# A two day project made from scraps.



## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

*A two day project made from scraps (now in its fourth day).*

I'm thinking of making some clocks as Christmas gifts this year. So I decided that I would make one from some of the scraps that I have collected through the year since last Christmas.

This is going to take a couple of days to write because I have not yet finished the project, but I figured I'd get things started tonight and finish it off over the next couple of days.

I dug through my scrap box and salvaged some good pieces of Walnut, Bloodwood, and Cherry. After running them through the planer to clean up the faces, I set up my router table to put a Roman Ogee edge on one of the Walnut sticks.

This started with setting up the "garbage can - shop vac" dust collection and connecting it to the router table.










Then setting up the router bit and fence to make the edge I wanted.










With the edge machined, I rearranged the dust collection to the table saw, set up the rip fence, and using my favorite shop made push stick, I ripped the machined edge from the stick of Walnut.




















With that done, I moved the dust collection over to the radial arm saw and cut both the machined and not machined Walnut sticks to their final size,










I also cut the Bloodwood to size at this time. The Walnut pieces will become the longer 6" top and bottom of the project with the Bloodwood making up the shorter 4 1/4" sides.

With the long sticks cut to their final smaller sizes, I used double sided tape ( available at the grocery store ) and taped both of the wide pieces together so that they would not shift during the next step.










It was at this point that I learned that despite my best efforts to make all of the pieces exactly 1/2" thick, somehow one of them was just under that! It was 15/32" :furious::furious: !!!!

Luckily my 8" Freud Dado set (from Home Depot) has 15/32" listed in the chart. So I re-sized all my pieces to match the 15/32" thickness and I was able to stack up blades, chippers, spacers, and shims to get a perfect fitting dado!










Not only did it fit perfectly, but it was surprisingly flat bottomed for a "less than" premium Dado set.










With all of the frame pieces cut to size, I set up the router table to route the grooves into which the face panel will fit. This involved making through dados in the two sides and stopped dados in the top and bottom pieces between the 15/32" dados for the sides.

(Sorry, no picture. I was so overjoyed at the dados fitting the side pieces so nicely, I forgot to take them. My bad :thumbdown

Ayyways, With the tops and sides cut, I took measurements to determine the size for the face panel and after cutting some 1/4" Walnut, I marked the middle of the panel and using a 2 1/2" hole saw at my drill press, I drilled a hole to accept the clock.










Then it was back to the router table to ease the edges of the hole using a 1/8" radius bit.










Finally, time for a dry fit of everything.










Next it was out to the shed for some scroll sawing but, I'll post more on that later.


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

Nice work johnnie! 

And might I say, I envy your workshop. Can't see a lot but what I see looks good. 

I will follow your build, clocks is something I want to branch out into in the not too distant future.

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I'm liking this johnnie. I'm a big fan of clocks. 
Looking good.


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## buggyman1 (Nov 16, 2011)

Clock is looking good, i'm wandering where you're gonna do the scroll sawing on the clock. Looks like we have a lot of the same tools.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

I'm liking this. Where did you get your dust collector? I need to get one.


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## mat 60 (Jul 9, 2012)

Looks good........Im thinking they will be great gifts.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

DaveTTC said:


> Nice work johnnie!
> 
> And might I say, I envy your workshop. Can't see a lot but what I see looks good.
> 
> ...



Thanks Dave. You made me chuckle with your comment about my "shop".

This project is mainly a test piece to try some new techniques and to practice scrolling (something I've only started doing two weeks ago). The large hole is sized for a complete clock that I picked up at Wood Craft. The next ones will be totally different.

The large saws (Radial arm, Miter, table saw with router table attached) live on a screened in car port.









Everything else lives in a 10'x10' shed in the back yard.









All final assembly and detail work gets done on my work table that sits on a small 8'x8' deck in front of the shed.









You might say that my shop takes up the whole yard...... If only I could afford to get a roof big enough to get it all enclosed. The weather has to be near perfect for me to be able to get anything finished. :laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## Boomhower (Jul 11, 2012)

Looks similar to my setup...one day I will have a place to set on the back porch once I get a shop built. Get your neighbor to plant an ivy in that crapper next to his shed:yes:


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

rayking49 said:


> I'm liking this. Where did you get your dust collector? I need to get one.


Thank you Sir.

The dust collector is simply a 30 gallon steel garbage can with a plywood top that I made from some 1/2" Baltic Birch with a cyclone from Oneida that I picked up at Wood Craft. Its connected to a small Rigid (HD) shop vac that is housed under my miter saw stand and activated with a remote switch that I got at Ace Hardware. I actually have two of the cyclones. One on the carport and another out in the shed on a 5 gallon pail connected to a Craftsman shop vac. They make a huge difference in the amount of saw dust that gets into the vacuums. I haven't had to change filters in over a year thanks to these systems and I have not noticed any loss in the suction of the vacuums.


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

DaveTTC said:


> Dave The Turning Cowboy


Sorry, my app on my iPad is playing up.....sometimes I loose my text when I add a picture. That area there was my workshop. I had a retail shop in the Main Street for about a year to sell pens bowls etc that I made I that area. I made a custom mantle piece one one occasion and my workshop sprawled onto the lawn. 

My workshop has been reposed and relegated for storage. 

On another occasion it traversed space and time as he came to be on my wife's kitchen bench. I had an antique wash stand to strip and refinish. I think she wanted to make me traverse space and time to the local cemetery lol

My lathe bed got a bit rusty out there as the tarp would blow off and there was a leak in the roof. I had a bucket to collect any condensation from the in wall air conditioner. 

Anyway looking forward to following your clock build. Last thing I remember you making was a display for war medals if my memory serves me correctly.

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

*Are we ready for some Scroll Sawing?*

I tried to get into the scrolling yesterday, but simply did not manage to get anything done. Every time I tried I could not control the saw and either cut through parts of my pattern or the part snapped.

So today I went out and got some different blades but, before going into the actual cutting, let me tell you a little bit about the saw itself. I did not want to spend a lot of money on a really good machine until I figured out if it was something I would actually enjoy. So I picked up a saw at Sears for under $100.00.

It came with set screws in the blade holders and a "T" wrench. :thumbdown: It didn't take me long to realize that I hated that arrangement so I ordered replacements from McMaster Carr (PN 92581A430). These are solid steel thumb screws in metric size M6-1.

I put one in the top holder:









and another in the lower holder:









These screws make blade changes a snap! No more bending double to see the lower set screw only to have the wrench slip before tightening the blade. And no worries about over torquing a plastic knob and making it useless.

You can see the metal side plate removed from the saw in the second photo. It served no real function so I left it off and now I can reach the lower blade holder easily. I'm sure the designers figured it would prevent some idiot from getting their fingers near the moving parts. All it was doing was making it difficult to get to the lower blade holder.

The last improvement to the saw is a deadman foot pedal.









I also learned that the material hold down foot was in the way more than a useful part, so I removed that as well.

I'm planning one more change. I'll be replacing the saw dust blower with an air pump from a 100 gallon fish tank in the hopes of getting better cleaning of the saw dust from the pattern as I cut.


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## Ted Tolstad (Feb 20, 2011)

I'm in on this one....clocks are always fun and interesting...


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

*Now back to the project!*

I wish I could tell you that everything went perfectly on the first try, but alas, I'd be a bigger liar than all the politicians who ever lived if I did. This scroll sawing aint easy. It takes a steady hand and lots of patients.

Since I want matching fret work on the face of my clock project, I first taped together two pieces of 3/16" cherry and affixed my pattern with spray adhesive.









You may wonder why I wrapped the entire piece of cherry in tape before affixing the pattern. That's simple, the only spray adhesive I have on hand at the moment does not come off without solvent and my pieces are too fragile to be putting a lot of force into scraping away adhesive.

I then drilled four holes in each of the two sides at the drill press. These holes will allow me to thread the blade into the cut outs.

Using a #2 spiral blade, I cut around the central designs and then switched blades to a #2 reverse blade to finish off the cut outs.









Sounds easy.. right? WRONG! It took 4 tries yesterday and another three tries today for a total of over 6 hours to reach this point,









only to have that stinking 15/32's material thickness come back to haunt me as the fret pieces were too small to fit properly between the sides!

So rather than have the day be a total loss, I decided to do some glue up.

Remember that I began by milling a Roman Ogee along one edge and then ripping it away from the material that would become the top and bottom pieces of my clock. 

First I applied painter's tape to act as a hinge and hold the machined piece and the straight piece with the dados cut in it.










With the tape in place, I applied glue to the parts, folded them over onto each other and taped them in place to dry.









By this time I had to go inside because of rain. Of course it only lasted about 5 minutes, but I was too frustrated to try any more scroll sawing today. Perhaps tomorrow when I return from a VA appointment.


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

Still following. Maybe I'll learn a thing or two about scroll saws too. I need one of them.

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Not a very productive day today. It took a lot longer than I expected at the VA. By the time I got home, I only managed to finish a little scrolling, do some sanding, and try another dry fit of everything.










I'm still not happy with the scroll work even though this is the best one yet. If the weather continues to behave, I'll have another go at scroll sawing something I can live with.

Since the main frame for the clock fit together perfectly, I glued up that part and have it clamped for the night.

One thing is for sure. I started this to practice scrolling, and after all the parts I've cut and discarded, I'm getting lots of practice :laughing:.

Dave, I'm honored that you would even consider that I have the knowledge to teach anything about scrolling. While I thank you for that, Kenbo is the man with the most experience and most knowledge. He is the one who I have been turning to when I get stuck on something. His knowledge and willingness to share have been greatly needed to get even this far into this little project.


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

She's looking pretty awesome to me, looking forward to the finished product. 

I ll give you my postal 

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## Itchy Brother (Aug 22, 2008)

Very Cool Johnnie,My only question is "Why is Kenbo still SANE ? Doin a few of these once in a while,instead of the guitar bodies would help me overcome the boredom of doin the same thing everyday,Thanks for the ideas you put in me head.PS. Where are you getting the clockworks from ??


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## Fastback (Sep 2, 2012)

Nice job Johnnie. Looks like it will make a real nice clock when your finished.


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## RJweb (Feb 25, 2011)

It looks great, are you using a pattern or did you design it yourself. I am looking forward to see the final product, keep up the good work.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Itchy Brother said:


> Very Cool Johnnie,My only question is "Why is Kenbo still SANE ? Doin a few of these once in a while,instead of the guitar bodies would help me overcome the boredom of doin the same thing everyday,Thanks for the ideas you put in me head.PS. Where are you getting the clockworks from ??


Kenbo is sane? When did that happen? :laughing::laughing:

This one is getting a complete clock that I picked up at Wood Craft. I have at least two more in my head that I haven't started working yet. Those will have kits that I got a a craft shop.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

RJweb said:


> It looks great, are you using a pattern or did you design it yourself. I am looking forward to see the final product, keep up the good work.


I looked for something that I liked that was IMO simple enough for a beginner and could not find anything I liked. So I fired up my AutoCad program and designed my own pattern. So I guess this is one time when the answer to a question that contains "or" is yes. I'm using a pattern that I designed. :laughing:


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Okay, I don't know how I got dragged into this post, but I'm game. :laughing:
Johnnie, this is looking great my friend. There are those that would say that scrolling is a lesser form of woodworking. I'm sure that after your recent experiences, you will testify to the fact that it take a ton of practice to get any kind of control at all. Scrolling is a skill and you are well on your way to mastering it. The clock looks great my brother. Don't get discouraged because it does take practice. Great mods on the saw and if you need any help or have any questions at all, feel free to ask, whether it be in a PM, email, or through a thread posting. That goes for anyone else too. Need help, just ask. :thumbsup:


And no, I'm nowhere close to being sane. :laughing:


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

My silly little 2 day project is now at 6 days and counting with one more day still to come before the clock is totally done.

I spent yesterday finishing up the modifications to the saw. Its now bolted to a piece of 1/2"MDF, and has a fish tank air pump that replaces the bellows for dust removal at the blade. I also put together a simple switch that powers an outlet that both the saw and the pump are plugged into. The switch is also mounted to the MDF as is the pump. Now when I step on the dead man switch it triggers both the saw and the pump. :thumbsup:

I spent all day today trying to get just that one "perfect" scroll sawn fret. It didn't happen and after 6 tries today alone (not counting all my other tries over the last couple of days. Kenbo is right,, this scroll sawing takes a huge bunch of practice and determination to get right) I began to realize that not only was I not improving, I was getting worse!

So I picked out one of the better fret pairs and after I removed the clock frame from the clamps that held it over night, attached the frets to the face side using gel type CA glue. I used CA glue for this because it dries in just a few seconds, does not need to be clamped, and the gel type does not "weep" into pores in the wood which could mess up the finish.

Once the glue had completely dried (about 10 minutes), I installed a hanger strip to the back side so the clock can be hung on the wall. Using a small needle nosed pliers and a tack hammer makes installing the supplied nails that came with the hanger a breeze. 










I then applied 6 coats of spray lacquer and left things to dry.









I tried to get a good picture tonight, but the flash kept washing out the face. I'm sorry but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the finished piece.

Still to do... find a "N" battery to power the clock and get that final picture for youse guys so you'll believe that this thing is actually a clock. :laughing:


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

johnnie52 said:


> My silly little 2 day project is now at 6 days and counting with one more day still to come before the clock is totally done.
> 
> :laughing:


Now I know why I am Dog Tired. I been basing my sleep pattern around this build. Thinking we were still on day 2 I've only had a nights sleep since you started. 

Seriously but - looking good, ain't far now 

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

That's an awesome looking clock body Johnnie. Can't wait to see it with the clock in it.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Its been a long time coming, but here is the end result (which means that Dave can finally get some sleep :laughing I still need to locate an "N" battery to power the clock so for now its either always lunch time, or bed time.

The clock's body is only 2 1/4" in diameter, but you need a 2 1/2" opening, or very precise slots in three places for the spring levers to fit through. Its the levers that actually hold the clock in place.










and here is the photo we've all been waiting for. Absolute proof that this is indeed a clock.










The scrolled frets are still not perfect, but as test/practice pieces go, they aren't too bad.

The main body of the clock (top, bottom and face) are made from scrap Walnut. The uprights are from scrap Bloodwood, and the frets are made from scraps of Cherry. It has 6 coats of clear lacquer as a finish.

Thanks for following along as I shared some of the process of my journey into scrolling.


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## Better Place (May 23, 2012)

Great looking clock Johnnie! :thumbsup:

Time to add another stolen idea to my "one of these days..." list.


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## HuskerGBR (Sep 18, 2012)

That looks great.


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## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Looks great, well done.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

It is indeed a clock, and a mighty fine looking one too. I like it a whole lot.


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

johnnie52 said:


> Its been a long time coming, but here is the end result (which means that Dave can finally get some sleep :laughing I still need to locate an "N" battery to power the clock so for now its either always lunch time, or bed time.


Sweet looking clock. It looks great. Now does it have an alarm. If so no hurry for the batteries, bed time sounds great to me, for so,e sleep to catch up on 

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

DaveTTC said:


> Sweet looking clock. It looks great. Now does it have an alarm. If so no hurry for the batteries, bed time sounds great to me, for so,e sleep to catch up on
> 
> Dave The Turning Cowboy



No alarm. In fact it runs nice and silent so it doesn't disturb anyone's sleep. :yes:


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

My thanks to all who followed the build and offered encouragement along the way. One never really knows how something is going to turn out when using new techniques. Its always an adventure and always nice when one's peers approve.


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## oleStanman (Jun 12, 2012)

*Looks Great*

Just read the thread and you did a great job. I can attest to the difficulty of scroll work, as I used to build steel rule dies to cut patterns such as puzzles and trim plasic parts and other diecutting. I would concentrate on guiding the 3/4" copper beech plywood through the blade for more than a couple hours at a time, and my eyes would take a couple hours to refocus to distance. Can barely do close work these days that requires closeup focusing. Part of the aging process I guess. Again thanks for nice step by step build..Stan in SW, Mi. soon to head to Lake Placid, Fl. for the winter.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Well Johnnie, that is a beautiful clock. I'm sure that you feel a great sense of accomplishment, knowing how much work you put into learning the scrolling aspect of it. You definitely have a knack for it and I would keep it up if I were you. The fact that this clock is made from a bunch of scraps makes it all the more special. Waste not want not. Congratulations on a job well done. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you have to offer in the scrolling category. Again, if you have any questions at all, feel free to ask. I'd be more than happy to help you out but by the looks of this project, you're practically a pro now. :thumbsup:
Great work my friend.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Kenbo, I learned pretty much all I could from the videos that you posted, so I need to thank you for all your help even though you had no idea you were helping me personally when you posted the videos. :icon_smile:

I've got a couple more clocks to design and build soon. Both will have scroll work and while I probably will not do another build thread, I'll surely post the finished pieces.


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

found it ... it did get finished  

Just could not remember

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

DaveTTC said:


> found it ... it did get finished
> 
> Just could not remember
> 
> Dave The Turning Cowboy



Yep. and the Doc I gave it to still has it and it keeps perfect time. :thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

The clock looks great. Your scrolled adornments really added a nice touch to it. Well done.


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## Itchy Brother (Aug 22, 2008)

Nice work Johnnie:thumbsup:


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## Sorrowful Jones (Nov 28, 2010)

That is a great looking clock. I am now officially inspired.


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## Carvel Loafer (Dec 31, 2011)

Such talent, I never noticed this thread until now. Real nice.


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