My Fretwork Clock

[Rockytime]

Well it's not exactly a clock yet. I've started by copying the two sided plans on individual sheets so I can cut them apart. I've made the base. Sometime in the future I will make a couple of more pieces. I start this needing a lot of advice.

1. What kind of wood to use. I would like to use hardwoods but that can be expensive for an experiment. I don't have a planer or flat sander along with other things. My wife says, "Why don't you buy them?" Duh, at my age who knows how long I can use them? So I have a lot of 1/8 and 1/4 inch BB which I plan to use.

2. That brings up the problem of finishing. Should the pieces be stained after cutting and before assembly or after assembly?

3. What adhesive should I use for assembly?

I have no idea how long this project will take. I did cut the base on the table saw and trimmed the edged on the router. Before I go further I'm waiting for advice.

[Oldmansbike]

I would dry fit the pieces and stain them before permanently assembling it. I use yellow wood glue to assemble my clocks and then use spray poly for the topcoat. Just my 2 cents 

[Norm Fengstad]

I don't have any 2 cents to offer except to say it is a challenging yet rewarding project you have started and I am positive your up to the challenge. My wisdom words is not let pending age deter one from buying new tools as our addiction needs to be filled even in advancing age

[daveww1]

looks like it will be a great clock. maybe you could get thin wood at Lowes, they seem to have it in poplar, red oak and maple.

[clocks and more]

I have made several of those clocks ,and used differennt types of wood, encludeing  BBirch,then stained it with pecan stain.  It is wonderful prject and you will be proud of. Please post picture when done.

\

[Scrappile]

I think blackwalnut and maple would be a good choice,,, You can buy it in the thickness' you will need.  If you don't want it two different colors,  I would go with mahogany... Great looking project... Keep us informed about your progress, please.

[FrankEV]

12 hours ago, Rockytime said:

... I don't have a planer or flat sander along with other things. My wife says, "Why don't you buy them?" Duh, at my age who knows how long I can use them? ...

Can't help with your other questions but I'm guessing at 79 years old I'm close to you in age and just bought myself a planer.   

It is a Craftsman bench top planer, even though I don't have room on my bench to mount it or even just stand it for use.  The Craftsman is physically quite small even though it is a 12 1/2" wide unit.   I built a very small wood stand (24 " w x 16" d x 29" h with locking casters so I can pull it out when it is needed.   I'll do most of my planing, like I do my table saw ripping, out side, and most of the wood will be relatively short lenghts. 

And, I am happy that the planer on its stand tucks away in the corner while not in use. 

 

Like yourself, I'm not sure how often it will get used between now and when my time is up, but decided I realy can't think that way and decided to splurge the $349 at Lowes (of course with my 10% military discount helping).

I have a local source of rough sawn wood and I'm hoping the planer will alow me to use some different woods mostly for frames and projects such as boxes and the like.      

[dgman]

28 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

I think blackwalnut and maple would be a good choice,,, You can buy it in the thickness' you will need.  If you don't want it two different colors,  I would go with mahogany... Great looking project... Keep us informed about your progress, please.

I agree with Paul. This project calls for hardwoods. Personally, I couldn’t dream of using BB then staining. With Walnut and Maple, there is no staining necessary. An oil based topcoat will bring out the natural grain and color of the walnut and the Maple will add a nice contrast. You could also use Cherry, Red Oak or Mahogany. By using hardwoods, this clock will become an heirloom!

[TAIrving]

I tried staining a plywood project once.  I got some stain on the edge and it came in strong via the pores.  It mad for an uneven finish, not good.  I cannot post a picture as that one went straight into the trash.  

[rjweb]

Rocky, looking forward to seeing this project process along, RJ 

[ben2008]

Rocky

I have made about 6 or 7 fretwork clocks and I always use hardwood. The best place to get good quality hardwood and is sized correctly is Ocooch. https://ocoochhardwoods.com/scroll-saw-lumber/ Just my opinion. No, it's not cheap and shipping is outrageous.  I also order a little extra just in case. I'm sorry, but plywood just wouldn't look nice for a clock. My opinion.

 If you do decide to use hardwood, keep it in it's original packaging until ready to use. The larger width  pieces may curl or cup on you. Or you can find a way to keep it flat with weights until you are ready to start cutting. Most all the time after you cut it will not curl or cup.

If you decide to finish the clock before assembly I would use Aleene's glue That stuff seems to stick to everything. I use it all the time with great results on finished projects. I just finished a fretwork clock about 2 weeks ago that I finished before assembly and I used Aleene's Tacky glue.

 https://thebuzz.aleenes.com/content/aleenes-original-tacky-glue-inducted-afci-product-hall-fame It's quite cheap also.

Good luck with your project.

Ben

Edited June 5, 2021 by ben2008

[crupiea]

No reason why not to use simple baltic birch plywood 1/8"

Use pre conditioner and sand it smooth before you start cutting.  If you are going to spray paint it use primer instead and sand that.  

Once done it will accept finish nicely. 

You can get some blowouts because of the fine detail. What I do to prevent this and save countless hours of frustration is to stack 2 pieces together like I am stack cutting it.  Then I use a #2 pike jewelers blade.  This gives tight cuts and the backing prevents the blowouts.  Without the backing these blades make a terrible mess that would be a nightmare to sand. 

Also when done if you need to do more sanding you basically can use that extra backing as a sanding jig to place the piece in also works great to hold the piece for painting or whatever.  I use light brown spray paint, it pretty much works for skin tones as well as a wood look. Plus it gets into the nooks and crannies easily.   Just some thoughts.

These dont have to be stained like wood if you dont want to. its your project and you can paint it any way you wish. 

[OCtoolguy]

Sounds like you got the advice you were looking for Les. Now, to the point of age, well, what good is money if you can't trade it for something you want to own? I'm 78 and I'm getting ready to spend some money on vinyl fencing to enclose my driveway in front of my shop so I can keep a couple of my larger tools outside without them being seen from the street. That is not a cheap venture, let me tell you. Vinyl fencing is like gold. To my point though, if I was to think about everything I spend on how much time I've got left on Earth, well, you might as well just crawl into a closet and go to your long dirt nap. I'm going to go out in style. My youngest son is like me in that he loves to work with his hands. So, if he wants to make the trip from Tn. to Cal, well he's welcome to all my stuff. So, take your wife's sage advice and go buy what you want. If you never get to use it, at least you will have had the thrill of buying it. That's the best part. Very different from buying a boat. You know, the two happiest days in a boat-owner's life...........

[Tomanydogs]

Hi Les, I bought 5 clocks patterns a couple of years ago and wanted to make everyone in the family a clock. However not having access to 1/8 and 1/4 inch hardwood and not having the ability to thin the wood myself. I've been struggling to decide whether or not the use BBply. As dgman said I also want to make them a heirloom so I'll wait till I have the proper wood.  That being said, if you decide to make yours from BBply I ran across this article the other day which might help you with your staining process.    https://www.rockler.com/learn/layered-color-special-effects-stain

[Rockytime]

45 minutes ago, Tomanydogs said:

Hi Les, I bought 5 clocks patterns a couple of years ago and wanted to make everyone in the family a clock. However not having access to 1/8 and 1/4 inch hardwood and not having the ability to thin the wood myself. I've been struggling to decide whether or not the use BBply. As dgman said I also want to make them a heirloom so I'll wait till I have the proper wood.  That being said, if you decide to make yours from BBply I ran across this article the other day which might help you with your staining process.    https://www.rockler.com/learn/layered-color-special-effects-stain

Griteat article! Gonna have to study it in some depth. It can come in handy for all my BB projects.

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, Tomanydogs said:

Hi Les, I bought 5 clocks patterns a couple of years ago and wanted to make everyone in the family a clock. However not having access to 1/8 and 1/4 inch hardwood and not having the ability to thin the wood myself. I've been struggling to decide whether or not the use BBply. As dgman said I also want to make them a heirloom so I'll wait till I have the proper wood.  That being said, if you decide to make yours from BBply I ran across this article the other day which might help you with your staining process.    https://www.rockler.com/learn/layered-color-special-effects-stain

Thanks for that great link. I copied it and saved it in a Word document. Something to refer back to every once in a while.

 

[Rockytime]

3 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Sounds like you got the advice you were looking for Les. Now, to the point of age, well, what good is money if you can't trade it for something you want to own? I'm 78 and I'm getting ready to spend some money on vinyl fencing to enclose my driveway in front of my shop so I can keep a couple of my larger tools outside without them being seen from the street. That is not a cheap venture, let me tell you. Vinyl fencing is like gold. To my point though, if I was to think about everything I spend on how much time I've got left on Earth, well, you might as well just crawl into a closet and go to your long dirt nap. I'm going to go out in style. My youngest son is like me in that he loves to work with his hands. So, if he wants to make the trip from Tn. to Cal, well he's welcome to all my stuff. So, take your wife's sage advice and go buy what you want. If you never get to use it, at least you will have had the thrill of buying it. That's the best part. Very different from buying a boat. You know, the two happiest days in a boat-owner's life...........

I guess buying tools are great fun even if you don't need them. Faye has never quetioned what I spend. During my model railroad, 40 years plus, I spent many thousands of dollars. Brass engines at hundreds of dollars plus rolliing stock. Chased all over the country to model railroad conventions and chasing trains. But I have decided to use Walnut and Maple. I put in an order with Ochooch. I can purchase a lot of hardwood for the price of a planer. Also using is difficult. I walk with a cane or Walker. A bit dangerous on the table saw lest I fall on it. I am extremely cautious. Faye is never very far away. So while I'd take great pride in having a planer in my shop, even just to sit and admire it, I will forego the purchase.

I hope you are enjoying your vacation.

An afterthought. You surely realize plastic fences are made from recycled milk bottles . Now this is only a suggestion, if you were to give up the wine, drank milk instead, save the empties and recycle them for a fence. Of course if wine comes in plastic jugs you could do that too. I just don't know as I don't drink the  stuff myself.

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, Rockytime said:

I guess buying tools are great fun even if you don't need them. Faye has never quetioned what I spend. During my model railroad, 40 years plus, I spent many thousands of dollars. Brass engines at hundreds of dollars plus rolliing stock. Chased all over the country to model railroad conventions and chasing trains. But I have decided to use Walnut and Maple. I put in an order with Ochooch. I can purchase a lot of hardwood for the price of a planer. Also using is difficult. I walk with a cane or Walker. A bit dangerous on the table saw lest I fall on it. I am extremely cautious. Faye is never very far away. So while I'd take great pride in having a planer in my shop, even just to sit and admire it, I will forego the purchase.

I hope you are enjoying your vacation.

An afterthought. You surely realize plastic fences are made from recycled milk bottles . Now this is only a suggestion, if you were to give up the wine, drank milk instead, save the empties and recycle them for a fence. Of course if wine comes in plastic jugs you could do that too. I just don't know as I don't drink the  stuff myself.

I can always depend on you to add some form of jest to everything. I had no idea that vinyl fencing was made from milk bottles. I drink milk everyday but just on my cereal. All my wine comes in boxes. LOL. Not really, ours comes in bottles and the single best thing they ever did was to start using screw top bottles. We go through a couple of bottles of wine a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I am also a great fan of Canadian Club blended whiskey. I like to pour about 3 fingers of it in a wide mouthed glass with about 3-4 ice cubes. And then just sip it over the course of an evening. Also, if you've never tried any of that cinnamon whiskey, Fireball comes to mind, I strongly recommend you give it a try. I love the imported Cinnamon Rush from Black Velvet up in Canada. Love that stuff. Ok, enough about my weaknesses. Glad you got some wood on the way.

 

Oh, and we are no longer on vacation. We decided to cut it short by a month and came back home. The highways are so bad, it's not fun anymore. And with the Covid hoax, everybody and their brother went out and bought an RV and they are clogging up the RV parks. It got pretty hot when we were in Tennessee so we just decided to forego the rest of our trip and return. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the money that was allotted for the rest of our journey. I'm sure I'll figure something out though.

 

[Rockytime]

4 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

I have no idea what I'm going to do with the money that was allotted for the rest of our journey. I'm sure I'll figure something out though.

 

I'm sure you will think of something! Does Barb know how much money is left over? I'd be quiet about that!

[OCtoolguy]

40 minutes ago, Rockytime said:

I'm sure you will think of something! Does Barb know how much money is left over? I'd be quiet about that!

I'm being very quiet about it. She has no idea. I take care of all our finances. She just uses what she wants and I try to figure out how to pay the bills. As most marriages are. 

[rjweb]

Rocky, glad you got wood on the way, what did you do with all your train stuff when you switched hobbies, RJ 

[Mels Z]

 My father has made several. All of his grown kids have one. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Mels Z
Adding photo

[Rockytime]

5 hours ago, rjweb said:

Rocky, glad you got wood on the way, what did you do with all your train stuff when you switched hobbies, RJ 

 

3 hours ago, Mels Z said:

 My father has made several. All of his grown kids have one. 

That's gorgeous!

[Rockytime]

50 minutes ago, Rockytime said:

 

That's gorgeous!

 

6 hours ago, rjweb said:

Rocky, glad you got wood on the way, what did you do with all your train stuff when you switched hobbies, RJ 

Years ago I got started with used Varney HO railroad stuff. Some guy wanted to get into slot cars and sold me his railroad stuff for pennies on the dollar. I sold that along with a small layout. When N scale came out a friend encouraged me to get into it. Loved it. We formed a RR club which is still in existance to this day operating in Forney's Transportation Museum. Then I discovered HOn3. Sold the N scale stuff of which there was lot. Built a fairly large layout. Then I thought On3 is more prototypical so I sold the HOn3 stuff, tore out the layout and rebuilt with On3. I discovered I did not like the tight radii as it did not work well. Sold it all and returned to HOn3. Our house was burglarized, the thieves coming in through a large basement casement window directly over my rail yard and crushed an engine house and gallows turn table. That was it. Sold everything. Then got into hobby machining. Another story.  

[ben2008]

On 6/5/2021 at 5:39 PM, Tomanydogs said:

Hi Les, I bought 5 clocks patterns a couple of years ago and wanted to make everyone in the family a clock. However not having access to 1/8 and 1/4 inch hardwood and not having the ability to thin the wood myself. I've been struggling to decide whether or not the use BBply. As dgman said I also want to make them a heirloom so I'll wait till I have the proper wood.  That being said, if you decide to make yours from BBply I ran across this article the other day which might help you with your staining process.    https://www.rockler.com/learn/layered-color-special-effects-stain

Irene

Do you have a 10" table saw? If so, you can make your own 1/8", 1/4"  or whatever size you need of lumber. You just need a good glue line rip blade, then you can glue up the pieces to the size you need. I do that quite often. I usually cut 4" pieces 1/4" thick and then glue them together for the width I need for my projects. I recently needed a piece of 1/4" walnut over 12" wide. I glued the pieces up to about 13" and fit my pattern to it. Worked great. Once you cut it for fretwork you will never notice the 4 pieces of wood glued together.

It's really not that hard to do. All you  will need are some bar clamps and white glue.  I try to buy thick wood at least 1 1/2" or more. Then you can get many pieces cut from the same board and they will all be the same size and color also.

Of course, a band saw would be a much better option.

Ben

Edited June 8, 2021 by ben2008