Le Commode (The Convenient), reduced-scale model of a 24-pound cannon in five sections General view

In the 17th and 18th centuries, certain founders began research into improving the artillery pieces in service. This was the case of Nicolas de Saint-Hubert, who settled in Rochefort and who invented several firearms for smaller pieces. In 1711, this founder designed and manufactured a cannon that could be dismantled into seven sections, which are slotted one into another and connected via nuts and bolts and woodruff keys, in order to make it easier to transport. This piece was tested on February 5, 1712, with catastrophic results: the cannonball covered 1,640 feet (500 m), but the woodruff keys caved and the breech, which weighed 330 pounds (150 kg), was projected 82 feet (25 m) backwards. Saint-Hubert then developed a new project on a smaller scale with only five sections. This cannon, which can be dismantled, was christened Le Commode, most likely in reference to its reported ease of transport, but was never used in service. Effectively, if the piece had been created in full-size, the amount of bronze needed for manufacturing the various lugs that the screws pass through would have considerably increased the weight of the cannon. The assembly of the piece, which requires the activation of a lifting and loading gear, would have been time-consuming and perfectly ... inconvenient.