Maker Faire Electric City 2024

Historic Cannon Gantry - Cole Randall

Home: New York, United States

Come learn about traditional craft and advanced fabrication with Cole Randall’s cannon gantry project. As part of his scholars research program, Cole constructed a ⅓ scale cannon gantry based on the field cannons of the Civil War. The goal of the project was to explore history through hands-on machine shop time by creating something that is historical but also takes advantage of modern machining technology. The design for the cannon gantry employed segmented wheels assembled in the keystone fashion, the conventional fourteen spokes, and used a typical hardwood (oak). The Gantry project is at the intersection of traditional craft skills like wood and metal working and more contemporary tools like CNC milling. It is historic and at the same time cutting edge!