Help from the Clockmakers

[Jediscroller]

OK, I have some probably seem like dumb questions to those who do these types of clocks regularly. I'm just about finished with cutting and dry-assembling the Williamsburg Clock. Everything fits ok and all that good stuff. I've read comments on how the pendulum hits the sides of this clock. I made some minor thickness adjustments of the wood but why can't I just buy a movement with an adjustable stick? Second, how are you finishing the insides of these? I'm figuring I can just dunk it in Danish Oil (my finish of choice) which leads me to my third question. Can I install the movement once the clock is fully assembled or do I need the movement installed prior to gluing the back on?
Needless to say,this is my first one of these.
Thanks for any tips you could provide.

Kevin

[lucky788scroller]

First of all, yes, you can buy an adjustable stick, but will the clock look good with a shorter pendulum? Thats up to you to decide. Dunking it in Danish oil is fine too. If you havent got a big enough dunkin tub,or not enough oil to fill a big enough thing to dunk in, you can apply the oil using an inexpensive misting bottle. Just spray the crap out of it from all angles,then let it drip off a while before blowing off the excess and wiping up the extra . As for assembling the "guts" to it, yes, I am pretty sure you can after final assembly. I have not made that clock,but typically you assemble the entire case and finish it prior to movement installation. Good luck with it! Dale

[3_M]

Kevin,

Did you make a door in the back? You need that so you can change the battery also. I agree with Dale about dunking. I did it as follow.
I have a busboy, the once they use to clean dishes from a tables in restaurants. I dipped all the pieces and blowing off the excess and than I hung all the pieces to dry. After I was sure that it was dry I put it together with Arleen's tacky glue. I have some clocks I made over 10 years ago and they are still holding together, like the tall Grandfather clock on my web site.
Mike M

[millwab]

Mike, am I reading this right. You pre-finish all the pieces before assembly? And when you do this, the glue still bonds well enough to assemble the clock? Does any squeeze out damage the finish?

That would sure make life a little easier. The clock I'm finishing now I finished the inside by gluing up 5 sides and masking the 6th so that the glue had unfinished wood to bond to. Then after gluing on the front finished the outside.

Kevin, the point about a door in the back is important. Not only for initial installation, but for maintenance (battery replacement, time adjustment-the daylight savings switch, chime muting, etc). Besides, you don't want to mount the dial/bezel and then have to finish around it. Haven't seen the Williamsburg plan (got scared off about the pendulum fit) but if they didn't allow for access then that's another "oops" in the design.

Bruce

[Blade Man]

Bruce

I have done many types of glue ups over the years and you will get the best bond with a "carpenter type glue" such as "Tite Bond II" and applying it on bare wood. ( Note: Some exotic woods have oils in them you must deal with before glue-up)

Now that same carpenters glue will not bond nearly as well on Pre-finished wood because you have sealed off the wood fibers it holds to.

So if you pre-finish your project the tacky glue will give you a better chance of it staying together. It does not get as hard as the carpenters glue

[William Young (SE BC)]

Hi Kevin;
I don't know if it is my computer or if it just this site that is running slow the last few days. All other sites are coming up fine for me. Of course I am on dial up service so this happens occasionally.
So I didn't reply to your questions here because it is taking me forever to bring up messages . The home page always comes up OK. It is just when I click on the latest topics that I have to sit back and wait three to five minutes.
But you sure got a ton of advice on the WWF site where you posted the same topic so I was glad to see you get lots of help on your important inquiry both here and there...
W.Y.

[3_M]

Hi Bruce,

If you have a little squeeze out, just take a rag and wipe it off. All the clocks you see on my web site are done that way and nobody ever complained at any craft show. Tacky glue sets up fast but still gives you time if you have to move some pieces. Carpenter type glue is OK but it takes a long time to set up. With Tacky glue it just takes a few minites and you can glue the next pieces. I never tried staining and than use carpenter glue. They have told me that it does not work
Glad you got some good advive on an other forum. Just hope that that forum will also mention this forum.
Mike M

[SharonW0111]

I have had to use "Tacky Glue to hold somethings that I didn't want to chance having carpenters glue oose out and spoil the look-- I never had any thing I bonded with tacky glue to give me any trouble at all . I do know that tacky glue will dry completly clear and that is a plus. and it is perminant too.
Sharon

[William Young (SE BC)]

I agree Sharon;
I use Aleene's Tacky glue (brown bottle) for ALL my clock constructions whether it be raw wood to raw wood or if it has been oil stained previous to assembly.
The silver bottle is just as good and has a little faster set up time but for double the price where I live I don't feel it is worth the difference.
One thing I like about using Aleene's glue is that if I happen to make a mistake and glue a piece in upside down (yes, that happens occasionally) , it doesn't matter how long after assembly I notice that mistake because high heat from a hair dryer allows me to soften the glue joint enough to get a thin knife blade between the parts and slide it right down the length of the joint to separate it.
W.Y.