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Joe Hillmann
11-25-2011, 11:28 AM
Here is the escapement for a clock that I plan to build. All cut on the laser.

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It took me about 14 hours to go from deciding I want to build a clock to getting this working escapement built. In that time I threw away 5 previous prototypes that didn't work when assembled. Once I got this one working it took me about 1 hour to design a complete clock based on a different escapement with all the gearing needed to make it run. I hope to build it this weekend if I can find any wood that isn't warped.

Joe Hillmann
11-25-2011, 11:32 AM
A closer view of escapement

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Kasey Maxwell
11-25-2011, 3:25 PM
very cool, did you use a gear creating program to make your gears ?

Joe Hillmann
11-25-2011, 3:40 PM
The part that I have a picture of I designed every single part of. But for the gear train that slows it down for minutes and hours I cheated and used http://woodgears.ca/gear_cutting/template.html but think that once I get the first one completely built and running I will go back and design some unusual gears so that I can say I designed every part of it.

One thing that makes it unusual is that it will have dials hanging from the shafts instead of hands. And the main dials will show a combination of high and low tide and the phases of the moon and when they line up it will show the best time for hunting and fishing based on soluner theory (you know the calanders that show when is the best time to go fishing)


It will also show hours, minutes and seconds but they will be slightly hidden.

ray hampton
11-25-2011, 4:06 PM
I hope that you show the clock when it is complete

Joe Hillmann
11-25-2011, 4:08 PM
Plan to. I also think that I will put up corel draw file of the escapement as well (not the whole clock) so others can have a proven spot to start if they want to build a clock as well.

Dee Gallo
11-25-2011, 4:14 PM
That is so ambitious, Joe! I'm impressed you can design your own gears (and they work!), but then adding on the dials is going to be fantastic. This thing I imagine is pretty big, right? I'm used to working on #3 watches so I can appreciate the beauty of your creation.

~ dee

Kasey Maxwell
11-25-2011, 4:16 PM
is there a good site to learn about making clocks, like all the gearing and stuff ?

Joe Hillmann
11-25-2011, 4:37 PM
That is so ambitious, Joe! I'm impressed you can design your own gears (and they work!), but then adding on the dials is going to be fantastic. This thing I imagine is pretty big, right? I'm used to working on #3 watches so I can appreciate the beauty of your creation.

~ dee

What started it all is a built an orrey last month and then I guess I got bit by the bug to build things that move. I had originally planned to build it huge (16 foot pendulum hanging over a stairwell) and it would only have a single gear but I figured the only people who would see it would be customers who asked to use the bathroom. So now I plan to have a stander 39.1 inch pendulum counting off the seconds, The largest dial will be about 48 inches in diameter (althogh that is subject to change as it moves from a few calculations in my head to something that will actually keep time.

Joe Hillmann
11-25-2011, 4:40 PM
is there a good site to learn about making clocks, like all the gearing and stuff ?

Not really, There are lots of sites that expalne but they require too much reading and math to remember so I just went with the brute force method of, build one, figure out what is wrong with it, build another, and so on until it runs.

Joe Hillmann
11-25-2011, 4:49 PM
Pictures of the casing, gear train and escapement. I still need to make boxes for the weights (4 of them so it stays running well winding), the dials and the rod and weight for the pendulum.

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Gary Hair
11-25-2011, 4:57 PM
Plan to. I also think that I will put up corel draw file of the escapement as well (not the whole clock) so others can have a proven spot to start if they want to build a clock as well.

I'll keep an eye out for the file Joe, I've always wanted to build a clock and your file would be a huge help!

Thanks for sharing!
Gary

Joe Hillmann
11-25-2011, 5:00 PM
And pictures of the orrey. I got bored with it as soon as I got it running smoothly and never finished it. It needs to be varnished and the earth , sun and moon painted and put on it. With only 5 gears it can tell you; the sign of the earth, moon and sun, how long the day is on a given day of the year, when the moon rises and sets, the epoch (spelling?) of the moon the seasons, the phase of the moon, the when eclipses are possible, the nodes of the moon and also quite a bit about astrology which I have no interest in.

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Craig Matheny
11-25-2011, 9:43 PM
Joe this is amazing I too have always had the curiosity but not the ambition to do the build of a clock.