Welcome to Brian Law’s wooden clocks
Free plans to help you build a wooden clock. The plans on this site are those of clocks designed by myself over the last few years. At present there are eight sets of plans available, and it is intended to add to them as new designs become available.
Each clock design is illustrated with a series of rendered images, and a set of drawings, drawn to scale and presented as PDF files. The earlier clocks were originally drawn to scale so that the prints could be attached directly to the timber and a band saw or scroll saw used to cut around the profiles. Now it is more common to use some form of CNC machining to produce the gear profiles, so the DXF files for the clocks are now available and in some cases the 3D model files as well. These enable the clock builder to not only simplify the construction but also to increase the accuracy.
The original clocks are still available for free but as the new clocks appear I will make a small charge for the files.
The site has undergone a complete overhaul for its 10th anniversary, to try to get it cleaned up a bit and make it easier for you to find your way around and for me to update it more quickly. I hope to be adding new clocks on a more regular basis now that I have more time to devote to it. There are three projects on the horizon plus thoughts on an off shoot to the site that opens up the opportunity for me to work on a wider range of mechanisms that can be equally rewarding for the those who enjoy this type of project.
I hope you find your visit to the site rewarding and if you have any comments or suggestions please contact me.
DXF files available
If you require the DXF files for any of the clocks on the site then go to the page for the clock that you require where you will find the DXF files listed along with model files for the newer clocks. The files can be used either to produce Gcode so that you can machine the profiles on CNC machine or it can be used for your own design projects.
Free DXF files
If you want to try a sample of the DXF files for a test on your CNC machine then this small assembly is ideal. It has 2 gears mounted onto a base strip with the centre positions set so that the gears mesh correctly. The file has some dimensions in dual metric and imperial formats so as to allow you to check the correct import into your system. The holes and pins are Ø6 mm but can be drilled out to 1/4” if you are working in imperial.
The sample is of course free, simply click on the image to download.
To read the PDF files you will need Adobe Acrobat reader so click on the image below to install it on your computer.
Special offer
Three of the clocks 3,7 and 8 on the site are all built from the bottom up in inches, so if you have trouble with metric these are the clocks to go for. I have bundled the plans and the DXF files for these together and I am offering them for $20.
Another New Project Added December 2011
You will get both 2D and 3D data if you purchase the files for this clock.
New Project Added February 2012
DXF files and drawings available to allow you to build these mechanisms for your own projects.
Grasshopper Escapement.
Video now available here
Video of Grasshopper prototype.
Video of Grasshopper 1- Stop Motion
Video of Grasshopper 2- Stop Motion
I have introduced a collection of gears, so that you can use them for your own projects
There are 30 gears in the collection. They are all developed from the tooth profiles used to run the Woodenclocks, so for slow running applications like Automata they are ideal.
This is the most compact clock I have designed with a short pendulum having a period of oscillation of 1 second, that is a ½ second swing in each direction. This required an extra set of gears in the train, to achieve the correct ratio for the escapement.
The unit is hung on the wall by a special hanging bracket that allows the clock to be easily mounted.
The front of the clock has a door to which the dial is fitted, this can be opened
to better view the internal mechanism.
This clock requires that the case be turned on a lathe or machined in 3D, so could be more difficult to build for those who don’t have the equipment. To help with this I have included the 3D data in with the drawings and the DXF files.
The clock was designed in metric units but is dimensioned in both metric and imperial. Click on the image to go to the Clock 9 page.
I have created a new web site called Leonardo da vinci models
To carry a new range of plans and files devoted to the mechanisms devised by Leonardo da Vinci. There is one model on the site at present, it is a cannon called a Spingarde designed by Leonardo, and it brings together several features used in cannon at the time, but never in one device.
It requires standard model making skills to produce and you should be able to complete the build in a shorter timescale than some of the clocks on these pages.
Do go to the new site and have a look around and please let me know if you find it interesting and what other Leonardo inventions you would like to see there.
Clock 3 has been missing from the site for some years now, and it is only now that I have been able to complete it and put it on the site
Clock 3 was designed to be a replica of a typical 15 th century Verge and Foliot clock, but it never got finished and was replaced with the more ornate design for Clock 4. I have resurrected it here with some small refinements, it is a much simpler design than the others on the site.
This clock using the verge and Foliot was never very accurate, hence the use of only the hour hand. It wasn’t until the introduction of the pendulum that accuracy was improved, in fact many original clocks were modified with a pendulum to improve the accuracy, so very few examples remain.
The clocks movement is controlled by the oscillation of the Foliot backwards and forwards controlling the the release of the escape wheel as the paddles on the verge move into and out of engagement with the pins on the escape wheel.
Accuracy is poor because of number of features that have a bearing on the movement, chief amongst these is the main weight followed closely by the weight and positions of the Foliot weights.
It is a familiar looking design because of its existence over many centuries, so enjoy building your own replica and feeling a connection with craftsmen over the ages.
New videos for clock 12 can be seen here
Video of the completed prototype
Video of the fitting of the spring
Video of the final assembly of the clock
Special offer
Three of the clocks 6,9 and 10 are probably the most challenging to build, so I have bundled the plans and the DXF files for these together and I am offering them for $20. Go to any of the clock pages to find the offer.
Clock 11 is the second new clock this month, and has been designed in response to a number of requests for a simple clock design that could be made by a first time builder.
I have tried to do this here and although the clock is simpler it is still going to take dedication to see it through.
The design is simpler as it only uses 6 gears, by comparison Clock 1 has 12 gears and Clock 7 has 14.
A further change to reduce the number of gears was the introduction of a pull cord that is wound opposite to the weight, so by pulling down on this cord the weight is lifted back up.
I have also tried to reduce the size at the same time so that the largest parts can be fitted onto a small router table. I don’t really know what that minimum size is but the largest piece on this design is 277 mm tall so can be fitted to a piece of A4 paper, or Letter size paper if you live in the US.
Actually the Dial is slightly too large to fit an A4 sheet so you would need to stick two off set copies together to do that.
Last year I introduced Projects for gears , which gave you a selection of gears to use in your own projects, this year it is the turn of mechanisms, There are 6 sizes of Geneva mechanism. An inverted Geneva mechanism, a couple of rotary to linear convertors and a couple of Intermittent motion devices.
These are packaged as DXF and PDF files, along with image files and videos to explain the workings.
I have put an new clock on the site, it is a completely new design, that will stand on a fire place or cupboard, without the need for a hanging weight. It is designed to use a spring to provide the motive force, and has a compact pendulum to swing within the height of the clock. The clock is small designed to fit onto the smaller CNC machines and measures 350 mm (14 inches) tall and 190 mm (7.5 inches) wide.
I have just completed building the prototype, you can see the result on the videos on You Tube shown opposite.
Most of the work has gone into designing and developing the spring drive using a standard spring from clock suppliers.
The prototype has been built using a variety of materials and techniques to reduce friction and ensure that the spring has the power to drive the clock.
Another change from the normal is the inclusion instructions on how to to build the clock, not instructions for making each part, help full instructions for putting the clock together and getting it ticking
I have been asked several time if the clocks could be built using 3D printing techniques, and up until now the answer has always been, not advised, as the parts are really too big and expensive to build that way.
This clock is designed to be built using Stereo lithography.The sections have all been reduced to a basic 1.5mm thickness all over.
The SLA parts have a total calculated volume of 87 cc, and a calculated weight of 104 grams.
There is a minimum of metal parts that are needed for strength and function. These are basically the shafts, bearings and the brass weights.The suspension used to hold the pendulum at its top end can be obtained from any clock parts supplier.
It is shown here with a multi coloured finish but of course you can apply any finish you think is appropriate. The clock is small as shown here on the background of an A4 sheet .
Clock 14 is another compact spring driven wind up mantle clock, unlike Clock 12 this is not a minimalist design but uses a full gear train to drive the hands and has a very open construction to show off all of the gears .It is again quite small standing 316 mm or 12.5 inches tall, and dimensioned in both metric and English.
The clock runs for about 20 hours on a single wind, but as with all the spring drives the accuracy can vary but if its wound every 12 hours it will keep time to within a couple of minutes over the 12 hour run.
The drawings and CNC files are available for download along with renders of the models and instruction for building the clock.
The prototype has now been completed and can be seen in the video on Youtube.
The grasshopper escapement is an unusual, low-friction escapement for pendulum clocks invented by British clockmaker John Harrison around 1722. I have modified the design so that it can be readily cut from flat timber using either a scroll saw or CNC. It is presented as a demonstration piece so that it will function as an escapements, but not connected to the rest of a clocks gearing. You can make it as a demonstration piece or include it into your own clock designs.
It is shown with brass weights embedded in the arms to give you the correct working balance without needing to incorporate any adjustment means.
Two versions of the design are available, a compact conventional arrangement and a more elegant variation.
This is a first for Brian Law’s wooden clocks, as we have one of the clocks featured in the Scrollsaw Woodworking and Crafts magazine.
In the Summer edition patterns for the wooden gear Clock 11 are published along with test cutter Rolf Beuttenmuller description and video of his build of the clock.The patterns have been adapted from the original design of Clock 11 available on this site.
Clock 11 is probably the simplest of my designs as, it requires less gears to be cut, but is still a fully functional timepiece and an excellent introduction to the making of wooden clocks.
The patterns and instructions provided by the magazine are excellent and will be sufficient to enable you to cut out all of the components to build the clock.
For more background on the original and to get the DXF files if you want to build this with your CNC router go to the Clock 11 page.
Clock 15 is the first clock design to use the Grasshopper type escapement . Developed originally by John Harrison as a means of reducing friction in the escapement, it is a more complex and intricate design that require more accuracy in the making, but rewards by being quieter and more interesting to watch. I have tried to reduce the original complexity by removing much of the adjustment used in the original, so if the plans are followed carefully it should work pretty well ‘out the box’.The clock is styled after the Art Nouveau period and as such has flowing natural lines and curves reflecting that of nature.
