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Thread: Grandfather clock
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13th March 2014, 12:24 PM #1New Member
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Grandfather clock
Hi all,
I'm pretty new in here and have embarked on a bit of a project of completing a grandfather clock that my Pa had begun to make before he passed away. It's the 4th one he had started so he had a fair idea of what he was doing, sadly I have much less of an idea.
Essentially, the whole case is done, I'm in the process of refinishing it before finding a movement for it and installing it. Hopefully then I'll have a beautiful grandfather clock.
Whats confusing me at the moment is a piece he has installed in the top of the clock where the mechanism goes. To my eyes, I have no idea why it is there and none of the other clocks have a similar piece. I was hoping you may be able to tell me what it is for before I pull it out. As you can see, it's nailed in pretty roughly which made me think it's only a temporary piece rather than something vital. Photo is here http://i.imgur.com/3tLn8QK.jpg
any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Scott.
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13th March 2014 12:24 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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13th March 2014, 01:26 PM #2
I cant really tell from the picture where it is located. Am I looking up at it or down at it? Could it be what the clock mechanism is mounted on and installed temporarily so it can be adjusted if necessary? Maybe just to set it on to see what it will look like with the rest of the clock.
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13th March 2014, 01:55 PM #3Senior Member
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That would have been my "Best Guess"! (a temporary seat board.
Now, I have never built a Grandfather clock case, (although I dream of one day, doing so!) but I have heard that it is easier to build a case to fit the movement, than it is to get a movement to fit an existing case. I suspect that the issue might be that a movement will go with a choice of only one or two dials, but the case might not fit the dial that fits the movement goes with, or something like that...
Just an idea, but why don't you get hold of the movement, dial, etc before you finish the case, so that you know that the movement will fit.
Cheers
Walesey
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13th March 2014, 02:05 PM #4
Someone has asked me to make this one for him.
Might try a smaller version first.
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13th March 2014, 02:29 PM #5New Member
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Thanks for your ideas, here is a better photo looking directly down on the board. http://i.imgur.com/PdSXYl8.jpg
As for the mechanism, I don't have one. However I do have the plans for the clock so after I have finished the case I will probably send the clock to a clockmaker so that a mechanism can be found and installed.
Because I'm stripping the clock of its old varnish, I really want to know if I can pull that piece out so I can strip that area. If it is a setting board, can I pull it out, strip it and reinstall it when the mechanism is going in?
Thanks,
Scott
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13th March 2014, 02:53 PM #6Senior Member
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OK. That is a better shot.
Some clock movements have the pendulum attached to the movement. The position of the pendulum then depends on the position of the movement. Some other clocks have the pendulum attached to the back of the case. There is a slot on the pendulum and a matching pin on the crutch of the movement, which fits into the slot. When the movement slides out of the case, the pendulum stays put.
The board may possibly be to attach the pendulum to, to allow the movement to be positioned closer to the front of the case. (That is just an idea. It may or may not be close to the mark.
Whether you need the board would depend on what type of movement you ended up with.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Walesey
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13th March 2014, 10:46 PM #7New Member
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So considering that I don't have a movement, I shouldn't be causing my self any problems if I pull it out and hang onto it?
Thanks,
Scott
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14th March 2014, 06:18 AM #8Senior Member
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Yeah. That sounds about right. It does not look like it is too securely fastened.
Your Pa might have just hung a battery clock on the screw to see what it would look like with a dial in there? (That is the sort of thing that I would be likely to do if I were making a beautiful case like that, and itching to see a clock in it!)
All the best with your project.
Cheers
Walesey
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