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I can fully appreciate the amount of skill involved here. I'm currently on a journey to make a clock from scratch using traditional clockmaker's methods. I sta

I can fully appreciate the amount of skill involved here. I'm currently on a journey to make a clock from scratch using traditional clockmaker's methods. I started from pretty much zero knowledge of even basic machining, let alone specific clock and watch work. I'm a couple years in now (working in my spare time between work and family obligations), and I can repair most types of issues with clocks and many watches. But I'm not quite tooled up and practiced in making the gears yet. That's the most major stumbling block currently to my ability to make a traditional clock completely from scratch.

pavel_lishin 2y ago
One of my very vague goals is to build a clock, from scratch, without looking anything up. It wouldn't have to look like a wall clock; just something that keeps 24-hour time within reasonable tolerances. (It's been impossible to avoid knowledge of all clockmaking stuff, but I still avoid watching videos on how clocks are made. This is probably going to be something I do once the child is in college!)
- ramses0 2y ago
  If you ever get to go to London... https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/clocks-timekeeping https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/clocks-timekeeping Latitude has a "natural" definition (sphere spins around, how big around are you spinning near the poles vs. the equator?). Longitude has no "natural" definition!? How far away are you from Mount Everest? ...only works when you have a natural sight line to the peak of the mountain... If "high noon" at London is exactly (ummm...) NOW! ...and you go 1000 miles west, how much TIME has passed between your "noon" and London's "noon"? You need a good watch... and how can you determine "high noon" on the pitching deck of a ship at sea? ...maybe not with your typical pendulum clock! It was such a mind-blowing experience to learn that maps (and thus CLOCKS!) were first a military and trade technology! If you have a good clock, you can get a good X-coord in addition to the "free" Y-coord. If you can get good X,Y then you can make a good map. If you have a good map, you can optimize your trade / military routes, etc, etc, etc. Highly worth going a bit out of the way for a visit, was actually one of the highlights of the trip for me.
  - SpicyUme 2y ago
    I had an opportunity to go there when I was a kid with my parents. I understood some of the significance, but I think now the clever details of the designs might be more accessible. This weekend I came across this book while looking for something new to read. It may not be the best exploration of longitude, mapping, and trade as a technology but your comment brought it to mind immediately. You might find it interesting. Tracks on the Ocean - A History of Trailblazing, Maps, and Maritime Travel https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo240066120.html https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo240066...
- hydrogen7800 2y ago
  I did this! I got to the point of building a ticking prototype, and I considered it "cheating" to copy any clock designs. I did use an established escapement design, though. Apparently involute gear tooth profiles aren't appropriate for clocks, but I don't know how to draw the "correct" type. I spent months designing it in solidworks, creating the 3D models and plans. I then cut out the gears from baltic birch plywood with a cheap scroll saw, then sanded all the teeth, which took forever. If I do it again, I'll just have the parts laser cut. About a year later, I bought a kit [0] which was very enjoyable to build, and I saw how my bearing design was wrong. [0]https://wooden-gear-clocks.com/ascentclock https://wooden-gear-clocks.com/ascentclock Edit:for a point of inspiration, check out this guys creations in wood: https://youtu.be/HlJdfKYg6As https://youtu.be/HlJdfKYg6As And his website: https://web.archive.org/web/20061117180507/http://flashpages.prodigy.net/rpirtle/_upages/page2.html https://web.archive.org/web/20061117180507/http://flashpages...
- HPsquared 2y ago
  Extra challenge: no other clocks to use as a time reference.
  - pavel_lishin 2y ago
    I guess I'd have to set up a hollow tube in the backyard, pointing at some position of the sun, to set my clock by. Or a sundial. Come to think of it, I guess the easiest possible "mission accomplished" I could declare is by jamming a stick into the ground on a sunny weekend.
- technothrasher 2y ago
  That seems like a fun challenge for sure. I’m so far down the other road that can’t opt for that, as I’ve been studying other people’s clocks quite extensively. It’s definitely obvious that these days, using modern tools like CNC machines and laser cutters makes clock making much more easy. So you have to find ways to make it more difficult, such as your attempt to do it blind, or my attempt to do it with 19th century methods.
rishikeshs 2y ago
Im interested in something similar. Any good resources you would recommend? Or any communities you found?
- ninalanyon 2y ago
  Somewhere in my house there is a copy of "Make Your Own Working Paper Clock" by James Smith Rudolph. [1] One day when I have stored up enough patience and a table to work on that won't be disturbed for a while I might put it together. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Working-Paper-Clock/dp/0060910666 https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Working-Paper-Clock/dp/0060...

pavel_lishin 2y ago

One of my very vague goals is to build a clock, from scratch, without looking anything up. It wouldn't have to look like a wall clock; just something that keeps 24-hour time within reasonable tolerances. (It's been impossible to avoid knowledge of all clockmaking stuff, but I still avoid watching videos on how clocks are made. This is probably going to be something I do once the child is in college!)

ramses0 2y ago
If you ever get to go to London... https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/clocks-timekeeping https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/clocks-timekeeping Latitude has a "natural" definition (sphere spins around, how big around are you spinning near the poles vs. the equator?). Longitude has no "natural" definition!? How far away are you from Mount Everest? ...only works when you have a natural sight line to the peak of the mountain... If "high noon" at London is exactly (ummm...) NOW! ...and you go 1000 miles west, how much TIME has passed between your "noon" and London's "noon"? You need a good watch... and how can you determine "high noon" on the pitching deck of a ship at sea? ...maybe not with your typical pendulum clock! It was such a mind-blowing experience to learn that maps (and thus CLOCKS!) were first a military and trade technology! If you have a good clock, you can get a good X-coord in addition to the "free" Y-coord. If you can get good X,Y then you can make a good map. If you have a good map, you can optimize your trade / military routes, etc, etc, etc. Highly worth going a bit out of the way for a visit, was actually one of the highlights of the trip for me.
- SpicyUme 2y ago
  I had an opportunity to go there when I was a kid with my parents. I understood some of the significance, but I think now the clever details of the designs might be more accessible. This weekend I came across this book while looking for something new to read. It may not be the best exploration of longitude, mapping, and trade as a technology but your comment brought it to mind immediately. You might find it interesting. Tracks on the Ocean - A History of Trailblazing, Maps, and Maritime Travel https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo240066120.html https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/T/bo240066...
hydrogen7800 2y ago
I did this! I got to the point of building a ticking prototype, and I considered it "cheating" to copy any clock designs. I did use an established escapement design, though. Apparently involute gear tooth profiles aren't appropriate for clocks, but I don't know how to draw the "correct" type. I spent months designing it in solidworks, creating the 3D models and plans. I then cut out the gears from baltic birch plywood with a cheap scroll saw, then sanded all the teeth, which took forever. If I do it again, I'll just have the parts laser cut. About a year later, I bought a kit [0] which was very enjoyable to build, and I saw how my bearing design was wrong. [0]https://wooden-gear-clocks.com/ascentclock https://wooden-gear-clocks.com/ascentclock Edit:for a point of inspiration, check out this guys creations in wood: https://youtu.be/HlJdfKYg6As https://youtu.be/HlJdfKYg6As And his website: https://web.archive.org/web/20061117180507/http://flashpages.prodigy.net/rpirtle/_upages/page2.html https://web.archive.org/web/20061117180507/http://flashpages...
HPsquared 2y ago
Extra challenge: no other clocks to use as a time reference.
- pavel_lishin 2y ago
  I guess I'd have to set up a hollow tube in the backyard, pointing at some position of the sun, to set my clock by. Or a sundial. Come to think of it, I guess the easiest possible "mission accomplished" I could declare is by jamming a stick into the ground on a sunny weekend.
technothrasher 2y ago
That seems like a fun challenge for sure. I’m so far down the other road that can’t opt for that, as I’ve been studying other people’s clocks quite extensively. It’s definitely obvious that these days, using modern tools like CNC machines and laser cutters makes clock making much more easy. So you have to find ways to make it more difficult, such as your attempt to do it blind, or my attempt to do it with 19th century methods.

rishikeshs 2y ago

Im interested in something similar. Any good resources you would recommend? Or any communities you found?

ninalanyon 2y ago
Somewhere in my house there is a copy of "Make Your Own Working Paper Clock" by James Smith Rudolph. [1] One day when I have stored up enough patience and a table to work on that won't be disturbed for a while I might put it together. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Working-Paper-Clock/dp/0060910666 https://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Working-Paper-Clock/dp/0060...