A few years ago, I saw an ad for a very large auction in Boston. In the ad was a photograph of a beautiful, unusual, scroll saw clock. It had a minimum starting bid of $500.00. I just had to have it so on the day of the auction, I got up very early and drove all the way to Boston from New Hampshire. It was a 3 1/2 hour drive.
The auction was held in a very large room with many items to be auctioned off. I walked around the room two or three times and could NOT find the clock. I finally asked an attendant where it was. (Real men NEVER ask for directions) He told me it was completely destroyed on the flight in from Hawaii. He told me they built a box around it to try to protect it but somehow it was destroyed. He brought me over to a table in the far corner of the room where they had put all the pieces. The pieces were in three large ziplock bags with a photograph of what the clock DID look like. Most of the pieces were the size of a half-dollar coin. A few a little larger. I was thinking, I still want it and surely NO ONE in their right mind would want it, so I would be able to get it for almost nothing.
When the bidding finally came up the pieces were brought out. The bidding started at $50.00. Believe it or not, there was another "clock-nut" and HE wanted it as much as I did. The bidding went up over $270.00, but, I won the bid. I am positive, everyone there thought I was completely out of my mind to spend that much for three bags of pieces and a photograph.
I took the three bags and photograph home and set up two card tables side by side and laid out all the pieces. It was like putting together a very large puzzle. As I assembled the individual pieces I glued them together as best I could. After three or four weeks I had most all the individual pieces put back together. (I had to guess at a few) I took the individual glued pieces and drew each one out on paper. The only original pieces were good enough to save were the ones that formed the round head that supported the clock movement... everything else had to be remade.
After a few weeks, it all came together. Of all the clock designs I have copied and recorded, this clock is, by far, my favorite and I think one of the most beautiful scroll saw clocks ever designed.
Written by John Nelson. Reprinted with permission from the author.
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