Thread: My Wooden geared clock

thankyou
Dean

I Have finally assembled the electronics housing with the new cover. It looks great though it is not perfect. Over the 10 years I have been at this I have changed a little so perfection is something that I don't take as seriously as I used too!

Pic 1 shows the assembled blank for the CNC.

Pic 2 shows the finished cover in place. I was planning to laser engrave a simple pic on the cover but not so sure....we will see.

Picture 3 shows The improved hour hand. The original design was just the top brass fastener that used to come loose every time you moved the hour hand. The new design features the spring and rubber from a pop up sprinkler and a crush spacer. The hour hand fits over the crush spacer that the brass fastener nut tightens up upon. The same arrangement as a seat belt arrangement. The new design allows you to move the hour hand both clockwise and anti clockwise without becoming loose.

Picture 4 shows the extra weigh have added. The original weight boxes were 3.5kg each; I have now increased too 6.2kg. Overall the weight has increased from 7kg to 12.4kg. Still not allot of weight to power the whole clock.
I made a fundamental error earlier on in my journey by trying to reduce the weight as much as possible. With 7kg there was not enough to turn over the gears. Further there was a soft spot in
he original design would have been 40kg but using electronics to push the pendulum I am able to reduce that weight to 12kg ish.
Not long to go now.
Dean

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

These next changes have been along time coming. The weight boxes have been extended and the extra lead added. To do this the old lead mould had to be updated. The lead casting process was largely uneventful. I added 2.4kg to each side so that now each side should weigh 5.5kg each. This has helped with the reliability of the clock and hopefully the gear train wont stop turning!
Next I added a servo that grabs the pendulum just prior to the weights being wound up. This works well. We had to install a wire to detect the pulse of the "dumb" coil unit. Next the wiring to the servo unit needs to be integrated into the housing in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
Almost done.
Pic 1 shows the extended weight boxes and my good friend Ben who has been my chief programmes and electronics engineer. It goes without saying that I would be lost without his help.

Pic 2 shows the wiring all hanging out.

Pic 3 shows the weight boxes lead mould.

Video. Pendulum grabber....https://youtube.com/shorts/om09mI8T37Q?feature=share


Dean.

After my paramotor crash of 2020, 2 changes of schools and general messiness life, I am still determined to get my clock to run and not stop. After lots of recent upgrade's I have decided to try stabilise my gears using Cactus Juice.

Buy Cactus Juice Stabilizing Resin for Woodworking-1 Gallon Online at Lowest Price in Ubuy Australia. B08FCK4G4Q https://www.u-

Cactus juice is a resign that is heat cured. I am looking for any one who has used cactus juice with any sort of timber and what heat source might be suitable and the million questions I have if I am to use this method.

any takers?

cheers

dean

Hi everyone.
I generally work on my clock in bursts and these last school holidays has been no exception. My friend suggested before i get into the whole cactus juice and wood stabilised method, why don't i just sand and seal all the gears first. So i did just that. I started with 320 grit and coated with a waxy grain sealer. After drying finishing with 600/800. This has had a significant impact on the gears reaction to changes in humidity. The clock is now more reliable and has not stopped running over the last 24hrs! So happy right now.

I discovered some issues with the pendulum head bearings which i replaced with metal shielded ones and some 3D printed shims to ensure the bearings function correctly. Pics 1&2

I upgraded the tolerance between the pedula rod and ratchet with a 3d printed sleeve.Pics 3&4

I installed the final pendulum rod servo housing made in purple heart. Looks fab.


Finally installed some cable management on the rear frame.













Pics soon.
Dean

H everypne.
I have finally produced a cover for my power supply!

It features some blue woven cotton power cord with an old school Bakelite plug. The Plug to power the clock is a microphone plug that has a rather smart looking meta plate.

Apart from the timber I am happy with the design, although it needs some air vents apparently in the tip. The feet at present are just sitting on the box so those will need to be screwed down form the bottom.

The box houses an 8amp computer power supply that handles the stepper motor easily.

Soonish I will complete the final with a slightly better timber like rock maple.







More soon.

Dean.

Recently I sanded and sealed all the gears and this has made a huge difference to keeping the clock running continuously. For the first time since ever, I can report that my clock runs for 41 hours on one wind. So the clock will wind itself 4 times a week. That is thanks to the fact that the eights are compounded 4 times. I have recently measured the length of each weight string. The LHS is 8700mm the RHS 10500mm! The RHS extra length is to allow both weights to be in a couple thus cancelling out their torque.

Apon closer observation the clock would initially keep time then slowly loose 45 minutes towards the end of those 41 hours. I discovered that the pendulum and escarpment were not at 90 degrees and this accounted for this loss. I made some 3d printed tools to help me get this angle spot on.

After setting this back to 90 degrees the clock was only out 1 minute at the end of the 41 hours. In the next post I will address how I will reduce that 1 minute to close to zero.












Dean

My clock is now very close to being finished. I hope to have it completed by Christmas!
So far the clock has been performing well and keeping time. The only issue I needed to fix was the drum and how the rope was being wound up on it. The initial rope was called sheet and was a rectangle profile. I decided to experiment with a rope that was round instead because the sheet would not wind evenly on the drum without mechanical assistance.
Alos I have spent last week widening the drum as much as i can. Now both sides are 41mm wide each. That extra real-estate should help.

Picture 1 shows the drum and the 3d printed sleeves installed.

Picture 2 shows how i anchored the wire to the drum using some electrical terminals.

Picture 3 shows the 1.6mm stainless steel rope. As you can see only 1 side wound evenly and both sides were doubled up; ie the had to 2 layers to accommodate the 8 meters of rope.

Picture 4 shows the .8mm mono filament or fishing wire. This time 1 side was very even while the other side was not so much But both sides were only 1 layer. This has greatly helped that overall timing as the drum runs out of wire.

Next I will 3d Print some grooved drums with the fishing wire to see how that combination.

Next will be .35mm braided fishing line again with the grooved drums to see how that winds.











Next I will 3d Print some grooved drums to try with the fishing wire to see how that combination works. After that I will try some .35mm braided fishing line again with the grooved drums to see how that winds.

cheers

Dean.

Hi everyone.
After some discussion with a few fishing shops I have been advised against using braided fishing line. I was informed that the slightest Sharp edge would cause line failure. This has led me to choose a mono filament line Aka fishing wire. I have finally chosen .640mm fishing line that has some added carbon for extra strength. This width will also leave extra room for a couple of extra turns. This size is rated to 27kg so double the strength required.
I will change the design so you can change the line if required with taking the clock apart. More about that next post.

The weigh boxes are finally being remade. Pic one shows the original boxes made from 1/4 sawn silky oak. The one on the right made from MDF and have been laser cut.

The final ones will be made from birds eye rock maple and have a CNC cut Einstein tile cut into them.

Pic 2 shows the first CNC prototype. So far I dont like the painted attempt so I will most likely just cnc the tiles at different heights. The test piece shows depths at .2,.3 ect all the down to .9mm.

Pic 3 shows a link to the einstein pattern.


pic 1


Pic 2


Pic 3
The Einstein tile
Newfound Mathematical 'Einstein' Shape Creates a Never-Repeating Pattern - Scientific American

more soon.

Dean

Hi everyone.
Just a quick update. The new weigh boxes are almost complete. After much experimentation the weight boxes are now installed and even I like the look of them. Here is a quick photo diary.

Pic 1 shows the bandsaw cutting 1x10mm and 2x7mm thick boards from 25mm birds eye rock maple stock.


Pic 2. Shows the box pins being cut on my 60W thunder laser.


Pic 3. Shows the Einstein tiles being cut on the CNC. I started out with 7mm thick board. The tiles were 3mm thick.


Pic 4. Shows an early and unsuccessful attempt at gluing using G clamps.

Pic 5 shows the better method of of using rubber bands to apply force equally.


Pic 6 shows how I used the CNC freehand to trim the tails of the box pins. I put the 6kg weights inside to hold the job still.


Pic 7 shows the lead weight needed to be re-smelted so that the weights would hang more horizontally than they did.


Pic 8 shows the final box installed.
.

This week I will completing the final prototype's of the lids which have been very fiddly to date.

cheers

Dean

.

Hi everyone.
Still not finished the tops of the weight boxes as the prototype has warped. So I have decided to do the final prototype drum. To start with I have decided to make a quick change system for the strings so I dont have to dismantle to chage them if needed. To that end I have experimented with a aluminum terminal that has a hole that it sits in. Its fairly simple and I like designs that are like that. Hopefully I will finish reprinting the prototype drum this week to test the whole design. Getting close now!!

pic 1 shows the amount of proto types generated to finish a box for the weights.


Pic 2 shows the CAD model for the quick release hole. I decided to cut the whole from the same face as the drum, rather than remount it vertically.


Pic 2 shows the hole for the string cut by the CNC.
.

Dean.

Hi everyone.
I have just upgraded the stepper motor wiring or more accurately changed the plug and the rout the wiring takes to get to the motor.
Pic 1 shows the original plug and wiring route.

Pic 2 shows the Lower square shaft mounted in my CNC ready to be cut.

Pic 3 shows the the frame the 3D printed frame fill.

Pic 4 shows the wiring channel.

Pic 5&6 shows the wiring sitting on the 3D printed mount and aluminum wiring clamp. The plugs are simply glued to the top of the 3D printed mount.


cheers for now. Next is the motor cover.

Dean.

Hi everyone. A quick update.
Finally my power supply is finished as well as my clock weights. I am happy with them both.
I have decided to use the white dacron rope as it winds really well.

I have to report that I had a catastrophic accident when handling my timing wheel while in my shed recently. While trying to remove the wheel from the shaft it somehow slipped off and when flying over my head, hitting the ground. It broke in several places. I have to admit that i cried in anguish. For a while i was despondent and realised that with Gods help I would recover even stronger...and I did. I revived an old 8 spoke design that i never made and am glad to report that i have made a new blank based on this improved design. I realised that the inner holes were too big resulting in a weakness. The new design addresses that.
Pic 1 is the much loved and broken seven spoke timing wheel.

Pic 2 the new 8 spoke blank. These numbers beside each join is the size of the gap that is left between each piece.



I apologize for this never being completed but this clock is a journey God invited me to almost 16 years ago, so it will end when it ends. Over the course of this clock project He has dealt with much of my anxiety which is now almost non existent. Even if my clock never works at least I finally do! For those with anxiety there is a permanent solution: Jesus.

Next will be the degassing chamber and cactus resin which i cant wait to try. That should be next week.
cheers for now.

Dean.