What Our Customers Are Saying
One of the most rewarding aspects of designing and producing our clock kits and plans is hearing from you our customer. It means a lot to us to know that you have enjoyed making your wooden gear clock! We really appreciate it when our customers take the time to share their thoughts with us!
About Our Clocks in General
"Clock runs great, looks, great, and was one of the most enjoyable things I've ever made. Thank you very much."
"I received an education in how clocks work through building this clock as well as a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Although it hangs in my office, my wife wants me to move it to the family room. That Jeff, is one of the biggest compliments you can receive...my wife actually wants one of my projects in the middle of the family room! Keep up the great work. I look forward to your future designs."
"Very best wishes, you have created a marvel."
"My Dad made your Ascent clock. . . . When I come to visit him on the weekends I love to watch your Ascent clock run and hear the slow relaxing ticking. He told me that he learned more about how clocks work building your clock than all the other clocks he has made."
"I am so happy with the clock that frankly I can't say enough."
"This clock is running just great -- I am so pleased with it I can't wait to show it to my friends."
"Your projects are very easy to make and provide great incentive for those who may find it difficult to start with this kind of craftsmanship."
"I really enjoyed mounting the clock. It works perfectly. I am very happy with it and I show it off to friends. I get many compliments."
About Our Ready-To-Assemble Kits
"I want to thank you for the Serpentine Clock. It was given to me as a gift by my best friend. He ordered it for my birthday. It is the coolest gift I have ever received, and apparently, designed/created by you. I had SO MUCH FUN building it, I can not begin to tell you! Moreover, I actually got it to work. The parts were cut perfectly and the directions really are "fool-proof,". . . It actually DOES keep good time as well, just as advertised! Anyhow, I am interested in more wooden-gear clocks at this point. I LOVE the serpentine. . . . Your new customer for life, "
"Just a short note to praise the product that I bought from you a few months ago. I bought the Ascent. I got it finished a few days ago and it was a pleasure to put the clock together and it works great. The instructions were excellent."
"Great kit. Superb engineering."
"You probably get lots of these emails but I just wanted to say that after a very tiny tweak of the crutch arm, my clock was off and running. . .. Great kit"
"I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed putting the Serpentine clock together. I have no woodworking experience and so I was a bit apprehensive. But your kit is superb."
"I finally got to the Ascent clock on my project list. I must admit that I was a little skeptical when I opened the kit that I would be able to put this together and that it would keep time. However, it is now hanging on the wall of my office and keeping perfect time. I am amazed at how precise your kit is and how easy it was to follow the instructions. I would recommend this kit to anyone with an interest in building their own clock. Your attention to detail is impressive."
"Your kit was absolutely ideal. The instructions were very easy to follow, and I was able to get the clock working very quickly and with very little fuss. Also, I have to say the design itself is wonderful. As I was putting the various pieces together, I enjoyed realizing how elegantly you used some very basic parts to make things work. There were several 'oh!' moments. If someone had said I could make a clock out of plywood, a couple of dowels, and some various oddments, I wouldn't have believed them. Anyway, I just wanted to say I have enjoyed this very much and now have a lovely new clock in my house. Thanks for selling these kits!"
"My friend received his clock and he was so happy it was really worth the effort .Thank you so much I understand he started to make it and couldn't stop until he completed the task. Once again thank you for making him happy and for the excellent service from yourself."
About Our Scroll Saw Patterns
"I would just like to say that your plans and instructions for your Serpentine clock were great. I built the clock totally from the plans and it is running like a clock ;) This was the first wooden gear clock I ever built as well as the first scroll saw project I ever done. . . . I would love to build another one of your designs."
"I must compliment you on a great design job and excellent plans and instructions! They were obviously well thought through an presented! By far the best I have seen."
"Wonderful plans and easy to follow!! I had never used a scroll saw before but the plans and the customer support made it an invigorating experience."
"Also, the plans and book for the Serpentine (I haven't seen the Ascent plans yet) are the best plans that I have ever obtained for any woodworking project. Congratulations on a fine product; it took a lot of time and work to develop an instruction manual and plans like you furnish."
"I got the plans yesterday. And WOW! The detailing is great. I can not wait to get started."
"I have completed the clock and it works very good. I enjoyed making it. Your plans were very good."
"Just wanted to write and say that I really enjoyed making the Serpentine clock....Your plans were easy to cut and the instruction book was easy to follow. The clock is almost hypnotic because I find myself staring at it just to watch the gears go around."
"I am really amazed, I did not think that I could ever get a working clock from all wood, but both clocks run great and keep better time than any wind up clock that I ever had. Congratulations again on great plans and a lot of work going into the design."
"I have to compliment you on your plans and the way you have so clearly laid them out and your step by step instructions."
About Our Customer Service
"It's nice to meet someone who takes pride in their product and offers such great service."
"It would be nice if all businesses operated at this level of service."
"It's great to be in touch with someone that cares about what they do and is anxious to share their knowledge."
"You provide a quality product with excellent customer service."
"Thanks so much for the kind note. You absolutely get the best customer-service of the month!"
"It's great to deal with someone as friendly and helpful as you've been."
About Our Clocks in General
"I could see how cleverly you had designed the clock to be put together with the minimum of know-how and tools. Quite an achievement."
"Thank you for designing the Ascent clock and giving all of us an opportunity to assemble such an excellent timepiece! I just finished assembling the clock and I just say, it looks beautiful. I consider it a piece of artwork."
"I am surprised at how robust the clock is. I thought it might be very fickle and temperamental, but it's not."
"My wooden clock runs like a charm!"
"Thanks for a great clock, I really enjoyed making it."
"I finished my clock and I just can't take my eyes off of it. I love to see it run, and feel it brings a whole new feeling to my living room. My wife likes it too, and chides me a bit because I am staring at it so often.... What a fun project."
"The clock looks great and I've had a great time."
"Thank you for your great clock."
"The clock together from the kit is working well and keeping time rather accurate despite our wet season's humidity and high temperatures at the moment. All this is a credit to the design of your clock."
About Our Ready-To-Assemble Kits
"The clock is wonderful....The laser cut pieces are really excellent. My 13 year old is fascinated with the clock - which was part of the reason for doing this project. I am totally amazed that the clock actually works. It is an elegant design. It is wonderful that in this age of digital brute force and dumned down technology - we are still able to have an elegant, useful mechanical device - thanks to your artistry, skill, and hard work. It is really your clock - and it is a fine achievement, elegant yet simple enough for the average person to assemble."
"I can truly say that I am most impressed with the quality of the kit, the fits of all the parts were excellent.... The instructions are excellent, clear, and concise."
"I just wanted to drop a line and say the clock is great! The laser cutting is absolutely incredible. Awesome!! The instruction were very clear and easy to understand....I can spend hours watching it. I would rather look at it than watch TV."
"I really enjoyed assembling the Ascent clock kit that I ordered from you. The assembly was not difficult and your instruction booklet it very concise and easy to follow. I hung the clock on the wall and had very little difficulty adjusting the escapement and getting it running. . . . It looks great hanging in our living room and actually keeps quite good time. I plan on buying a scroll saw and ordering your plans for the Serpentine and building it from scratch. Thanks again for providing me with a fun and educational project. It is quite a conversation piece."
"Just a quick note to say that I really enjoyed making the Ascent clock kit that I bought a few weeks ago. It looks great, is running well, and keeping good time."
"Nice job on a quality kit."
"Very nice kit. I enjoyed building it. I took my time and it only took me two days to assemble it."
"Your kit is a great introduction to creating a wooden clock. The package made it to Honolulu in good condition and on time. The instructions were detailed and clear. I can tell a lot of work [went] into getting it ready for market - especially the manual. It was organized, clearly laid out and well illustrated. It probably took a lot of time. But, the most fun was putting it together, figuring out the gear train, and finishing the assembly. It has been ticking away since the first swing of the pendulum. When I have some free time I will make some further adjustments and add decorative changes. The fun isn't over yet."
JUST CRAZY?
To "Wooden-Gear-Clocks, USA
By Carl F Ebeling MD, Gothenburg, Sweden
According to circumstances I have always been considered a bit odd. 1971: I saw a wooden clock in Switzerland, and ever since, I have had in mind building such an item whenever I got time to...
This winter was a tremendous dull one in Scandinavia, and I thought "Now is the time for the above clock!"
There was only one snag: Where to get the kit? Where ever I asked, there was a standard answer mixed with a mild sign of incredulity or mercy. "Yes Sir, we used to have them, but nobody has asked for them in ages!" Or still better: "What a complete idiot would like any of those silly things when there is plenty of quartz stuff?" (I have to tell You, that my wristwatch is a Millennium Tissot Touch - probably the most sophisticated watch ever made - given to myself as a 60 year birthday gift...)
My wife came with the crystal clear (and nowadays in my mind inbuilt) idea: "Google" (new word) on the (bloody) matter! Thus I found myself eye to eye with the Ascent! This was the Thing!
Apart from looking slim and tender, it looked quite easy to build. A month later I looked at the result. The clock is a fantastic piece of construction, but I think that getting to know the constructor is worth at least as much!
Because of the somewhat low currency of the USD compared to the SEK it was reasonably cheap including shipping. As the crack and heroin-dogs of the His Royal Customs didn't care for the parcel, there was no WAT or further costs to pay....!
When I opened the shipped bugger there was a rude smell of wood-fire in the whole habitat of my Family. Mr Jeff of the clock-company by e-mail reassured me that this was only part of the concept and not a gig, as the odour was natural due to the laser-cutting process....[ed. note: this smell disappears in a short time]
As a starter I began to read the enclosed Green Book. All looked like running on whole-welded rails! But to quote one of in friends from time in the Navy: "This looks like a piece of cake, but wait until I have explained"
Very soon it was in my mind, Mr Jeff has to be excused, to Jazz the clock up a bit, since I didn't wanted it be to built it like Everybody else (which after a visit to Mrs and Mr Jeff's gallery afterwards seems a bit ridiculous) Based on this decision was the fact that I have built some ship-models before and have the possibility of getting parts gold-plated.
However, first I had to get myself a folding rule with awkward inches on one side and good old millimetres on the other. For me it is a mystery what the English and American peoples have achieved in the field of technology with a length system based on 12 seeds of a certain plant placed side by side! Being an Officer and Gentleman we don't talk of British food here!
I think of wars, aviation, electric light, space technology, engines, transistors, integrated circuits, cars, electron microscopes, Silicon Wally et cetera and don't forget about all these Nobel-prizes! How did they ever all get along with those seeds?
You ought to know that there is a great difference between British and American English. Thus equipped with a Swedish-English lexicon and a specimen of Webster's dictionary, I soon among myriads of things found out, that cog-wheels equal gears, shaft is the same as arbour and a dowel is not a wooden bolt!
The precision of laser-cut birch-plywood used in this kit is just fantastic. Besides Mr Jeff told me the difference between ordinary US plywood and the Estonian one used by Mr Jeff's firm. It is very simple: The Estonian plywood consists of five layers and the US variant consists of three layers, which is very important whenever one have in mind cutting wooden cogs! This problem has never struck my mind as a dental surgeon or doctor of medicine before my "Jeff-era"!
To continue: Sometimes you even have to sand a little to get room for the glue (!) A five millimetre round-file is necessary for dowels fitting in gears and other parts. It has to be added to the Tools and Supply List on page one of the Green Book!
I am glad that I stuck to the ¼ " brass pipes and gave a merciful thought to all these brave people, who build these clocks from scratch equipped only with materials, blueprints the Green Book and patience-impregnated optimism plus a jigsaw...! The greatest admiration of mine is to the bloke who built the bloody thing in perspex (Plexiglass) if there is an opportunity-give my compliments to Him! It has to have been awful since the saw-dust melt stinks and stick together! I know it since I built a housing for a submersible camera once.
Putting the Ascent together was quit easy once you had got a clue of how the clock was to function. The step by step mounting instructions and numerous photos in the GB are excellent!
As I mentioned before I have put some "extras" to my clock. Apart from recommended Stain Chart all parts are stained dark or light brown. All shafts, hands, dial marks and second hand inlay pieces are made from brass pipes and gold-plated. The hubs of the hands bear the insignia, the cogwheel, of the Swedish ArmyTechnical Corps (looks funny moving on the second hand) and on top of the front frame outer piece is the somewhat conventionalized crest of the Naval Base of Gothenburg, which consists of an armoured lion with the Swedish shield with "three crowns" (well known from ice hockey games) facing west.
Some final lines are to be written about Mr Jeff Schierenbeck himself:
I have never in my life experienced such a friendly and service minded fellow as Him! The distance between Gothenburg, Sweden, in Europe and Eau Claire, WI, USA must mean passing a lot of time-zones. Still: whenever you e-mail Mr Jeff day, night, Sunday X-mass Eve, St Patrick's Day, Guy Fawkes Day or what ever, there is always an friendly answer in your own mail-box after six hours at the most.
We have discussed the solving of different problems improving constructions and so on and the best of all is that we have become friends during the period of life when "one builds ones Ascent!" Therefore I once asked Him whenever He slept. I haven't got any acceptable answer yet...!