Plywood clock

Bruthal

A clock made from 6mm plywood.

Testing the escape and drive train before cutting more parts out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRq3WR4n1M4

Finished and painted. Painted tips of hands white since this video was made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioHOA_p3hHc

peasant

Do you have access to a CNC machine or did you file all those teeth painstakingly by hand?

Bruthal

peasant wrote: »

Do you have access to a CNC machine or did you file all those teeth painstakingly by hand?

I cut them out using a scroll saw.





Fully built and running, before cleaning up, and painting the frame.


Here I have taken the clock apart after it was running a week with hands etc all fitted, to paint the frame and hands black. I left the gears bare.

Bullseye1

Amazing stuff. Do you sell your creations?

Bruthal

Bullseye1 wrote: »

Amazing stuff. Do you sell your creations?

Not so far anyway. That`s the first attempt at a clock I made, based on partial plans I had from someone else`s design, with a few changes here and there. The mechanism is straight forward enough though, so designing from scratch would not be too difficult once there is an understanding of the gear ratios. There are gear design templates on the net, and then its just a matter of getting a ratio to drive the hour and minute hands from the great wheel (wheel driven by the weight), regulated by the escape wheel turning once every 60 seconds as governed by the pendulum length. The tricky part is getting the pallets to properly interact with the escape wheel, and also getting the front frame plate and back one lined up precisely enough so the gear arbours (axle`s) bearings are nice and free running.

ednwireland

fantastic always wanted one after seeing a kilinchy clock


http://www.craftanddesigncollective.com/listing.asp?MemberID=71&Category=Wood

Miklos

Amazing stuff, fair play!

Eoin

You'll do well to find a strap that goes with it!

Seriously though - brilliant work.

Bruthal

Eoin wrote: »

You'll do well to find a strap that goes with it!

I know, and you would have to hold the wrist up at least enough to keep the 39 inch pendulum off the ground:)

Seriously though - brilliant work.

It turned out well at least.Its an unusual one to have up on the living room wall. I was surprised at how well it worked. When I first started it, I was confident I could get it working, but as it was near finished, and I was testing a gear at a time in the frame for smooth running, I was not quite as confident, especially when I started setting up the escapement. But it is running a month now, only stopping when I stopped it to dis- assemble and paint, and for a couple of pendulum length adjustments. It seems to run very reliably so far.

Wibbs

I tried making one myself a few years back. My design was pretty funky if I do say so myself Even incorporated a grasshopper escapement. Suffice to say after a few sessions with a scroll saw I'm damn lucky to be still able to count to ten. :D So I'm full of admiration for your work robbie7730

Bruthal

Wibbs wrote: »

I tried making one myself a few years back. My design was pretty funky if I do say so myself Even incorporated a grasshopper escapement. Suffice to say after a few sessions with a scroll saw I'm damn lucky to be still able to count to ten. :D So I'm full of admiration for your work robbie7730

The escapement is one of the hard parts to get working. A grasshopper one would be even more so. Did you get it completely built?

Wibbs

I had it kinda working, though had to apply the force manually. I reckon it might have worked if I'd gotten the gears right.

Bruthal

Wibbs wrote: »

I had it kinda working, though had to apply the force manually. I reckon it might have worked if I'd gotten the gears right.

Yea one of the main things to get right is the gears meshing without sticking. Adding in one gear at a time and getting them running smoothly before adding the next one is the way to do it. Frame bearing alignment from front to back is one that causes difficulty for many people making these wood clocks, and was the main one I had in mind while making this one. The further into the drive train the gear is from the drive weight, the less friction it takes to stop the clock.

If you were able to get a grasshopper escapement regulated mechanism working at all, then I think you must have been very close to having everything right.

Deep Thought

Lovely Stuff

there is a website called woodenclocks.co.uk

The have a lot of plans etc

Bruthal

Deep Thought wrote: »

Lovely Stuff

there is a website called woodenclocks.co.uk

The have a lot of plans etc

Yea i seen that site before alright. The basics of the gearing on most mechanical weight driven clocks is similar, but it does allow for a wide variation in design possibilities.

I was looking at videos of tower clocks in buildings, and the mechanism is practically the same as well, except with metal gears, and hundreds of pounds weight to drive them. Even the pendulum is the same length, although that can be changed by changing the gear ratio between the minute hand and the escape wheel during the design, if it was required to be a different length.

Bruthal

I made another one and thought I would put it up, just made the gears first for a 60:1 ratio from minute wheel to escape wheel, then 2:1 for weight drive, then made up a frame to suit. Its a fair bit from finished, but just got the mechanism running yesterday, and made the 12:1 hour hand reduction gears today.



Video is not great but it shows it working anyway. The numeral dial is just hanging on a protruding shaft for now, so is not central yet. Have a temporary minute hand on it borrowed from the other clock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rot9OZ9zVcU

Wibbs

That's bloody wonderful robbie7730. Thanks(again) for sharing. I'm looking at the numerals wheel and thinking "scrollsaw"? :eek:. After my last attempts my scrollsaw languishes in my shed on account of my phobia of seeing my own blood. BTW anyone want a scrollsaw? free to a good home.

Bullseye1

I just love these. Beautiful. Have you painted one up yet?

Mitch Buchannon

Wow, That looks fantastic. Great work dude.

Bruthal

Bullseye1 wrote: »

I just love these. Beautiful. Have you painted one up yet?

No, that is the 3rd clock I made so far, the first two being the same as the one at the start of this thread, and I just sort of made this last one up as I went along, with no plans, so I am not sure if I will paint it at all yet. This one worked straight away, the other two needed a fair bit of tweaking of gear teeth.

There is a bit more to do on it such as a pulley for the weight to get double the run time which was the intention, and make the hands etc.

So for painting, no decisions yet. Maybe black frame and black numerals or something like that, or leave as is.

Bruthal

Wibbs wrote: »

That's bloody wonderful robbie7730. Thanks(again) for sharing. I'm looking at the numerals wheel and thinking "scrollsaw"? :eek:. After my last attempts my scrollsaw languishes in my shed on account of my phobia of seeing my own blood. BTW anyone want a scrollsaw? free to a good home.

Here is the numerals being cut out. It was easy enough, but time consuming because of all the internal cuts. Still needs a bit of cleaning up and sanding.


Frame with main gears. I just drew the frame direct onto the ply with a pencil and straight edge, and a curved edge I had from a different project I used for the top and bottom curves in the frame.

Cmar-Ireland

Wibbs wrote: »

BTW anyone want a scrollsaw? free to a good home.

Me please !
(If you're serious)

Wibbs

Oh yea serious alright. It's just eating up space in my shed at the mo. I'll check to see if it works first though. It's been there for a few years so I dont know if it's still a goer. If it is you're welcome to it.

Bruthal

I have it more or less finished, so I thought I`d put a photo up.

Homer

If you decide to start selling them I'd be very interested! Fantastic work!

Bruthal

Homer wrote: »

If you decide to start selling them I'd be very interested! Fantastic work!

I dont think I will ever be selling them to make money as such. But if I make another one, I will have to do something to get it out of the house, there are 3 clocks here now running, its like the start of the 1960 film the time machine where he has loads of clocks in his house:D.

This last one looks really well in the hall, and looks like how i visualised it a few weeks ago. I might just make another one or two the same as that one as it turned out well.

If I make one that I am going to pass on, I will link it in here maybe.

Bruthal

It still works anyway.

Live view of the clock for a few hours here.

The window bars can move it more central.

Bruthal

Another clock video in real time for a few hours today, this time of a clock I seen on youtube a few times and liked the look of it, and got onto the cad and drew up my own interpretation of it in July. Its going since July now apart from when I forget to wind it. There is a button to switch audio on, if the slider is moved to bottom of video window.

Live stream

Bruthal

Made a couple more clocks since the last one on the thread, but last week decided to have a go at an Arnfield escapement, which is an interesting setup when seen in action. Just the minimum to get it going is done on it now, still needs sanding, hands, painting etc if I get round to it.

10 arms on the escape wheel rather than the 6 in the link above.

The video exagerated the sound level, but it still has a fair clatter out of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSe2Wt08AU8

MiCr0

If you're ever looking to make some cash with these, make sure to let us know first☺

Mredsnapper

That's a work of art. Wow.

Bruthal

MiCr0 wrote: »

If you're ever looking to make some cash with these, make sure to let us know first☺

I actually gave 2 or 3 of them away in the last year or so. Finding the time to build them is the thing now. That last one I just thought Id try the arnfield escapement to see could I get it working, as I thought it looked interesting.

A grasshopper might be another to have a go at, at some stage.

Bruthal

MiCr0 wrote: »

If you're ever looking to make some cash with these, make sure to let us know first☺

Ok, I was going to keep this one, but its requiring a new home now, with wall space disappearing.

Its running nearly a year now id say. PM or post if anyone is interested.
It would require an 8 lb or so weight to drive it.
(A second clock is ticking in the backround, its not a double tick-tock from this one)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw1yK7Mpg8M

Wossack

where are you based? I'd love it if its not a logistics nightmare (Im south dublin)

Wossack

gonna pass on this methinks, think might still be available

Poor Uncle Tom

@Bruthal

you need to clear out some old PM's, I can't send through the reply, you seem to have reached capacity.

Bruthal

Sorted there now.

Poor Uncle Tom

These really do have to be seen up close to be fully appreciated. They are truly a piece of mechanical art in timberwork. Bruthal, thank you for your help and for setting up the clock, I am really pleased with it....:)

scwazrh

If you make any more I would love to buy one.Please let me know if you do .

Bruthal

scwazrh wrote: »

If you make any more I would love to buy one.Please let me know if you do .

I make one now and again. I'm actually in the process of making another now. A new design again. Only doing bits on it for an hour here and there. But there will be more built. Its just a matter of when.

Wibbs

Can't wait to see the results of your labour B.

scwazrh

Bruthal wrote: »

I make one now and again. I'm actually in the process of making another now. A new design again. Only doing bits on it for an hour here and there. But there will be more built. Its just a matter of when.

With wait times like that , you could be the " Stowa" of wooden clocks !!!

Seriously though ,please do let me know if you have any more you decide to offload as they really are a piece of artwork.Much more pleasing than having an ikea clock on the wall

Bruthal

Wibbs wrote: »

Can't wait to see the results of your labour B.

It's nothing too radical anyway. It was mainly to put one together that had main gears that each fit on an A4 sheet. All clocks before, except the very first one, the main gears require printing across 2 sheets.

I like the look of it though. I'll post photos later this evening.

Bruthal

scwazrh wrote: »

With wait times like that , you could be the " Stowa" of wooden clocks !!!

Yea if I start one I already have cad drawings done up for, it can be done in a few days. I seem to tend to build the frame, then leave for months. Then come back to it. This latest one I only drew on the cad 2 weekends ago, although the drawing process is something that evolves not only in a design of a new one, but over a few builds of a clock already having been built. But will probably have this latest one running in the next week or 2 if time permits work on it. I only tend to do an hour here and there on them anyway.

Seriously though ,please do let me know if you have any more you decide to offload as they really are a piece of artwork.Much more pleasing than having an ikea clock on the wall

Yea they are very interesting to anyone with an interest in mechanics. I'm still fascinated by them myself.

893bet

How many hours does each one taker to make?

Bruthal

893bet wrote: »

How many hours does each one taker to make?

I get asked that a lot, and don't actually know for certain. Probably 3 or 4 days for one that I have made before, which i would have made up a full set of drawings for.

But I never did one that quick because I usually just do an hour or 2 here and there on them at all time.

Bruthal

Current project

Thirdfox

Out of interest - how well are these clocks keeping time?

I would love something like this in my house

Bruthal

Thirdfox wrote: »

Out of interest - how well are these clocks keeping time?

I would love something like this in my house

Time keeping would vary a little, according to conditions. I've had them within a minute a day.

Anywhere withing a few minutes a day is good enough though. The main point for myself at least, is the mechanics of them in motion.

893bet

I want one! Pretty please!

Bruthal

Test of gears by manual turning of weight drive drum.

The exact ratio of it from weight drive wheel to escape wheel is 120.125:1
From centre wheel to escape wheel is 60.0265:1
This means the pendulum will be very slightly shorter than the 60:1 ratio clocks before this one. It wont be noticeably shorter, but just a fraction quicker swing needed.

Notice how the drum can be rotated in reverse freely, due to the ratchet and clicks setup, seen at about 22 seconds into clip. This is to facilitate winding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHyM-EAEI2c