Frequently Asked Questions

All the answers below are abbreviated from my usual long-winded email answers.

Do I need a Paypal account to buy your plans?

No. Add the plans to your cart and when you want to check out, select the white button that says, "Check Out" above the words, "Pay without a Paypal accout." Then you can select your method of payment.

 Do you sell kits or completed clocks?

I sell only plans so that other woodworkers can find the same joy building these wonderful mechanisms that I have found in creating them. I do not sell any parts, pieces, kits or completed mechanisms.

 In what format are your plans, and what is included?  Can I get a DXF emailed to me?

All of my plans are drawn in 2D CAD and are available in dxf format, and most are available in pdf format, and as paper plans through the mail. All formats are presented in "page" form for easy printing which, once printed, gives the builder not only full size patterns, but also an assembly manual to refer back to during their build. The dxf are generic 2D CAD, and with a little individual manipulation, have been successfully used by all of the building and cutting methods; scrollsaw, cnc, laser and 3D printing.

Included in my dxf plans are full size drawings for all of the pieces and parts that make up these mechanisms. In the pdf and paper plans, almost all of the parts are shown full size, with measured drawings for only the very largest pieces.  All of the major components, like the wheels, pinions, spacers, etc., are given as full size patterns.  These drawings can be cut from the plans, glued to the appropriately sized stock, and cut to the line.  This same “NO Measuring” technique applies to the metal parts used as arbors and spacers.  Just put the appropriately sized metal part next to the plans, mark and cut.

Except for the restricted Masochist's Corner designs, all of my plans come with a full set of instructions and a materials list.  Besides the separate instructions, each page of the drawings also has further explanations and instructions for each of the parts shown. There are also a couple of pages that show the completed clockworks or sculpture, so you can go back and reference these pages to see how all the parts fit together.  These completed front and side views of the mechanism show all of the various parts and their location.

All plans are available in dxf format, and almost all are now available in pdf format. On each design's ordering page you are given a choice whether to order in dxf/pdf format and receive your plans via email attachment (usually within 24 hours). Also, most plans now have a "Buy Now" option that allows for instant download. If you have any trouble with the Instant Downloading process, please see the FAQ above that describes how to teach your computer to accept multiple downloads.

PDF for most of my designs are now available.

To open and manipulate a dxf, you must have a CAD program. Regular drawing programs, for example; the free Sketchup and entry level Corel, may not allow you to open and manipulate dxf easily. However, the top end Corel used with lasers does work well.

If your CAM program is having trouble accepting the CAD drawings in dxf format it may be because the join vector tolerances in your CAM program are set to narrowly. For example, I have VCarvePro5 by Vectric and the join vector tolerances were originally set at 0.0002, which is ridiculously close for what we need, but great if you are building a space shuttle for NASA. After resetting the vector tolerances to a more reasonable 0.02" (0.5mm), the CAD drawings are accepted just fine, and g-code can be generated.

Click here for some helpful hints on working with dxf: Some Helpful Hints for Working with DXF

Which is the best clock design for beginners?

I always used to recommend my Number Six as the best clock for the beginner to learn about building wooden clockworks. It is a true clock with front and rear plates (frames), and her large wheels are not only pleasant to look at but are also very forgiving for the first time clock builder. Her large escape wheel, right out front, is also quite mesmerizing. I love my Number Six. Mine has been running over seven years and still she has never even given me a lick of problems or needed a cleaning!

Later I created my Simplicity...and as the name implies, it is even easier than the Number Six because of its"uni-frame" construction, and fewer wheels to cut. For over seven years the song of my Simplicity was the first thing to greet me in the morning as I entered my shop. Yes! - it was still operating out in my shop where it had to contend with mounds of sawdust. Once the sawdust got to thick on it and it stopped, I simply took compressed air and blew it off and it was ready to go out dancing again. Since moving Simplicity inside, it has been our living room clock, where it continues to sing its sweet song.

My simplest clock design is the Genesis. Genesis is probably the best beginner's clock to start your clockmaking journey. It is not only a simple build, but has the very best, most complete step-by-step set of instructions that I have ever written.

Kauai Time is also a wonderful design that is easy for the first timer to build. Kauai Time is a simple three wheel design with a large escapement and is very forgiving of the first time builder.

If you want to build an even simpler mechanism (notice I'm not calling it a clock) you could look at my Horologium. If you want some semblance of correct time, build one of the above, but if you just want a lot of movement and an approximation of time, the Horologium is about as simple as you can get. If you look up John Hilgenberg's Horologium on my Flicker link (on my main page) he says his keeps nearly perfect time. His is made of acrylic and is quite beautiful.

So, there you go, four choices depending upon what you'd like, but remember, all of my designs are "build-able". It is just that some take more time and tenacity than others.

I try my best to turn around all the orders within 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. I send all my orders out USPS First Class or Air Mail to foreign countries. Here is the schedule my post office says to allow for delivery of my plans:

West Coast of United States - 2 to 3 weeks.

East Coast of United States - 3 to 4 weeks

Canada and Mexico - 3 to 4 weeks

Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan - 3 to 4 weeks

South America, Africa - 4 to 6 weeks

Europe - 4 to 6 weeks

I don't have any woodworking tools. What is the minimum amount of tools required to build your clocks?

Basically there are just four tools needed to build any of my mechanisms:
1) scrollsaw - I use mostly #5R blades,
2) drill press - and get some good Brad point bits. They really are more accurate and do a much cleaner job of drilling wood,
3) sander - I use mainly a 1"bench top belt sander, and
4) Dremel with metal cut-off disc

What are the approximate finished sizes of all your clocks?

For approximate sizes of finished mechanisms, click here

What is your copyright info? Can I make and sell your designs commercially?

Copyright Notice

I do not grant my permission for use of my designs for commercial or institutional use; you may not sell works made from my plans for profit.

Reproduction of part or all of the contents of any pages is prohibited except to the extent permitted below.

The source of this copyright notice, https://www.lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/Claytonsite1.htm , must appear on each copy.

These pages may be downloaded onto a hard disc or printed for your personal use without alterations. No use of these pages or the parts or mechanisms contained therein is permitted for commercial or institutional purpose.

These pages or the parts or mechanisms contained therein may not be included in any other work or publication, or be distributed or be copied for commercial or institutional purpose except with the explicit permission of the author.

No part of this product may be reproduced in any form, unless otherwise stated, in which case reproduction is limited to the use of the purchaser. The written instructions, drawings, designs, projects, and patterns are intended for the personal, noncommercial, non-institutional use of the retail purchaser and are under federal copyright laws; they are not to be reproduced by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, including informational storage or retrieval systems, for commercial or institutional use.

The information given in this product is presented in good faith, but no warranty is given nor results guaranteed.

What skill level is required, and how long does it take to build a clock?

As far as skill level required, I would suspect that if one has the tools necessary that skill is not as important as perseverance.  When I started building these, I had almost no skill whatsoever, but that always develops after getting a little sawdust into your lungs.  These are not difficult to build, but they do take some time. 

I try to counsel the people that ask about how long it takes to build a wooden clock to remember they are creating an heirloom that will outlast themselves, and hopefully be handed down through the family for generations...each generation, of course, cussing that old coot that built the silly thing.

With that in mind, please don't hurry through the process.  Take the time to make it right, and it will last - which leads to the next reason people vary in the time it takes to make their particular clockworks - mistakes.  Mistakes take a lot of time.  I spend some of my best woodworking time making them.  I've got a whole box full of "Lessons Learned" (so that's what I've named the box).  It's not my favorite part of the shop...but it has been helpful, in its own way.

My friend, Adrian Iredale, has created a wonderful video on the process of wooden clockmaking. You can view his You Tube video by clicking on this link:

Adrian Iredale's "So You Want to Build a Wooden Clock

The Wooden Loon's Tutorials are filmed using the Number Six Clock parts, but the techniques apply to all wooden geared mechanisms:

Making The #6 Part 1. A Wooden Gear Clock

Making The #6 Part 2. A Wooden Gear Clock

Making The #6 Part 3. A Wooden Gear Clock

Making The #6 Part 4. A Wooden Gear Clock

 How do you cut the teeth? 

There are many ways to cut out the wheels.  The olde tyme clockmakers used a hand saw and cut each tooth individually.  That's why, if you look at many of the old wood movements, the teeth are all a little different. 

My plans are drawn in CAD and can be scanned into a computer that operates a CNC machine, however, many of us don't have one of those.

Another method that most of us don't have access to is a laser cutter, but both of these methods, the CNC and laser, create Perfect Parts.  Way too perfect for my taste, and anyway, if we use these electronic cutters how are we to get our Recommended Daily Allowance of sawdust in the lungs?

Some people use a router, mounted to a jig, that runs along a bunch of wheels mounted in a lathe.  These wheels are indexed for the correct number of teeth needed.  I've tried that method and don't like the limited tooth profiles available to me - even though you can produce a lot of the same wheel at one time.  Great for mass production.  See Fine Woodworking January and March 1986 for Wayne Westphale's article on wooden clockmaking.  They show two methods of using a router to cut teeth on wheels.

Not being interested in mass production, I use two wonderfully slow methods to cut out my wheels and pinions.  It depends upon the type of tooth profile I want to create.

If I want a square bottom tooth profile I will use the band saw to remove most of the waste between the teeth, and then take the wheel over to the bench top belt sander and sand the rest "to the line".  Inclination, Vortex, Number 6 and Mission have tooth profiles like that.

If I want a swoopy, or curvy tooth profile, I use a scroll saw to cut out the teeth being very careful to cut the bottom, concave curve of the tooth as precisely as I can.  The top of the tooth can always be cleaned up at the bench top sander.  My Swoopy and Bird of Paradise are of this type of tooth profile.

Almost everyone that sees my clocks asks about how long it takes to cut out all those teeth (as in, "Don't you have a life?").  In reality, I spend far more time on the rest of the clock than I do cutting out the wheels and pinions.  To me they seem the easiest part.  By far, the hardest, most excruciating part for me is designing the frame to put the wheels into.

More on cutting teeth… 

Tooth profile is a huge topic, and for each individual project it is also a choice.

When I began making wooden clockworks I had a Craftsman scrollsaw (need I say more?).  Every time I turned it on it would rattle the stuff off of shelves two rooms away.  I'm lucky to still have teeth.  So I avoided making tooth profiles that had to be cut on a scrollsaw.

All of my early designs had teeth that are more easily cut on a band saw and then the space is expanded by sanding to the line on a 1" bench top belt sander.  Thus I went with the more flattened tooth profile.

Since I started in clockmaking with the band saw method, I actually prefer it.  I find it faster and more accurate, and when I am making a prototype of a clock and need to cut gears fast, I usually go back to the square tooth profile.

One note, however...I do always knock off that sharp little angle at the addendum of the tooth.  In other words, I round over, ever so slightly, the ends of the tooth.

The only reason I do that is because, early on, when I was less skilled at gear making, I would occasionally make a pair that would hit at the tip of the tooth (they are NEVER supposed to do that).  And rounding over got rid of my problem.  Now I do it out of superstition more than anything else.

You can cut the teeth on Number 6 with a scrollsaw, or a hand saw, or whatever you'd like, but I find the band saw method worked best for me.

When I drew Swoopy I started with the idea that I wanted NO straight lines in her design, which, of course, meant that the tooth profiles were to be "swoopy" also.

Since then I have created many new clock designs and some have the swoopy, scrollsaw teeth, and the others have the square, band saw tooth profile.  It's just a preference.  Usually small and medium wheels go pretty fast on a scrollsaw, but large wheels are quickly done at the band saw.  Large wheels may just be too difficult to maneuver at the scrollsaw.

If your accuracy at the scrollsaw happens to be a bit lacking, here are four steps to help you create a wheel with a high degree of accuracy.

I chose the escape wheel for this demonstration because the escape wheel has the most exacting requirements of any of the clock's wheels. However, these four steps can also be successfully applied when creating any of the clock's other wheels.

The parts shown in green on each picture are the parts to be cut or sanded at that particular step.

Sanding the inside of the wheels:

As for sanding, I do almost all the sanding of the inside of my wheel cut-outs by hand.  There are special products you can order from Woodcraft that take the place of the blade in your scroll saw.  They look great, but I've never used them.

You can also just cut and fold over a piece of wet-dry sandpaper and clamp it between the arms of the scroll saw.  That I did once.  Too much set up for me though.  From then on, I just sanded by hand.  Anyway, the cut-outs aren't the important part.  That would be the teeth...For the concave surface between the teeth I try to be as accurate there as possible when I scroll saw in there.  A little touch-up with a roll of sandpaper and it's done.

Finish on the Wheels:

As for finish, I was just looking around at the clocks and other kinetic art that I've built, and most don't have any finish on the wheels.  The ones that do have finish inevitably have problems running when the weather changes.  I try to avoid getting any finish on the tooth surfaces.  (Also see “Why doesn’t my clock run?” for more on Finish.)

However, if you would like to have a finish on your wheels without getting any between the teeth, here is a simple trick: spray the ply with finish before you apply the paper pattern. Cover the lacquer finished ply with blue painter's tape, then apply the paper pattern to the tape. The pattern can now be cut out and there will be no finish on the all-important tooth surfaces. The blue tape then simply peels off removing the paper pattern with it.

I now, almost exclusively, use spray lacquer on my frames. Before spraying the frames I plug each of the important arbor holes with a piece of paper towel wrapped around a toothpick. That protects the inside of the arbor hole from getting any finish in it.

Why doesn’t my clock run?

When I put a clock into beat and it has a good, even balanced 'tick, tock', and yet only runs for a few minutes, the first thing I do is start marking teeth and pinions.  I go through the train marking each set of gears where they have stopped together.  Then I start up the clock again and when it stops, see if any of the pairs match again.  I have lots of pencil marks on my clock wheels.

Eccentric wheels are another very common cause stopping new clocks.  Rather than using the original drawings in the plan, people use Xerox copies of clock plans, and the copy machines don't always copy true, leaving them with egg-shaped wheels. I never use copies without checking them with the original patterns. To check the quality of the copies, place the copy over the original paper pattern and hold them both up to a brightly lit window.

When looking for what's stopping a clock, I ALWAYS start at the escape end of the train and work down.  Very little stops the weight end of the clock, but it takes very little to stop the escape end.  So, those are the three things I would check first, proper tooth mesh, out of round wheels, and internal friction.  There are, of course, a few thousand other possibilities, but those three are the most common reasons for a clock that wants to stop. You can read more in my Blog. Click on "Troubleshooting" for four great posts to help get your clock running well.

Just thought of another...are you applying any finish between the teeth?  If you are, I have a suggestion - don't.  The application of any finish between the teeth increases internal friction of the clockworks dramatically. Finish not only makes teeth gummy, it also takes up critical space between the teeth.  A clock that works great dry, will, many times, stop dead when finish has been applied.  It's happened way too many times, and now when I finish a clock I spray it - and try to keep the spray off of the tooth contact surfaces, and just on the faces.

Also, poly finishes never really dry.  In the fluctuating humidity here in Hawaii I found that during very humid times the clocks sprayed with polyurethane get just gummy enough to stop the train.  I've contacted the people at MinWax about this, and having never made a wooden clockworks, they didn't have a solution.  They recommended I use their Helmsman Poly since it was designed for boats.  It gums too.  Just not as bad.  So now I avoid any finish on the contact surface of the teeth.

For many more tips on getting your mechanism running well, check out my Blog. Click on the "Troubleshooting" link for lots of great tips.

Staining

Rarely do I stain anything.  The only stained mechanism I've ever built was my Mission.  I was going for the Arts and Crafts look with that dark oak finish.  Marc Tovar recommends using aniline dyes for coloring Baltic birch ply. You can visit his site at wooden-clockworks.com and click on his MLT-13 and in there he explains how he uses the dyes.

Depthing

Follow the Depthing instructions provided in your Instructions for every set of wheels and pinions.  Use the frame as a depthing tool.  Here's how...  Take all the wheels out of the frame, and just put back in the first two arbors and put the frame back together.  Now gently blow on the big wheel.  Does the big wheel and its pinion move easily and smoothly?  If 'no' find out why and get it to work perfectly.  If 'yes', take the frame apart and remove arbor 1 and put in arbor 3.  Now you are testing the next wheel and pinion set.  Gently blow on the big wheel.  Does it turn easily?  Do this for all the wheel/pinion sets. Read more about the Depthing Procedure in my Blog.

Manually Testing the Pallets and Escape Wheel 

Now, to test the escape wheel, put the wheel in the frame with the pallet arbor.  When the pallets are in proper position, gently restrain the pallets with your finger on the arbor.  Now turn the escape wheel.  It should first push one of the pallets out of the way, and this will cause the other pallet to come into contact with another escape wheel tooth.  Keep turning the escape wheel and the pallets should gently rock back and forth.  If the tooth on the escape wheel misses the second pallet, you need to add some wood putty to the pallet face and build it up (or make a new pallet).  If the tooth hits too soon, you need to sand some off of the pallet face until the pallet gently rocks back and forth under each escape wheel tooth.  You must hold the pallet arbor though because you can be fooled into thinking the pallets are too long if gravity pulls the pallets down into the escape wheel.  In some patterns the pallets are not sitting directly above the escape wheel, so gravity wants to pull that top pallet into the wheel.

If both pallets miss the escape wheel while depthing, you should cut a new pallet with longer pallet arms.  I would not recommend putting wood putty on both pallet faces to build them up.  I think that might eventually sand down the escape wheel teeth since they would be sliding across those roughened surfaces with every tick.

Accuracy 

I get a lot of questions about accuracy of these clocks.  I find that interesting because, as you know, they are primarily 14th century kinetic art.  Just getting a piece of a tree to move all day and all night is amazing, but having it tell the correct time is nearly unbelievable.

The accuracy of any pendulum clock depends upon the stability of the pendulum - NOT the gears (if they are cut properly).  Almost all of my pendulums are made of wood, and wood moves with the weather, making for slight daily variations in the time.

If you want a clock that tells the exact time, you can go to Wal*Mart and pick up one of those "Atomic Clocks" that are reset each evening by the Mothership in Fort Collins, Colorado.  To get something a little less accurate, yet more accurate than my wooden pendulums, you could replace the pendulum on any of my designs with Invar steel (or even regular steel works nearly as well), and the accuracy would go up a little.  Then you could use all kinds of compensating devices to eliminate that slight bit of error, like gridiron's or mercury - but I don't use any of that stuff, because accuracy isn't that important to me.

I have a fellow that buys my plans and doesn't even put the hands on his clocks.  He says that when he wakes up in the morning and hears the clock ticking, it reminds him that he's still alive, and that's good enough for him. I worry about him on very humid days.

I have one clock that's dead on accurate every day, and another clock that's dead on some days, and some days it'll be off 15 minutes. Just depends upon the weather.

These clocks are just as accurate as the "State of the Art" clocks made during the American Revolution.  As a matter of fact, my Lolli is designed after one of these Revolutionary clocks.

How long can I expect a wooden clock to last? 

Some wooden movements that are 300 years old are still in working order today.  With some care and maintenance, these clocks should out last us and our children.  Hopefully, our clocks will be passed down through the family as heirlooms.

Half-Lap Joints 

A little secret about half laps...start with a scrap the width of the stock you'll be using for the frame and set the table saw blade just shy of the height you think it should be cut to make the half-lap joint.  That height would be just a little less than half way through the stock.  Run the scrap through the saw blade, flip it over and run through again, there will be a bit of wood left between the kerfs.  Raise the blade slightly and run the scrap through again - nibbling away that bit of wood in the center of the kerf until there's just a skin of wood left.  That's the height for the half lap.

On half laps I always cut the cross pieces first since they will be behind the upright piece, and their front edges will be seen, and then I cut them just a hair shy of the proper width.  It's always easier to sand a little off of the sides of the upright piece so it fits perfectly into the cross piece.  With this method any imperfection will show to the back of the frame.  And then if there are any gaps in the front, I just get out the filler putty and large spatula and start spreading.

Solid Wood Wheels

When making wooden wheels, I first wait for a neighbor's tree to fall down.  All of my solid wood wheels started that way.

My solid wood wheel clocks (Upsy, Behemoth, Mission, Lolli and Floating Wheel) have not had ANY problems with swelling, bowing, warping, cracking, etc.  The exception would be my Lolli - she stops if somebody sweaty walks by, but that's because of her very small (2 1/2" dia) escape wheel with way to many teeth (42) - and that's why she's not listed as one of the clocks with plans for sale.  She was a tough bird to get running properly, so I don't want to spread that much frustration around the woodworking world.  Any wooden clockworks has its frustrating moments, she was one long frustration, but now that I've gotten her running, she's one of my best - if I keep sweaty people away from her.

When I make solid wood wheels, they are all glued up and laminated from pieces, but however you choose to build your solid wood wheels I would highly recommend you use ply for the click gear and clicks.  I've ripped out too many solid wood click gears to go that way again.  One tooth of the click gear hold the entire drive weight of the clock. If that tooth breaks or is stripped it can send the drive weight crashing to the floor very quickly.

What is the "Frustration Quotient?"

You may determine your own personal Frustration Quotient by taking the quiz below.  This scientific test will determine if you are ready to build your own wooden clockworks. 

If a person's ability to endure Frustration is in the Very Low to Low Normal range, they are not good candidates and should not even contemplate making wooden clockworks.

If one’s ability to endure Frustration falls within the Normal to High Normal range a person should just talk about making a wooden clockworks.

If they can sustain the High to Very High Frustration range, a person may actually attempt to make a wooden clockworks, but should not anticipate actually hearing it tick at any point.

Being able to tolerate Frustration beyond the Very High range is a wonderful place to begin making wooden clockworks, but out of Baltic Birch Ply only.

Beyond the Very High range one begins to enter into the Masochistic realm and needs to seek professional help - especially if one is anticipating making their own solid wood wheels. 

I am a professional - and I am here to help.

Do you have plans for the MoonPhase clock?

I get a lot of email about my MoonPhase clock.  It truly is NOT a starter clock.  That clock had to be modified so many times to get it to run correctly.  If you could see those connecting rods up close, you'd see where I had to drill those things many times before they would work right.  It was a seat-of-the-pants project that got out of control.  If you wanted to build one, I would recommend you start with just making the escapement first (the thing the pendulum is attached to) and then, once that is working properly, build just the minute wheel, and the wind wheel.  Then you'd have a working clock!!!  AND a lot of clock building experience.

The stuff to the left of the minute wheel was all added on later because I had all that extra wood over there, but if you'd just build the first three wheels on the right side, and get the basic clock working, you'd be ready to build the rest.

The most important thing to remember in clock building is that the minute hand (or in this case Minute Wheel) must go around one time per hour.  Everything else is easy.  These are 17th century technologies we are recreating today.  I used to say that this is not rocket science, but since a fellow from NASA bought a set of my plans, I can't say that any more.

Here is a little clock theory as related to my Number 6:

First off, the gear ratios on the Number 6 are not exact for a “seconds” clock - in other words, I fudged them a little for symmetry.  But it was a sweet fudge, you’ll see what I mean.  Here's what I did...

The main purpose of a clock is to get the minute hand to go around one time per hour.  With a "seconds" pendulum beating one time per second, that would make 60 beats per minute (bpm), times 60 minutes per hour = 3600 beats per hour (bph).

The exact way to create this using all 8 leaf pinions is to have a large center wheel of 64 teeth, a middle wheel (AKA "third wheel") of 60 teeth, and an escape wheel of 30 teeth.  Here it is in equation form; 64/8 x 60/8 x 30 (2) = 3600    The 30 is the escape wheel and it is acted on once by each pallet face per revolution, therefore the 30 x 2.  Not much symmetry in that arrangement, and in the end, symmetry is what I was shooting for.

To maintain symmetry I changed those numbers around a bit.  My numbers for the Number 6 are; 62/8 x 62/8 x 30 (2) = 3603.75bph.

In other words, using a pendulum shaft that beat exactly once per second, my mechanism would be off by almost 4 beats in an hour, however about a 10th of a turn of the little nut holding the bob on the bottom of the pendulum shaft takes care of those 4 seconds - which means my Number 6 clock does not beat exactly one time per second.  It has to beat a little faster to make up for those extra 3.75 beats per hour required by its mechanism, so it actually beats at 1.001042 and that takes care of the additional 90 seconds in 24 hours.

Isn't theory great!?  I don't have enough confidence in a chunk of moving tree to believe it's going to keep that good of time.  I think that's why clockmakers eventually went to making their clocks out of metal, and then to quartz vibrations and then to the vibration of the nucleus of a cesium atom.  The fun is in the building, and the experimenting, and in the wonder of actually taking a tree and making it kinetic - not in the accuracy.

I always tell people, if you want accuracy, go to Wal*Mart, plunk down your $4.98 and get an atomic clock that resets itself every evening from the Mothership in Fort Collins, Colorado, but if you want to have fun, build your own.

 Can I make the clock wheels larger?

Here are a couple of things to think about when increasing the size of the wheels of any clockworks. The tooth count of the mechanism must always match the pendulum length. That means no matter how big (or small) you make the rest of the clock, the pendulum MUST remain the same length, and not be scaled up.

And then there's a little thing you might remember from physics class called Inertia. Here's the formula for Circular Inertia = Mass x Radius SQUARED. So from this we can see that the mass doesn't effect the Inertia as much as a change in radius, which increased with the square of the radius.

So what? Well, the Inertia in a clock is a pretty important part of the engineering of the mechanism because every second (or swing of the pendulum) Inertia is stopped and started - 86,400 times a day (31,557,600 times a year). Stop, start, stop, start, and all that starting and stopping has to be caused by a motive force. If the Inertia is small, the motive force is small. If the Inertia is large, the motive force needs to be a Volkswagen (I find they look best hung from the front bumper). It is the old "Bike Tire vs. Trike Tire" experiment - starting and stopping the larger radius wheel takes more effort.

So to support your Volkswagen driving weight you will need a beefier frame, larger arbors and possibly roller bearings for the arbors - at least for the lower arbors. But remember you can't change the pendulum length. It must remain as it was originally designed for the tooth count of the mechanism. A short little wagging pendulum with the enlarged wheels might lead to unappealing proportions in your clock's design.

Have I talked you out of enlarging your wheels? I hope not because it really IS do-able...especially if you have a friend with an old VW.

Leveling the table on your drill press

Because building these wonderful mechanisms requires fairly precise drilling, we want to be sure our drill press' table is perfectly level so we are drilling our arbor holes in our frames and wheels at perfect 90 degree angles.

Here is a simple trick to find out if your drill press table is level...take a piece of straight wire about 15 - 18 inches long. About 4" from one end make a 90 degree bend in the wire. Chuck up the short end of the wire into your drill press. Take the long arm of the wire and bend it again at another 90 degrees at about the outer edge of your drill press's table, so that the end of the wire is pointing straight down at the table at its circumference. Now bring your table up to the end of the wire, and BY HAND turn the chuck so that the end of the wire traces out the circumference of your drill press' table. You will easily see if the tip of the wire stays at a constant distance away from your table or not. If not, simply adjust the table so that the wire keeps a constant distance from the table's top surface.

Advice from a master clockbuilder

For many years, John Hilgenberg has built many of my designs, and created expert designs of his own. Here are some of the ways he approaches building a wooden clockworks. Some of his methodologies are identical to mine, and some may vary from my recommendations – but he has been kind enough to put his methods down on paper, and I present them here for your perusal and hopefully some of this information, from his vast store of clock making knowledge, will work for you, too. See his helpful advice here: John Hilgenberg's Tips

Book Recommendations? 

If you have already read my book, Practical Guide to Wooden Wheeled Clock Design, another wonderful source is a book called Modern Clock by Goodrich.  It is mainly written for metal clocks, but most all of the information is transferable to wooden clocks as well.  It will give you more than just a basic idea of how clocks work.  Mine is well thumbed. Click on the "Recommended Reading" link below for ordering information.

If you are into a variety of other kinetic sculptures, check out my book Joy In Motion. It will walk you through the steps of creating your own kinetic sculptures and show you many and varied options for making things move.

Can I tour your workshop/gallery/shop/museum/dusty garage?

I used to have people over to visit my shop and see my mechanisms, but I was soon overwhelmed by requests and found that it began to inhibit my creativity and productivity. For this reason, my gallery is only available online. You can visit my blog here: claytonboyer.blogspot.com