There is an external ballistics calculator in GGDT in which you can either choose to use a specific barrel angle, or calculate the angle for maximum range. You can also enter the coefficient of drag.

Yes, the readout on that axis is almost always displaying the effect on the diameter of the workpiece, as it is much more intuitive than having to calculate the radius everytime you turn the knob. Most non-lathe-specific DRO's don't have the option to switch from radius to diameter though, and you'l...

I would try to find something like a PVC end cap or tin can with a reasonably tight fit in the piston housing, and use a piece of reasonably soft rubber as a sealing face. If the piston is too loose in the housing the most simple solution is wrapping electrical tape on the front and back of the pist...

Any chance of internals pics? Will take them when something inside needs fixing, shouldn't take long :P The chamber indeed is stainless steel, it's an old helium tank I rescued from the recycling bin at my employer. You can clearly see the "I grew up on PVC but I'm an adult with access to metals no...

Looking good! you've come a long way since the epoxy batcave
Does the machining equipment perform as expected, and do you have any nice projects planned?

To get myself to build some stuff again I decided to slap a cannon together in my lunch break, with all designing and calculating done on the fly. I noticed that the projects where I spend a lot of time designing and preparing often don't actually end up being built at all.. Basically this is a quic...

Or you could use engine oil. It might not be quite as good, but even fish oil is better than no oil. Apart from the stench. On my Schaublin, which has a bearing headstock, I use motor oil. The ARE gets Dexron II, which is apparently nicer to plain bearings than "modern" motor oil, something to do w...

That list grows pretty fast the more you think about it doesn't it lol. Maybe we need to wait for JSR to test the precision of his machines before we start talking him into throwing money at trinkets he might need in the future :P Now whe're talking nice clamping tools, at the job we've collected a...

That's a nice looking vice right Gippeto! Also has some proper weight to it, which usually is a good sign. How's the upwards travel on the moving jaw when clamping down hard on a workpiece? The one I linked to has the benefit of the vise screw claming downwards, preventing the jaw from tilting when ...

Purchasing my own property has definitely opened the flood gates :D While you're here, what style of milling vise would you recommend? Is a tilting swiveling vise actually useful or am I OK with this for now? I've always mostly used the latter for the Sherline and hardly ever used the tilting colum...

Booo Turkish guns!!! Booo!!! But if it was cheap and it works, why not :) what caliber and energy? 6.35, datasheet says 46 joules or 265 m/s. Of course they don't tell with what kind of pellet that is. This caliber should be good for moar powah though, I'd like to figure out if I can make this thin...

I suggest you use preloaded cartridges with HHO, and the ammunition included in them. This way it can even work semi-automatically. I have the idea, (intuitive), that likewise, a propane-air combustion weapon can be improved in this way. As always, it's a matter of manufacturing and testing, becaus...

According to several sources a cat shoved over the muzzle makes a good muffler, but to avoid the mess and other issues that may or may not arise, I would fire into a box filled with wet rags (so you dont start a fire while you muffle the noise)

You'll be fine with the flanges man, you've got 1" thick 6061 to keep the 28 bars of pressure inside :D For the tie rods i'd simply go with large washers, a steel plate over the whole flange would be overkill. I expect the chamber to fail way before your endcaps do. (I'm not telling you to worry abo...

Go ahead and push the order button, in my experience the pain of spending money does not last long, and fresh, good quality material is a pleasure to work with. Don't skimp on tools and the like, as my boss likes to tell me "the bitter taste of bad quality lingers long after the sweetness of a low p...