Shopsmith Forums

etc92guy wrote:Has anyone ever made a wooden clock movement?

I would like to one day. I have the magazine with a set of planes for such an item. Here is a link for the plans. It is midway down the page.

http://www.scrollsawer.com/pattern-downloads.php

Links to the PDF's

http://www.scrollsawer.com/pdfdownloads/Wooden-Clock-Pattern-1.pdf

http://www.scrollsawer.com/pdfdownloads/Wooden-Clock-Pattern-2.pdf

Yes in fact there have been many wooden clocks built in the past according to a local friend who actually hand tools his own parts for clock building and repair.

The wood of preference is usually Apple. for some reason apple seems more stable for clock gears. However humidity and temperature are hard on woodnclock parts and they fail fairly quickly. Generally speaking wooden clock works fall into two catagories. One that the entire movement is made of wood and the other only primary parts with gears and levers being made of brass or copper.

My friend is building every part from scratch for a very ornate clock he designed. Once finished his clock it will be a true work of art. Incidentally my friend is learning his craft from and elderly one armed man who builds all of his own parts from scratch. I have trouble imagining working on some things with two arms. fjimp

I used a scroll saw to make a wooden geared clock that was powered by two weights. Baltic Birch used for frame and gears. It was fun to make but at times frustrating. It was not accurate but watching the excapement operate was fascinating. Ran for about three months and then Oregon moisture got to it. I'm just about ready to start cutting again.

cw_1821 wrote:I used a scroll saw to make a wooden geared clock that was powered by two weights. Baltic Birch used for frame and gears. It was fun to make but at times frustrating. It was not accurate but watching the excapement operate was fascinating. Ran for about three months and then Oregon moisture got to it. I'm just about ready to start cutting again.

If you make another, keep us up to date with the progress. Would be interesting for the group to see.

cincinnati wrote:Looking for a source of mechanical clock movement for a mantel clock.
I have looked at Klockit. Any other place to look? Of course at a great price too.
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Major horological suppliers (USA) are:

Timesavers
http://www.timesavers.com/

Ronell Clock Co
http://www.ronellclock.com/main.sc

Merritt's
http://www.merritts.com/store4/public/p ... oryID=2057

Empire Clock
http://www.empireclock.com/

What kind of clock are you building?

A few observations and a little rant...
One pet peeve is magazine articles or people who spend vast fortunes in premium exotic woods and countless hours carefully crafting their heirloom clock case only to put absolute rubbish behind the dial.

For the ultimate low budget approach it is hard to beat a quartz movement. When it dies it is easily replaced. If you want a clock that strikes or chimes then this is not a great choice as the electronic bells sound awful.

If you insist on a mechanical movement.

Avoid the various Asian imports. Do I really need to go into detail?

Hermle movements (German) are decent quality. Typically, they will run for about 15 years and then it is time to get a new one. They can be repaired but it is more economical to just replace them. If you want one of these I would recommend Butterworth clocks. Some retailers have old stock and the movements need a little overhaul straight out of the box.

If you want to break the bank I know someone who used to make premium reproduction movements but this will be the most expensive option. I am checking to see if he is still producing them. With this option you will have a true heirloom clock that will last for generations.

Another alternative would be to buy an antique movement. Ebay is a good source. Odds are that you will also need to pay to have it overhauled but the total cost probably won't be much different from the Hermle and it will be more durable. The typical 8 day American movement was made in huge quantities and is very forgiving of wear and tear.

Whatever you decide be sure to buy the movement first and then size the case to fit.

Troy

etc92guy wrote:Has anyone ever made a wooden clock movement?

Lots!
My avatar is a photo of an American tall case movement circa 1760.

Wood works clocks were a major part of the industrial revolution in the US and large numbers of them were produced from about 1805 to 1840.

Typically the plates are quartersawn oak, the wheels quartersawn cherry, and the arbors are mountain laurel. Other woods including mahogany, walnut, maple, pine, and beech were used as well.

try this site for parts

http://www.steebar.com/

For a high grade mechanical clock movement that will last for centuries instead of decades I would contact David Lindow.

http://www.lindowclockmaker.com/

He makes reproduction movements using the finest modern materials. When the originals were made metallurgy was more art than science. I regularly work in clocks that are 200 - 300 years old that with care will still be around in the same period of time. I would expect the same performance from his movements. Why not make a clock for your great, great, great, etc., grandkids?

Troy

horologist wrote:For a high grade mechanical clock movement that will last for centuries instead of decades I would contact David Lindow.

http://www.lindowclockmaker.com/

He makes reproduction movements using the finest modern materials. When the originals were made metallurgy was more art than science. I regularly work in clocks that are 200 - 300 years old that with care will still be around in the same period of time. I would expect the same performance from his movements. Why not make a clock for your great, great, great, etc., grandkids?

Troy

His website states that he only sells as a WHOLESALER to woodworkers and clockmakers. Is he willing to sell a single movement to an individual as you suggested???:)
BTW his products look FANTASTIC!!!!!!!

jpg40504 wrote:His website states that he only sells as a WHOLESALER to woodworkers and clockmakers. Is he willing to sell a single movement to an individual as you suggested???:)
BTW his products look FANTASTIC!!!!!!!

I believe he is willing, in a pinch tell him Troy sent you or contact me off list. I have purchased other repair related items from him and have been very happy with these transactions. If I were to purchase a modern movement to put in a clock case it would be from him.
I have plans on building my own movements but no plan to sell them. At my present rate of production I would be selling direct to your great, great, etc., grandkids!

Troy