Saturday 12 November 2011

Little Clock


So far, this clock has taken about seven full days work, not including the theory and design stage. It started off as simply being escapement practice. I was going to make a recoil escapement in a little frame all on its own with a weight hanging on to keep it ticking, for the purpose of seeing easily and being able to explain to non-clockies about how the heart of a timepiece works.
Well, then I couldn't resist it, the thought had to cross my mind of - What is the simplest, easiest gear train to bring me to an hour hand? It could then be a single hander and have a happier purpose in life. To my surprise a very nice gear ratio worked out to actually include a minute arbor along the way, so without motionwork I will have both hands telling the time correctly. The odd thing is (obviously) if I have the minute wheel turning the hour wheel immediately, one of them will be going backwards. So to keep in the 'strictly simple' theme I opted to have the hour wheel AS the hour dial - going in reverse with a fixed pointer.
Well like I say this has taken seven days but those days have been spread over most of the year. I was struggling finding a name for this clock, which started out as The valentine clock because thats the day I started construction. But it has settled on being called Little Clock. Because I have a big clock and this is smaller in lots of ways. It kind of reminds me of the Galileo clock, his first design using a pendulum.
Also as this clock first started as a practise exercise I decided to include other techniques that I am rusty on; I had not before made lantern pinions, I had not made regulator style wheels and I had not made or dealt with chain drive before. I have not thought yet of what base or pedestal it will sit on. I think there will be a phase two after its complete sometime in the future. I may put a deadbeat escapement in (just for practice) I may put on a little brass bell with a passing strike. And for now I'm not going to fit in a ratchet. The weight will have to be lifted off with its hook.

10 comments:

  1. nice, how did you cut the wheels?

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  2. Hello Anon,
    I cut the teeth using a PP Thornton cutter mounted on a homemade milling spindle mounted on the lathe.
    The dividing was done using a division plate mounted on a boss attached to the the lathe head.

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  3. Cool, I asked you cause I thought you used your homemade wheel cutting engine published many post ago...

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  4. Yes I use the lathe now it is so much more sturdy. The cutting engine flapped about a bit.
    It is my friends milling spindle that I used. He made it. I need to copy and make one myself. It is solid and runs smoothly on ball bearings.
    I'll put a pic up of it in action.
    Thanks
    Craig.

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  5. Hi! me again jaja, your job its pretty amazing, congrats!

    I cannot stop asking myself... does the grat wheel has a plexyglass disc? thks!

    Gabriel

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  6. Hi Gabriel,
    It is just normal glass. There is another one to go on yet. I chose to have glass because I thought it would look like a mass of wheel crossings if I had kept them normal.
    I want it to look simple.
    I need to attach a chapter ring/numerals to this glass wheel. Any suggestions?

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  8. hi Craig, what are the numerals made of?

    Gabriel

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  9. I dont know I havent got that far.

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  10. Well, I guest the best solution would be a cyanocrilate glue or similar, of course you will have to make a mirror copy of the numerals to the other side. But... is just an idea!

    QUESTION: Are you interested on selling your wheel cutter, I mean the homemade one?

    regards gabriel

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