CNC and clock building

[Kayvon]

That's gorgeous! How long did it take you?

The gears look like half-inch birch ply. What about the other materials? Those inlays are amazing. If it's not too bold to ask, how much do you figure the materials cost you?

[asever]

Thank you. I am not sure how many hours that I have in it. This is the first version of this clock that I have made so it took longer then it should. Now that I have everything setup I could probably make one in somewhere around 20 hours.

The five minute marks are pockets that I filled with powdered copper and then soaked with CA and sanded. The process itself is really very easy. The diamonds are pockets that are .03 deep. They are then filled with powered copper https://www.amazon.com/Copper-Powder-10 ... B00B0D4CCS You want to just over fill the pocket with the metal powder and then apply thin CA to the sides. The CA is then absorbed. Truthfully copper is one of the harder metals to work with because it so super fine and does not like to absorb the CA glue. I would suggest using brass the first time you try it. Once the CA is dry sand flush. Assuming you have enough metal you will get a nice bright finish, if you did not put enough metal in the pocket you'll have a dull muddy colored finish.

As for the gears I made the plywood myself by re- sawing cherry, sanded it and then glued it all up. You could also make the plywood by gluing up veneer. One of the areas that I struggled with in making clocks is spending time to make a nice frame and then having plywood gears. I have tried a bunch of different "high quality" plywoods and found that I would run into issues with chipping, warping...and I did not overly like the final look. One day I hope to make a solid wood gear clock but for now I find it easy enough to make the plywood and the results are better then when I purchased the plywood.

In terms of overall cost it is hard to say because I tend to buy wood when I see a piece I like and then it sits around until the right project comes along...here is a rough cost break down

Figured Maple $30 (I have enough left over to make at least 5 more)
Bubinga $35
Wenge $25 (I have enough to make some more...not sure how many...)
Cherry $45 (I also used lots of epoxy $12)
Powdered Copper $6.75 (lots left over)
Magnet - ebay $5 for 15 or so...
Magnetic Coil in the base... guess $5.00 in misc parts
Wall plug in $15 from Amazon ( I bought an "expensive" transformer because I liked the connectors it came with)
Misc Brass guess under $10
CA $5.00
Plans from Clayton Boyer...I forget the price as I purchased then years ago.

I probably have somewhere around $125 in it, but if I wanted I could make several more for a fraction of that because I have plenty left over. This clock went to a Food Share auction to hopefully raise some money for our local food bank. The plan is to make a couple more for Christmas presents. In the end I think the final cost per clock would be in the $50 - $60 dollar range if I just paid for the materials for that one clock...again just an educated guess.

Out of all the clocks I have made this one is probably the best runner. I struggled getting the magnetic coil to work (which if anyone makes this clock and wants help just let me know) but once that was figured out it just worked.

Thanks again. Andy

[cjablonski]

Again Andy, I have to say an absolutely beautiful job, fit and finish. I can always seem to get em to run easy enough, but finishing is something that I've always dreaded as my own outcomes have been less than stellar. Yours is incredible and I hope it pulls in a bunch for charity!

[Kayvon]

Has anyone tried building a spring-driven clock? Was it difficult? Where do you buy springs?

[cjablonski]

Unfortunately I haven't. I've kind of stuck to weight driven movements but I'm sure others have done it.

[Kayvon]

I'm wrapping up Clayton's Simplicity clock, the plans to which I first purchased back in August of 2009. I'd started making it by hand, shelved it, and remembered it when I bought the CNC machine a couple years ago.

Even though I haven't finished the build, I'm already looking forward to the next clock. Maybe I'm a masochist, but these clocks are just so cool.

Do you have any advice for building clock weights? My plan is to build hexagon tubes by cutting 1/4" ply with a 60-degree V bit, then put a hook on the top cap that'll be held to the tube with a piece of brass rod.

[cjablonski]

As far as the weights themselves I've kinda stuck with using BB'S as the filling for all my counterweights. It's easy to add small amounts if required to get a clock running and simple enough to remove if too much is added. Additionally , unlike using lead, it can be added in much more precise quantities than lead. Just my two cents. ...
Additionally, I generally purchase standard grandfather clock shells to use as I tend to focus more on the movements, but anything that fits your style is what you should run with!

[cjablonski]

A photo now of 3 of the 4 devices hung beside each other on my R and D wall ( the wall eternal wall of adjustment lol).

[asever]

Here is a brief set of instructions regarding how I make my weights. The nice thing about the weight portion is just about anything works.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cjk6i74sa21ip ... s.pdf?dl=0

Hopefully the link works... If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask (it might take a few days for me to respond as I am traveling most of this week).

Andy

[cjablonski]

Asever- the link works. It's an interesting way to do weights. Opens the door for intermixing different species of materials to add visual interest. Great post.