plans for a clock??

[markgum]

I obtained a slab of carob for a wall clock. I have searched the internet and so far have not found any plans.
The slab is 17" x 21" by 4" thick. Right now it is HEAVY, but it was only cut about a month ago. So maybe when it dries out a little, it won't weigh as much??? I'm thinking to buy some parts (face, movement, maybe pendulm..) for the clock and hang the slab on the wall. However with it being as heavy as it is.. It will need a STRONG wall to hold it.
I have thought about taking it to a lumber mill close to my home and have them trim it 1 1/2" but not sure if that would be wise. I will have access to an easy sander next week in the night school class to smooth it out, but to take enough off to make it easy to handle would eat a few belts of sandpaper.
Has anyone made a clock similar to what I'm trying to do? Any advice?
thanks in advance.

 

[Gary Max]

Slab clocks love to crack apart.

 

[NewLondon88]

Have you thought about hollowing out the back? You could leave the edges alone to
get the thickness you want, and hollow out the rest to 1/4" to save weight.
(and your wall..)

 

[Randy_]

I imagine John will be along shortly with some good suggestions.

 

[CrazyBear]

Does your night class have a planer/thicknesser that will smooth it out and take it down to the thickness you want

That will certainly save on the sander belts

 

[Randy_]

Back in the old days, (before power tools), a craftsman would have thinned that slab with a hand saw. It would have taken a little work and some time; but not really very difficult to do. You could easily get two slabs out of that piece and probably three with a little care.

 

[VisExp]

Could you not get the lumber mill to resaw the piece? At 4" thick you could easily get a clock and a shallow bowl or platter out of it. If your lathe doesn't have the swing to turn a piece that size ask around and I'm sure you could find someone with a bigger lathe who would let you borrow their lathe or who would turn it for you. It would be a shame to waste more than half of the piece by running it through a drum sander.

 

[mickr]

a good inexpensive Japaneze saw would cut that in half fairly easily if you have arms and any strength at all..a japanese saw has great teeth, are sharp out of the box & track very well

 

[Paul in OKC]

Woodcraft and Hobby Lobby places sell clock stuff.

 

[markgum]

thanks for the ideas. I like the idea of using a hand saw that way I can save some of the wood. It has awesome colour to it. Yes, Gary, there is some cracking however, it isn't very deep (at this time). I'm thinking to cover it in a clear expoxy after I get the clock parts mounted. hopefully to prevent it from cracking apart once it is on the wall. Yes, there is a thickness planner in the night class, but it is to small to fit this piece in. I have seen the clock parts at woodcraft, and Klockit and have made some templates to see what it may look like on the piece. Just waiting for it all to 'talk' to me to make things perfect.
Thanks again for the ideas. This place is a wonderful resource.

 

[KenV]

I have done business with Klockkit for several years with good success. Note that the better movements cost more than the ones that are not as successful in reproducing good sound.

That is a pretty wood from samples I have seen and the few I have turned. Shame to not get more usable. Heavy=Wet and Big and thick = likely to check. Thinning the section by resaw will reduce the risk and avoid wasting wood. Wet wood does not sand easily (clogs the sandpaper on my lathe)

Hand resaw is normally done with a frame saw (saw blade is in the center of a frame which provides the tension. But that big a block will take an awsome frame saw. The thickness is a bit thin for the chain saw resaw method unless you are lots better at it than I am.

I have resawed with a long freshly sharpened cross cut saw, but it is slow work.

Is there a chance that the night class location has a 18 inch throat bandsaw??

As suggested, hollowing the back will reduce the weight - and most electronic movements will fit inside a much much thinner section than 4 inches.

 

[markgum]

thanks Ken for the input on Klockkit. There is a band saw at school with an 18" throat, however, I know the instructor will require a jig to bolt the slab to and that would ruin 1/2 of it. I'm thinking as was recommended here to use a Japanese saw and do a LOT of hand work. Sometimes, I get in a hurry and want to use the modern stuff to do the job quickly. However, putting time an effort into a piece for your home should be the way to go.
The wood has orange, browns and tans in it. I have coated the wood with anchor seal to prevent the checking.
thanks.