Rescue clock

Gotta love the Incra miter gauge. First try, spot on.
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Thank you - we shall see!
Still not really happy with the octagon. You would think they would make that out of one piece of wood. Instead it looks like it was made from whatever they had in the scrap bin. I just dont think I have the tools to recreate it. I'm going to noodle on it a bit and look at a few other examples to see if I can change it out.

Hey Tom, got any more chocolate? :rolleyes:


Keep in mind, it is a kit. My other passion, muzzle loading firearms, there is an oft stated truism that you can easily take a $1,000.00 kit and turn it into a $200.00 rifle. Your approach, Rennie, much more better. :thumb:
 
Success and a correction

First the success. The octagon went together perfectly, but not without presenting me with a puzzle. I started a little over sized just in case I ran into a problem. That was a good idea. When I fit them together the fist time the miter met in the middle but there was a slight gap on the inside and the outside. Neat trick. I had no idea how I did that.

I adjusted the incra to take off a few thousandths and tried it again. Same problem. Hmmm. The trial cuts on scrap were perfect. Adjust, cut, same problem. Hmmmm. Then the light bulb came on. I was using a different reference face for each of the two ends. On the scrap I just flipped the piece over to cut the opposite end. No problem because the faces were flat and parallel. On the moulding they were not as I had sanded the front to ease some of the profile. There was not a lot of difference, but enough to keep the gap from closing.

So I flipped the miter gauge instead of the workpiece and there it was, a perfect fit.

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Now the correction. I've been ranting about the poor quality of the wood parts for this kit and I wrongly identified it as a KlockIt. It is not. It is a kit from the Emperor Clock Co. They are still in business but no longer offer this kit. In fact, they seem to concentrate their sales in finished goods and only offer a handful of clock kits.... and bird houses.
 
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99% done

The clock is essentially complete. I have adjusted the chimes, installed the pendulum and attached the back. There are two things left to do. One was expected, one a bit of a pain.

The expected item was to get a piece of glass to fit the door. That is on order and I should have it by the end of the week. The unexpected item is a malfunctioning minute hand. It seems that the movement is not necessarily in line with the position of the minute hand shaft. The shaft is squared off and the minute hand has a bushing that mates to it. The idea is that you push the minute hand around several times and then align the hour hand to the number of chimes. The minute hand, if it does not rest on 12 when the chimes are triggered, can be spun on the bushing to achieve alignment. Unfortunately, the bushing in my minute hand is seized. No amount of cajoling or lubrication seems to affect it.

It took several calls to the clock company and a number of pictures of what I have before they decided they have something that might fit. It will be close, the minute hand will be 1/2 inch shorter, but I think other than me no one will know. Hopefully that will arrive before the beginning of next week because on Friday I head to my brothers home to deliver the clock.

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And the final touch...
This is hidden inside the clock.
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I will try to remember to post pictures when it is finally hung, 30 years late, on my brothers wall.
 
That is a beautiful kit save. You did an excellent job on front miters. Now just set the alarm for 30 years for picture taking.
Family should be very proud of your craftmanship.
David
 
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