Skeleton clock

John Ryan

Member
Messages
230
Location
Kirkintilloch, Scotland.
This is a Spalted Birch and Wenge clock I had finished with 3 coats of spray poly but did not like the plastic look or feel of it :(. I rubbed down the poly with oooo steel wool and applied wax over it to give a softer finish.:)

sp skelton clock 2 copy.jpg sp skelton clock 2a copy.jpg

The Wenge is a sink cut out from a kitchen worktop.
the second photo is a bit out of focus.......... will do better :doh:comments and critque welcome.
 
Being honest John, the base doesn't do this absolutely beautiful clock justice. I realize you put a lot of effort into the base, but I feel it distracts from the clock.

I mean no disrespect at all.

Beautiful clock.
 
Thanks for your comment Frank. My son said the base reminded him of a Chinese Junk :dunno: All comments are welcome because how else are we to learn if what we are doing is improving or not. Design is down to individual taste but their is a still the point of does it work or not:dunno::dunno: the comments I have read about my own posts and others does help me with my learning process and it is thanks to the people like yourself that reply to posts that the learning curve is maybe not as high as it was. Thanks. :)
 
Bernie had a good idea to make the base the same wood instead of the contrasting dark wood. However, an even simpler fix to the issue, IMHO, that seems to bother all of us might be to flip the base over. What seems to be bother me anyway is that it looks to be ready to topple over. We don't want things to be "anchored into the table", but we don't wont them looking like there just about to fall over either. Maybe lighten it up weight wise and flip it over on the next one. This clock is a fine piece and you did a great job on it. And like you said, design is an individual thing up to a point. There are some universal design flaws that we all make though and we can help each other with some of them when they begin to be obvious. I hope this makes sense and is helpful for the next wonderful clock that you make.
 
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John,

Great looking clock. Well done. I tend to like the base. To me it works having the contrasting woods. Just my .02 cents worth.

Regards,
 
Very nice work, John. This is one you should be proud of. I like it fine as-is, but I also like Doug's suggestion to flip the base over. The contrasting wood colors work for me.
 
There are some universal design flaws that we all make though and we can help each other with some of them when they begin to be obvious. I hope this makes sense and is helpful for the next wonderful clock that you make.


Doug this is what makes this forum so interesting,:thumb: people on it give their opinions good or bad but they also give their thoughts on how to improve and help with design. When doing the clock I had locked the design in my head and did not deviate from it so having other people suggest how to change it may open up new doors in my design process.
Looking at the clock as I am typing this :type: I can see that what people have suggested will work and I will be attempting another clock soon so the suggestions will be tried out to see how it looks.

I would like to thank everyone for their comments, it is good to have people other than family (whose comments are nearly always good ;)) to look at and critique the work done Thank You. :):)
 
John, may I ask where you purchased the Skeleton clock works?
Frank the clock was purchased from Meantime Design in the UK this is a link to their web site Meantime Design Ltd. I have asked for Tony in Honolulu about the delivery and it is fairly expensive to post over. If five or more are bought there is a discount so if some other people were interested this may be a way to go:dunno:. John from the company also told me that Craft Supplies had approached them when they did shows in the US but so far no more has happened :dunno::huh: It is a nice clock to work with and lends itself to both mantle and wall. If I can be of any more help let me know.:):)

p.s. I have no connection to the company other than as a customer and I have been impressed with their service
 
Thank you very much for the information John. I'll look at their site.

I like the clean look of the clockworks and the fact it can stand apart from the frame.

Last night as I was falling asleep I though one might be able to work with a suitable sized blank attached with a faceplate and turn and part the outside of the blank (like a donut) and turn and use the inside for a base. I'm not sure (being a new turner) if you can part a piece that large.

Does any of that make sense?
 
Thank you very much for the information John. I'll look at their site.

I like the clean look of the clockworks and the fact it can stand apart from the frame.

Last night as I was falling asleep I though one might be able to work with a suitable sized blank attached with a faceplate and turn and part the outside of the blank (like a donut) and turn and use the inside for a base. I'm not sure (being a new turner) if you can part a piece that large.

Does any of that make sense?
So other people do that to I thought I was going deeper into the abyss :laugh2:
Most of my ideas come at that time of night:doh: sure plays havoc with the sleep pattern :D:D
Yes you would be able to do that but it is better if you part from both sides. I do mine two ways now between centres and putting tenons on both sides of the blank. Both these ways allow you to work both sides and you can complete the sizing and turning, you are then left with a 5ins x 2ins blank out of a 8ins x 2ins blank this could be used to make the base, mine become small bowls. Hope this is of some help:):)
 
Nice Clock

I like the clock mostly. You have some good ideas from others so I thought I'd add mine. I am curious how it would look if the base was upside down from the current orientaion. If the clock sat on the narrower part the "legs" would lift the clock a bit and add some stability. If I knew how to use Photoshop I could show you what I mean.:eek:
 
...Most of my ideas come at that time of night, sure plays havoc with the sleep pattern...

Good explanation John, thank you. I was thinking with the left over (center) piece one could make an inverted dome with a slot for the clock. I think my 'issue' with the base is it looks like an afterthought while realizing of course it isn't. Butcher block is butcher block, even with lipstick on it it doesn't change.

By the way I followed your link to the store (several UK dealers sell it) and, as you said it would be expensive, £42.99 or US$76.26. Not sure if it is worth that much, but, as with yours, it sure is nice.
 
I like the clock mostly. You have some good ideas from others so I thought I'd add mine. I am curious how it would look if the base was upside down from the current orientaion. If the clock sat on the narrower part the "legs" would lift the clock a bit and add some stability. If I knew how to use Photoshop I could show you what I mean.:eek:

Don I know what you mean and I will be trying out a few ideas with the next one. :thumb: Thank you for your comments.:)

Frank the piece of Wenge was cheap it cost nothing and I liked the idea of the contrast in the woods also doing a wee bit for recycling.
Thank you for your input. :thumb::)
 
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