Clocks

[ohiococonut]

I'm still learning the in's and out's of Aspire (there's a Lot to learn) but I thought I'd share a couple of clocks I recently made. The first one is the deer scene on a walnut slab. The second one is comprised of pheasants on crotch walnut. Surprisingly they keep very good time.

[GaryR6]

Nice tic toc's

[WoodEraser]

Nice clocks and nice job.

[tonydude919]

Nice work,like the slabs.

Tony

[rsetina]

Beautiful!

[ohiococonut]

Thanks for the compliments. My shop walls are filling up since I really don't sell anything, it's just a hobby.
It's amazing how much time and effort I will put into creating something and not take the time to even use a camera to take pictures. My cell phone is always with me and even though it doesn't take very good pictures I still continue to use it

[joeporter]

Nice work and great ideas. I have become a clock junkie and my walls also are starting to fill up...joe

[oldlogtrucker]

What method do you use to keep the bark from chipping off of your slab?
Thanks Kathy

[esteeme1]

Excellant pieces and great finishes.

[Alan Male]

Lovely job.
Do you rout out the back to take the quartz mechanism?
Cheers - Alan

[ohiococonut]

What method do you use to keep the bark from chipping off of your slab?
Thanks Kathy

I'm real careful when cutting and when I'm finished I coat the entire project with 3-4 coats of shellac and finish with 3-4 coats of satin polyurethane. Since the bottom one was completely carved I finished it with 5 coats of tung oil.

Lovely job.
Do you rout out the back to take the quartz mechanism?
Cheers - Alan

Yes I do. it gets a little tricky trying to figure out how deep I need to pocket it as well as how deep to carve the opposite side depending on the length of the clock stem. I like to keep them flush or a little below flush so they hang flat on the wall.

[ttolli]

You wouldn't consider sharing the files for the recess in the back would ya !!!
Thanks
Tim

[esteeme1]

Hey Tim I'm pretty sure those have copy rights.

[ohiococonut]

Tim,
The pockets on the back are no secret and a pretty straight forward process. When I'm cutting out the design I normally use a 1/4" end mill and use tabs. The hole where the stem will protrude is usually a separate cut file that's the size of the stem that I cut completely through the material. When it's cut, try fitting the stem into the hole. If not, enlarge it slightly.
When I'm finished with the top, and before I separate it from the tabs, I flip it over exposing the hole on the backside. I set the project back on the table, run the 1/4" end mill down through the hole to square up the project, clamp, and cut a pocket about 3/16" larger than the clock mechanism and the depth to allow it to sit flush.

The depth of the pocket depends on the thickness of the mechanism you're using. The hardest part, if you want to keep it flush with the back, is figuring out if your material is thick enough. You need to add the thickness of the mechanism then allow for the depth of cut on the front, if you're doing 3D, and buy the mechanism with the right length stem or you have to change the depth of cut on the front.

These little clock mechanism come with different length stems and you can pick them up at most hobby stores for about $5. I have several in different sizes and get mine from Clockit.

You can turn literally any project into a clock. I hope some of this made sense.