Wooden Cannons

Records of Military Armament, Volume 122

Military Equipment: Fire

Illustrated Explanations of Firearms

Page 7

Use hardwood to construct the frame. Regardless of the size, the interior must be entirely hollowed out, and the exterior should be reinforced with four iron hoops.

Drill a touch-hole for the fuse, fill the chamber with gunpowder, and pack it down firmly with a pestle. Place a small amount of yellow clay into the mouth of the piece, then insert stone and iron shrapnelOriginal: "shitiezi." Literally "stone and iron children," these were small projectiles like rocks and iron fragments packed into the barrel to create a shotgun-like effect..

When the fuses are connected and the fire is sparked from the mechanism's groove, the cannon itself shattersOriginal: "pao sui." This indicates that these wooden cannons were often expendable or "one-shot" weapons. In a desperate defense, the wooden barrel was designed to burst along with the internal charge, turning the entire device into a massive fragmentation bomb., and the flying fragments cause injury to the enemy. These are highly convenient for city defense; in urgent situations, they are particularly easy to manufacture.