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I like the idea of making a really big clock – in fact I’ve got ideas for several – so I was delighted to hear about the special offer on giant wall clock kits from Clockparts.
 With one of these kits you can make a clock that is 3 feet and more across. Now that’s a big wall clock, and you could make one of these impressive timepieces really easily.
The great thing from a design point of view is that the movement itself is (a) small enough not to get in the way of whatever you want to design and (b) runs off a single battery and is a piece of cake to install.
At the moment these large clock movements are reduced to only $23.99 – which is an absolute bargain. Full details here.
I’ve order several – and I’ve already started work on some ideas for nice big clocks that they’ll be perfect for. As soon as I’ve got them together I’ll share some plans. Excuse me if it takes a while – I’m in France so they’ll probably take a few days to get here!
You might even want to think about this from a business point of view. Have a look at how much a large clock will cost you. I’ve seen them from around $90 to over $400 and I strongly suspect, by the description, that they’re using these easy-to-fit $23.99 large clock movements. Now that’s profitable, isn’t it – sometimes size matters!
ORDER HERE.
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 Here’s an idea to make a fun clock for kids. With a bit of imagination you could make all kinds of different animals.
I’ve done the clock markings purely as a visual thing. Some people might want to add numbers and turn it into an educational clock as well as a fun one!
I would make this clock out of plywood or MDF. All you need by way of tools is a jigsaw or scrollsaw of some kind, and a drill.
Not got those? A stiff card would actually work so all you really need is a pair of scissors! There are lots of other interesting sheet materials around so why not experiment? You could add contour by using paper-maché, for example.
For paint I use acrylics. They’re water-based and on wood they allow the grain to partly show through giving an interesting sheen. A water-based spray varnish should provide a protective coat. As with all finishes, test first. There’s nothing worse than spending time painting a clock only to find that the varnish makes the paint run, or produces a milky “bloom” as can happen with some combinations.
The colours are just a guide, if you want a blue bear, have a blue bear!
If you would like a pattern to copy I’ve prepared one for download – just sign up for my occasional clock making newsletter (top left) and I’ll let you have a copy straight away.
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I had hope to have more free clock plans ready for you by now, but you know how it is, unfortunately life has got in the way of what I would rather be doing!
 In the meantime, Clockparts have come up with some more great offers but you’ll need to be quick because these prices are until April 11th only.
First up are these very attractive 3-1/2″ atomic-regulated fit ups. They’re controlled by a cesium atomic clock from Fort Worth, Colorado. Now to be honest I’ve no idea what that means – except they’re reckoned to be the most accurate in the world!
All you need to do is make a 3-1/4″ hole in whatever material you have and pop them in. It runs of a couple of AAA batteries. Prices start at just $12.00 each but you can get good discounts for quantities. There are also matching digital thermometer/hygrometers so you could put together a nice temperature/weather/timepiece for someone’s office (or your own of course!).
 The other special is on these heavy duty pendulum movements.
They can be used on their own or combined with a regular quartz movement. One of the common problems with pendulum drives is that some are, frankly, a bit feeble. They have trouble actually shifting a decent bob.
Not so with these. They’ll shift up to 3.5 ounces, which makes them not only suitable for the full range supplied by Clockparts but also capable of dealing with most things you might dream up yourself.
The big advantage with a pendulum drive is if you fancy making some kind of bizarre or humorous clock. You can put the pendulum and the actual time movement in entirely different places. You could, for example, create long horizontal clocks with the hands at one end and the pendulum at the other. As soon as I get some time I’ll work up a few ideas.
These heavy duty pendulum movements start at only $3.25 and again there are good discounts if you buy bulk.
Full details on both deals – and possibly the best range of other clock supplies online – from Clockparts.
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 Just a quick update from the guys over at Clockparts. They’ve got a few special offers on digital clock movements and clock kits at the moment so you should find savings whatever kind of clock making you are into.
For a start there are these mini quartz clock movements at just $3.00 each – a saving of 60%. There are also high torque movements – vital if you want to use long hands – at big savings.
The Hechinger radio controlled movements are very popular and are arguably the most accurate budget clock movement in the world. It checks itself against a radio signal in Colorado four times a day and is accurate to one second per million years! Expensive? Nope, under $10.00 each.
If you fancy making a photo clock from a favorite picture there’s now a compete kit available. Movement, case, lens, hands, instructions, photo paper dial, the lot. Just run the paper through your printer, print your favorite photo on it and assemble. Great for gifts, the kit has been reduced from $39.99 to just $24.99
All offers are only while stocks last so check them out now so you don’t miss out. Full details here.
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This is just a very short note to let you know about the Woodcraft spring sale that runs the 26th and 27th February – the end of this week!
It’s not just for woodworkers – although if you are after a new tool you could pick up a bargain – Woodcraft also do a range of clock movements. Not the biggest int he world but with a minimum 10% off you might save a few bucks.
Just click the banner for details:
Hope you get a great deal!
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Here’s just a quick clock-making tip you might find useful. It’s what I use for laying out clock numbers.
 The picture on the right is a reduced size illustration. You can copy it if you like or draw up something yourself on your computer.
All I did was use a drawing program on my computer to draw a circle, a central cross and 12 markers for the hours. Once I had the first number I just used the rotate and duplicate commands to get the other 11. Simple really.
Now whenever I want to lay out a clock face I print out a copy. Using my printer I can enlarge or reduce it to fit pretty much any digital clock movement or clock hand length.
To make the position of the numbers I just use a pin or a small nail to make a slight indentation on my clock. Mostly I don’t bother to stick the guide down but sometimes I’ll tape it on the edge if it won’t effect my actual clock face, or I’ll use a bit of Blu-Tack just to hold it temporarily.
It’s not rocket science but it’s a lot quicker and easier than the way I used to do it with compasses!
If you have your own way of doing this please post a comment and I’ll share your idea with other clock makers who visit.
 Excuse the photography – not my strong point – but what do you think? The idea was to make a clock that looked like it was made from stone – or maybe concrete. Something much tougher than it’s actually made out of…
…which is paper maché.
I’m quite pleased with the result but I think it needs work on the coloring. I’m thinking perhaps getting a toothbrush and splattering it with a light gray, or maybe a couple of different grays.
So how was it made? I’ll draw up some reasonable clock plans as soon as I get a chance but a brief description goes like this:
I took some mdf for a base board (you could use ply) then glued some squares to it for the number positions. These don’t have to be incredibly accurate because it’s supposed to look a bit rough.
Then I covered the whole surface of my clock blank with plastic packing tape. This makes sure the paper maché releases. I tried food wrap but it kept coming off the board. I’ve also heard you can use Vaseline but I thought that might soak into the paper which would make it impossible to paint.
Anyway, then I started sticking down strips of paper torn into bits about half an inch wide and four inches long (12 x 100mm). It’s not important but the pieces don’t want to be too big. You need to get in nice and tight around the squares that make the clock numbers. I use enough paste so it’s soggy. You want to try and get all the air bubbles out so you need to squish it and push it around a bit. If anything tears just add more paper!
You can use flour and water for glue but I use the commercial wallpaper stuff. After about three layers you have to stop because it gets too wet. Leave the clock to dry for a day or two then add more layers. I do one layer going vertical, the next horizontal and the next at 45 degrees. That should make sure it all binds together and doesn’t de-laminate later.
I stopped at nine. The clock is fairly stiff although I’ve made another since and used wooden batons around the edge and that’s much better. Make a hole in the middle to take a cheap quartz digital clock movement and you are pretty much done. For texture on the clock I used several coats of exterior masonry paint that I had lying around. You could try adding sand to ordinary emulsion. As I said, this is an area of the clock for further experiments.
Well anyway, that’s how to make this particular paper maché clock. Sorry the details are a bit short but although I’m lucky enough to have a workshop it’s undergoing a bit of an overhaul so I didn’t have the chance to do in-progress pics. Next one I make I’ll do proper clock plans. If you want to know when they’re ready, sign up for my free newsletter and I’ll let you know.
Oh by the way, it might look a bit like stone but it’s no good outdoors – there’s nothing to protect the clock mechanism so it would just rust!
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To keep you up to date with all kinds of clock making news and any offers I find on clock making supplies, I’m going to run a newsletter.
I’ll post stuff of the blog, of course, but I know some people like the convenience of getting interesting news sent straight to their inbox so that’s what I’ll do. I’m not going to bombard you with rubbish, just every so often I’ll let you know about special deals or news that I think you won’t want to miss.
It’s free to sign up for, there’s no commitment and you can cancel any time. What’s more, as a bit of encouragement I’m aslo giving away 45 free scrollsaw plans for insert clocks so you can make quick and easy interesting little clocks like those pictured below.
Don’t worry, I won’t be concentrating just on wooden clocks!
There will be plenty of other freebies for subscribers. I’m planning on doing at least one a month so there should be something for everyone, whatever kind of clock making you are into or fancy having a go at.
In fact if you have something in particular you are interested in finding out about, why not post a comment? I’ll see what I can find out for you.
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I’ve got a thing about making clocks. I don’t mean big complicated Grandfather Clocks or Vienna Regulators – they’re lovely too but have you seen the price of a Hermle movement? Not something you buy very often unless you’re pretty serious about your clock making.
No, I mean making quite simple clocks. You can make a clock by just drilling an appropriate sized hole in a bit of wood and putting in an insert. If you think that doesn’t sound very interesting, try it with a lumpy, scarred bit of driftwood. Give it a bit of a scrub, make a hole, varnish the finished piece. Unique and interesting.
You can get a cheap digital clock mechanism and turn lots of things into clocks. Stick a copy of a favorite picture onto a bit of plywood, drill a hole, there’s a clock. Although I started with wooden clocks I’m now making clocks with paper maché. It’s early days yet but I’ll let you have a look soon and you can tell me what you think.
So anyway, I’m a fan of making clocks. That’s why I started this blog – to share some ideas. If you’ve got a favorite way of making clocks why not leave a comment?
Clocks can make you a few dollars too if you are interested in it from a commercial point of view. Have a look next time you’re near a shop that sells them. Not cheap. So you could be looking at a possible home-based business. I’ll be looking at that a bit as well.
In fact anything to do with clock making. Materials, methods, suppliers, you name it. Let me know what you like to make and maybe I can help show off your creations. Drop me a line if you’re a clock nut too!
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