I know that many of you have been losing sleep due to not knowing how to tie a stand of grape shot.
Out of complete boredom, and a wish to keep this forum alive, I have decided to educate
anyone willing to look through this.
You will leave, knowing in your heart that you now have the ability to defend life and liberty in the way that our naval forefathers did.
You will at least sleep better.
Grape shot was fired from a cannon. The canvas bag broke open and sent iron balls down range wreaking havoc on the enemy.
In this case we are making shot with fifteen 1" cast iron balls.
We are trying to duplicate the top left hand drawing but with 15 balls.
We will be adding a slot to the wooden sabot to allow a canvas powder bag to be attached.
Materials needed are Jute rope, sinew thread, 3/4" dowel, and the lathe turned walnut sabots. Note the grove for the powder bag.
Here we have the dowels glued into the sabots. Also the canvas bags that will hold the shot.
Cut a small slice in the bottom of the canvas bag.
Slide the bag over the dowel. Cut 9' of the Jute and two pieces of the sinew thread.
Put some glue around the base of the rod.
Slide the bag down on top of the glue and drop 5 balls in around the rod. Tie a short piece of sinew around it to hold everything in place.
Repeat for the second layer.
Repeat for the third layer and tie off with the Jute.
This is where it gets hard to explain. Wrap the Jute down at a diagonal and continue around the dowel.
Every time you go down, you have to go back up at a diagonal.
When you have to cross the jute. you have to go under it and over it. I use a large blunt needle and a piece of thread to accomplish this.
Repeat, repeat, repeat
When every thing has been crossed, tie the jute off at the top.