Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this clock really made completely of wood?
- How long does it take to assemble the kit?
- How accurate is the clock?
- How much scroll saw experience is necessary to cut the clock from scratch?
- What kind of maintenance does the clock require?
- What is so special about Baltic Birch?
- Do you have any other wooden gear clocks for sale?
- Do you offer the patterns as CAD files?
- Do you offer quantity discounts?
1) Are these clocks really made completely of wood?
The clock frame, gears, and all other parts of the clock movement are made of wood. The arbors (shafts) are wood. The hands and dial pieces are wood. The weight shell is also made of wood. The only non-wooden parts of the clock are a few screws, some nylon washers, the string, and the metal shot contained inside the weight shell.
2) How long does it take to assemble the kit?
This depends somewhat on how much experience you have with similar tasks. For example, some experience with woodworking will probably allow you to complete the project more quickly. At least a day's worth of time may be required to assemble the clock. If you were to assemble more than one, you would probably find that you could put the clock together in a few hours.
3) How accurate is the clock?
Being a wooden clock, it is sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. If environmental conditions remain fairly constant, the clock will maintain accuracy to within one minute over the course of several days to a week. Even when climatic conditions fluctuate, the clock is easily accurate to within a minute in 24 hours.
4) How much scroll saw experience is necessary to make the clock from scratch with the plans?
Not as much as you might think. Several of our customers made our clocks as their very first scroll saw project! Cutting the gears is the most challenging part; if you prefer, you can purchase our laser cut gear sets and cut the rest of the pieces on your own.
5) What is so special about Baltic Birch?
Baltic Birch is imported from the Russian Baltic, and is not generally found at home centers. It differs from home center birch plywood in several ways. First, 1/4" North American birch plywood is typically three plies or two plies with a composite core material. 1/4" Baltic Birch plywood, on the other hand, is constructed of 5 plies. This provides increased stability of the material. Also, Baltic Birch plywood is void free, as opposed to home center Birch plywood which may have voids in the internal plies. Being a European product, Baltic Birch plywood is manufactured in metric units. 1/4" Baltic Birch is actually 6 mm (a little less than 1/4"). True Baltic Birch comes in 5'x5' sheets instead of the 4'x8' sheets so familiar in the U.S. Finally, the visible outer plies of Baltic Birch plywood are of the highest quality.
6) What kind of maintenance does the clock require?
Other than winding, the clock should not require any regular maintenance.
7) Do you have any other wooden gear clocks for sale?
Additional designs are "on the drawing board" right now. We hope to have produce prototypes in the future.
8) Do you offer the patterns as CAD files?
The patterns are only available as full-size paper patterns. They are intended to be adhered directly to the workpiece and cut on the scroll saw.
9) Do you offer quantity discounts?
Yes, we would be happy to discuss quantity discounts or wholesale pricing with you.