Clock making for the penniless?

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

Hello all.

I'd like to make a start in clock making and repairing as a hobby, but I don't own a lathe.. Well I have a basic 'Adept' in good condition with a 4 jaw chuck, and an old set of turns, without the mandrels… so it doesn't amount to much.

Is it possible to do anything with this gear besides sell it and use the cash to go towards a secondhand watchmakers lathe? I did have an amount built up but this has had to go on car repairs.

I have a room at my disposal and a bench, with good lighting and a small but growing selection of hand tools, with a small metal tool box, but I'd like to make a start on something, despite my limitations.

I have an interest in various types of escapement, and I have a few books on watch and clock repairs. That's it so far.

My other interests are model railways and free flight model aircraft, both rubber powered and using small diesel and glow engines. Old fashioned hobbies really.

Any advice gratefully received.

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

Hello RevStew, is that The Reverend Stewart?

Although a lifelong model engineer, I always fancied making a clock, something simple so I chose to make "An English Regulator Clock" by John Wilding F.B.H.I.

This can be made on a basic lathe and needs some simple tools to be made such as a depthing tool.

He has various clock design available in booklet form so you may find something that appeals.

All the best,

Brian

[Fowlers FuryParticipant @fowlersfury]

We all started out with enthusiasm but limited resources !
Two suggestions which got me started and proved worthwhile though maybe you've already tried them:-
(1) Join a local M.E. society that has a workshop and get chatting to members with clock interests.
(2) Though you'll have to wait until September, sign up for evening class at a school or college involving workshop use.
The lathes etc may have been abused but they'll enable you to become familiar with machine tools if you begin with a project such as a simple oscillating engine. You'd not be short of advice & guidance.

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

RevStew. As regards your turns, for a bow resort to your local fishing tackle shop and have a look at quiver tips as used for ledgering pick one about 12 – 15 inches long. Go to your local stables and and have a word with the stable girls, to get hold of some tail hair preferably off a stallion. Job sorted. Also remember that the original clocks were made by blacksmiths ( @ 1650 – 1700 ) and a blacksmith never measured anything. He made one part fit the next. It can be done though you may struggle with wheels. You can always rob old clocks for a start. I have even made a mantle clock using parts from an old westminster chime clock.  Also feeler gauge fingers 0.005" down are good for suspension springs

Good luck

Roy

Edited By roy entwistle on 02/07/2018 22:54:43

Edited By roy entwistle on 02/07/2018 23:02:07

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

The adept lathe is small, not incapable so well suited for clocks and model railways which really was it's original intended market I imagine when everyone had fewer resources. Wooden clocks can be made with just a fretsaw so you are ahead of the game.

Look up "John Wilding Weight driven brass alarm clock" which is a beginners clock that in fact started as an egg timer in even simpler form. I think it was serialised about 30 years ago in EIM if not ME and built on a Unimat which is about the same size as an Adept. A variation of it called Dark Lady was also the subject of a thread on a well known website
**LINK**

[brickyParticipant @bricky]

I read a book on making a regulater clock by J, Wilding and decided to have a go.No tools,so I had the local blacksmith drill two pieces of flat bar two for threaded rod at the bottom and one for the centres and I now had a turns.As I didn't have any means of cutting the teeth I designed the wheels to use a needle file to cut them.I set out the wheels on paper and glued this to the wheel blanks I sawed all the teeth to depth and then filed to width and topped them same with the pinions.The arbours I made in the turns.The pendulem rod was made from deal the weight and bob from lead poured into a plaster mould.This clock was finished in 1978 and to my astonishment ran first time it was crude but kept time to less than a minute a week.You don't have to be super accurate for a clock to work so have a go.I aquired a lathe afterwards and made a reifler regulater ,and this formed my love affair with model engineering so don't be put off by lack of tools at first.I thank J,Wilding for this.

Frank

[john carruthersParticipant @johncarruthers46255]

My first foray into clock making was the Dark Lady project covered in the 'Clocks' forum.
Mine was made from scrap mostly with just a few materials bought as I went along.

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

How about this one: **LINK**

Wheels and pinions are available ready cut but it might be worth making a dividing attachment for your lathe to cut them yourself.

Russell

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Deleted dual post

Edited By Russell Eberhardt on 03/07/2018 09:20:32

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

Gents.

Your replies to my question have been most kind and encouraging. I was initially inspired by reading through my collection of model engineer magazines from the 40's when people had a go with very little, often on the kitchen table while on 'fire-watch' or other war duties. Some of the things they turned out were amazing.

I have built a sturdy bench, fitted a genuine anglepoise light I got from a skip, and my Adept, the non 'super' type, is in good condition, and is unmodified. The 4 jaw chuck was a bonus, and it has little wear. The Adept also has a spare mandrel with a little jacobs chuck on a morse taper. I would like a modern chuck or a collet chuck, but beggars can't be choosers. It spins, and it's all I've got.

I was going to purchase a Sherline or a Taig, but car repairs on my ageing Golf kicked in, and before I knew it I was in Sieg CO territory, and then I needed 4 tyres, so with a heavy heart I dusted off the Adept, which was at that point an ornament.

There was a chap in one of my ME magazines that turned an Adept into a horological standard lathe, but he had more mechanical skills than me.

I have a difficult job, so the idea of spending an hour or so on an evening at my bench constructing something that will last and give pleasure is very appealing. So poverty clock making it shall be. I had ideas of constructing a 'simple' diesel engine for one of my free flight models, but I will put that on hold until I can afford a good lathe.

Can anyone suggest a list of some hand tools that might be worth finding? Or is there anything I can make or get for my lathe that would be useful? I still don't know if I would be better selling the Adept and putting the money towards a Sieg CO. It would at least have a lead screw and cross slide etc.

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

Well, some funds have become available for lathe purchase once again. The Adept is sold, and once more thoughts turn to clocks and other projects. Seriously looking at a new Chinese mini lathe, but wondering if it would be the best thing for clock making? It has the ability to handle heavier projects, which I also have an interest in, but I also have the offer of an Emco Unimat 3 for about half the money, which is smaller of course. Penny for your thoughts?

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by RevStew on 10/08/2018 19:33:45:

Well, some funds have become available for lathe purchase once again. The Adept is sold, and once more thoughts turn to clocks and other projects. Seriously looking at a new Chinese mini lathe, but wondering if it would be the best thing for clock making? It has the ability to handle heavier projects, which I also have an interest in, but I also have the offer of an Emco Unimat 3 for about half the money, which is smaller of course. Penny for your thoughts?

If the condition is good, and there's a good selection of accessories with it, the Emco Unimat 3 is a nice little machine. I had one for 20 years; never did any clocks, but my first engine – a Stuart 10V – was done on it and worked immediately.

But it's out of production now, and although there's some interchangeability with the Sieg C0, the full range of attachments and accessories aren't all there for the Sieg, and their availability for the Emco is probably only going to decline. So I'd think carefully unless it's well equipped for what you need.

Edited By Mick B1 on 10/08/2018 19:45:44

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

There's the C1 too, which is a bit more portable. I don't see it advertised very much though. There's also the Peatol, but I think it may be a little on the small side, although I hear it's capable of work that belies it's size.

I need something that is capable of making the tooling to make the clock, if you know what I mean. I'm after something that will last me until retirement. I'm 44 now, so that's a good 20 years, possibly less if I can sort it. Once retired my intention is to get a bigger machine and make a live steam locomotive. That's the pipe dream anyway. It gets me through the working day…

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Bazyle on 02/07/2018 23:02:33:

The adept lathe is small, not incapable so well suited for clocks and model railways which really was it's original intended market I imagine when everyone had fewer resources. Wooden clocks can be made with just a fretsaw so you are ahead of the game.

Look up "John Wilding Weight driven brass alarm clock" which is a beginners clock that in fact started as an egg timer in even simpler form. I think it was serialised about 30 years ago in EIM if not ME and built on a Unimat which is about the same size as an Adept. A variation of it called Dark Lady was also the subject of a thread on a well known website
**LINK**

It was ME, first egg timer, then clock.

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

Oddly enough I stumbled across the 'Dark Lady' thread earlier on this evening. Nice design. Very tempting. I like it.

[Steve CrowParticipant @stevecrow46066]

I bought a Sherline lathe a few months ago. Hugely impressed by its capabilties and flexibility.

All I've done since is make more accessories and attachments for it. I've added an indexing attachment and adapted a vertical slide to fit.

The other thing I like about the Sherline is it is part of a system so you can add to it as the wallet allows.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

RevStew, Adept and Super Adept register, Find it in the manual machine section section, come and join the select few.

Ian S C

[Old ElanParticipant @oldelan]

You could always make a wooden clock. Just so happens I have some plans that are in need of a new home…..

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