This hydrogen/oxygen fueled tennis ball cannon was designed with
3 goals in mind:

Safety
If used correctly and with proper respect, this cannon should not
be a danger to those who stand other than in front of the muzzle.

Use of Commonly Available Materials
The cannon, its projectiles, and its propellant should be easily
obtainable and reasonably inexpensive.

Reliability and Ease of Use
The cannon should perform reliably and be easy to load and fire.

A simple cannon could be made from a thick pipe by almost anyone. The only difficult part would be finding a pipe that is extremely smooth on its interior. This would be absolutely necessary; otherwise, the projectile may jam. Copper or aluminum piping is usually smooth enough, but it must also be extremely thick to withstand the pressure developed by the expanding hot gasses in a cannon.

The quest for the perfect spark has brought us here. For convenience, reliability and power, nothing beats the ignition system discussed in this article.

Simple, easy to follow plans of how to make a basic spud-gun.

Ever seen those silly little hairspray powered spud guns that are all the rage? How’d you like to show up those guys with a cannon capable of launching spuds nearly 5 times farther? Read on...

Excellent plans for how to build a high-powered combustion spud-gun.

Easy to follow plans for your basic combustion spud-gun. Well written and very detailed.

Rockets and cannon are generally thought of as heavy artillery. Perpetrators of violence do not usually employ such devices, because they are difficult or impossible to acquire. They are not, however, impossible to make. Any individual who can make or buy black powder or pyrodex can make such things. This document divulges the interesting facts and plans for how such devices could be built.

This is a very short “mortar” constructed for the express purpose of launching soft drink cans straight up into the air. It is fun, and it makes an incredible amount of noise when it goes off!

Well illustrated plans for how to build a powerful pneumatic (non-combustion) spud-cannon. Includes breakdown of a very effective diaphram.

The purpose of this document is to guide the reader through the production of a number of different types of cannons.

One of the most easiest cannons to build, yet still very effective.

The Tactical Starch Delivery System, or TSDS, is sometimes referred to as a potato gun, spud cannon, spudzooka, or potato shooter. The particular one described here shoots potatoes, apples, or pears with incredible accuracy, velocity, and distance.