Wooden clock makers wanted

[Ian down london way]

Having toyed with toys (!) and furnished my house with some home made furniture, I've moved on to more fiddly projects, in particular, I've been making items with moving parts, in particular clocks (where pretty much everything is wood, cogs and all).

I've been used plans from clock designers supplier in Hawaii (Lisaboyer's site - she's a quilter, her partner does the clocks), but I have also made very successfully, a 'marble chest' (plans bought from forrest street designs). Both are easily found with google (search on wooden clock plans, and marble chest plans).

To the nub.

The clocks are the devil to get working properly. I've made three now, and only an animated sculpture thingy has really worked well. As wall decoration, they are great, but that's not really what I wanted. I've become a bit disheartened, and wondered if there are others out there who might like to enter into some kind of on-line/email dialogue to exchange ideas and experiences.

(I'm now trying to design my own moving stuff, a combination of the marbles chest idea - with marbles falling down various paths - and using the essentials of a clock movement, to return the marbles to the top, using the power from a slowly falling weight. If anyone out there is interested in establishing communications about this project, let me know. I could paste stuff here, if there were enough interest, but I've no idea how its going to turn out - but its a really fun journey - making lots or prototypes and watching the design evolve.)

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Did you mean "makers of wooden clocks"?...............just a thought....

 

[Cheshirechappie]

One of the biggest problems in any mechanical clock movement is overcoming friction, and setting escapements up so they work reliably is another frequent headache.

Try making sure that all pivots are as free as possible, even to the point of being downright slack. (The old clockmakers used to say, "If it rattles, it'll run".) Then ensure that the escapement works sweetly. If the clock still sulks, try increasing the size of driving weight.

If that doesn't work, take up stamp collecting instead.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Some years ago, at A Celebration of Craftsmanship in Cheltenham, there was the most wonderful clock I've ever seen. It was as tall as a man and looked like a telegraph pole with lots of holes drilled through it. The top was hollow. At the bottom was a mallet, which, on the hour, would strike a see-saw, propelling marbles into the air, into the hollow top, which would then zig-zag through all the holes all the way down. It never failed to get a round of applause.
I've no idea how you would go about even conceiving such an idea, let alone executing it.
S

 

[brihol]

If you are interested in marble machines then Matthias Wandel's site is one to check out:
http://woodgears.ca/marbles/modular.html

Brian

 

[woodaxed]

did you mean something like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzIG9stF ... re=related

 

[Steve Maskery]

That's not the one, but yes, a similar - and much larger - machine.
Fantastic, aren't they?
S

 

[Benchwayze]

They drive me crazy!




Click on the picture. :wink:

 

[AndyT]

They drive me crazy!


Click on the picture. :wink:

yes but .... that one is made out of this newfangled "pixel wood!"

 

[Jacob]

Bruce is yer man http://bruceaitken-clockmaker.co.uk/Clocks_home_2.shtml

 

[Ian down london way]

I've seen his clocks at an up-market (way up) craft show. They were truly wonderful, but I'm sure they are not hand made. The cogs, which were excellent (I use ply, he used radially assembled solid wood) looked so nice.

I'm sure he's made 100 prototypes though.

I think some of my problems are about keeping the shafts parallel so the cogs engage cleanly.

Anyway, more to the point, has anyone made any of the clocks based on the Hawaii plans?

(PS, I couldn't quote the link, 'cos I don't have permission to post links - how do I get permission?)

 

[ossieosborne]

Ian

You will be able post links and such like as you now have 3 posts to your name.

Oz

 

[Jonzjob]

I wait with baited breath! I have had the idea of making a totally wooden clock and would love to find some plans to work on!!

 

[theartfulbodger]

would love to find some plans to work on!!

http://www.woodenclocks.co.uk/Clock2ul.pdf

And others available from

http://www.woodenclocks.co.uk/index.htm



http://www.lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/masochist.htm is worth a look too!


I have a wooden clock on my "tuit" list...I need more hours in the day and more energy in the hours.

 

[Ian down london way]

would love to find some plans to work on!!

http://www.woodenclocks.co.uk/Clock2ul.pdf

And others available from

http://www.woodenclocks.co.uk/index.htm
http://www.lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/masochist.htm is worth a look too!

I have a wooden clock on my "tuit" list...I need more hours in the day and more energy in the hours.

I first made the animated sculpture from the Lisa Boyer site *Galileo's Bicycle Kinetic Sculpture Plans". That was the easiest and it works well. I've then made two proper clocks, Simple and Swoopy.
Both look great, but neither work well.

Has anybody else out there made them, and had an interesting time getting them to run well???