet they all seem to differ in size and design. After a couple of attempts of size and shape i settled with the ones you see in the picture ,made these out of 8mm flat plate playing with the rotary table in the mill and then some needle filling, there not perfect but i'am happy the way they look on the Howitzer , I placed them on the Howitzer to see if i got the size about wright.

Thanks Mal.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hello all and a happy new year

Not had much shead time in the last month or so just the odd hour here and there sort of thing but i have managed to finish the traversing reduction gearbox,now the gearbox has a few different designs from the later american type and the early english version.these were to ease the weight to traverse the carriage 4 degrees left or right

I did not want to buy gear cutters just for the two gears so managed to use some RC gears bought off ebay that suited, and I kind of made everything around them ,found making this very satisfying and I'am quite happy  the way it turned out.

Thanks Mal.

Edited By mal webber on 04/01/2020 22:01:49

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

More pics from last post

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

More great work Mal, well done!

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Thanks Jeff , next part to tackle on this build will be the elevating gearbox which has a few different types of gears in it, so i'll see how that goes.

Thanks Mal.

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Your attention to detail is great. Looks good so far. Something about detail & good engineering I have always appreciated.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hell all,thought i would make the trail bracket which the traverse mechanism attaches to which also the 8 degrees sale is marked on, now this bracket sits on the trail at about a 10 degree angle so that when the Howitzer is sitting in the firing position both elevating and traversing gearboxes sit level this could be down to oil level in both boxes not 100% sure ,anyway decided to to make this part out of solid lots chips fettling and roughing it up a little to look like a cast part and this is what turned out couple of pics below.

Thanks Mal.

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Absolute brilliance of detail & patience. I admire you. Keep it coming.

Steve.

[Robert Irving 4Participant @robertirving4]

Superb work on a complex piece.

Rob

[Alan JacksonParticipant @alanjackson47790]

Wonderful workmanship

Alan

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Thanks guy's , the part took a lot longer than I initially thought ,must be down to a cold workshop

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hello all,

Not getting much done on the Howitzer build lately and at this rate it's going to take a good while to finish, I have managed to make a couple of parts for the trail first one is the bracket that receives and locks the traveling lock bar ,second bracket is what the back of the top carriage attaches on and allowing it to slide the 8 degrees couple of pictures on how they look on the trail.

Thanks Mal.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hello all in these difficult times hope all is well, well have been having problems with the mill so the Howitzer build came to a stop for a month or so but it's up and running again better than ever [ touch wood] after a few bearings being replaced, so it was back on to the Howitzer I decided the gears for the elevating gearbox would be next to have a go at. Now worm wheel and worm used in this gear box because of locking ability and reduction and bevel gears I have never tried making but spur gears I have, so after digesting Ivan Law's book on gears and gear cutting and reading up on this site I managed finally after a few c%^$ ups to cut some gears ,shafts are still to make and a gearbox to put it all in, few pic's below on how it's going.

Thanks Mal.

Edited By mal webber on 21/03/2020 01:09:45

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Couple more from last post.

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Amazing gear cutting work. Did you make the cutters as well as the gears. I recently cut my first gears, only straight spur gears, but what you make like worm gears takes a lot of work.

David

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hi David, one of the gear cutters I had already and the small 30dp for the bevel gears i purchased from rdg,a hob was made for the worm gear and free hobbing in the lathe was used as described in Ivan Law's book. I would like to have a go at making my own involute cutters as there not cheap.

Mal.

Edited By mal webber on 21/03/2020 10:33:12

[Peter SpinkParticipant @peterspink21088]

Crikey, great work!

I'm genuinely amazed by the quality of work by people on this forum – truly inspirational

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hello all and I hope everyone is keeping safe,thanks Peter , managed to pick up a lump of stock bar today for the gearbox so next couple of weeks will be to remove metal and find it 

Edited By mal webber on 25/03/2020 20:27:02

Edited By mal webber on 25/03/2020 20:27:51

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Great work on the gears Mal! well done. It will be a bit of rooting around in that big bar end to find your gearbox but steady as she goes and you will locate it.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Thanks Jeff , most the bar will end up in the scrap bin ,I'm hoping that not all of it will

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Hi Mal

Any other updates on your howitzer build, been looking forward to seeing latest, did you manage to find a gearbox in that lump of metal? your work on the gears looks superb.

George.

[mal webberParticipant @malwebber91786]

Hello George, for the last couple of months with everything going on, I've not had a chance to work on the Howitzer but I am looking forward to starting back on the project end of next month.

Here are a couple of pictures on how far I got on the elevating gearbox before I stopped, still plenty to get done.

Thanks Mal.

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Nice to see the work on gearbox. It's amazing how you do it and it will look just like the original and work. Keep safe and keep up the work when you can.

David

[Author]

Posts