Cannon-Boring Machinery
This diagram shows how to bore out a cannon with machinery similar to the device
invented by Jean Maritz. The secret of success lay in making the whole cannon
revolve against the cutting edge, which was made to advance by weights, gears, and
cogs that kept a steady pressure at the cutting face. This arrangement made it
possible to hold the cutting head steady, while the cannon's bulk imparted enough
inertia to the spin to prevent wobbling that might otherwise spoil the precision of the
bore.
Gaspard Monge, Description de l'art de fabriquer les canons, Imprimée par Ordre du Comité de Salut
Public, Paris, An 2 de la République française, pl. XXXXI.
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