The Finished "Thomas Grandfather Clock " From Clock Plans Only!
George Hedin, The Clock Mechanics' "Master Woodworker Of The Year!"
Please Just Click On The Pictures Above To Enlarge Them
Mr. George Hedin Writes:
A couple of years ago I bought a set of plans
for the Thomas grandfather
clock from you. I just completed my project and thought you might be
interested in a few pictures. I wanted my clock to have a "mantle clock"
shape, shorter and wider than the normal vertical grandfather clock shape.
Although the basic design, and all the gears and other internal workings
correspond to the plan, I altered the locations of the three main axles to
form roughly an equilateral triangle, with the escape wheel bottom left, the
middle wheel bottom right and the minute wheel top center. To get the
pendulum at the center of the clock, I had to put the fulcrum at the bottom
of the clock and link it to the pallet assembly by extending the pendulum
shaft above the fulcrum and adding a horizontal linkage from the pendulum
shaft extension to the pallet assembly. This is shown in the top view
picture I enclosed. Notice that, with this configuration, the pendulum can
be located within the clock frame, rather than behind it. I built the clock
out of half inch cherry, and have not applied a finish to it. After the
cherry darkens with age, I may seal it. Cutting everything to the plan
dimensions, the clock started right up after a little tinkering with the
alignment of the adjustable parts of the pallet assembly and continues to
run reliably and accurately. I found that cutting the gears and other parts
was a breeze if I glued the plans to the wood using a Scotch glue stick
(intended for temporary paper sticking - "Post It" type glue) and then
cutting and fine tuning on a bench top scroll saw and disc sander. The plans
stick great and can be peeled off cleanly.
Well, thank you, George! I am confident the entire world will enjoy seeing your clock! It's a true beauty, to be sure, and I can't wait to see it when the cherry wood ages and you put a nice finish on it!
I thank you for sending your pictures and for your kind words and suggestions to all woodworkers. I have been told that woodworking is a rapidly growing hobby; and I thank all kind people like you, George, who promote this wonderful craft. I would like to see a resurgence of the very peaceful days that I remember doing various woodworking projects with my grandfathers and my father.
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