Among small articles for household use the clock case is a popular model, and the designs range from the mission style, characterized by straight lines and plain surfaces, up to elaborate attempts at imitating in miniature the old-fashioned tall "grandfather's clock."

While an ordinary alarm clock may be used for the clock proper, the small size nickeled clock, 2¹/₄ inches outside diameter, is more satisfactory and very reliable. It costs about seventy-five cents.

In designing the frame, or case, structural items must be considered first. The clock needs a platform to stand on, there must be a circular opening just large enough for the face to fit, and the structure requires an opening in the back, so that the clock may be wound or removed.

With these facts as a basis, the form can be sketched out.

Fig. 168 shows, perhaps, the simplest style, on the mission order. The design of the front becomes a matter of proportion, and the dimensions given are only suggestions which the young designer can modify to meet his own ideas, keeping in mind that on horizontal members, if there is any difference in size, the upper ones should be the smaller.

Simple as this design appears, if put together by mortise and tenon, with provision made for the panelled front and sides, it will call for fine work. As there is no great question of strength involved, the following method will do for making this case. It will be called heretical by expert woodworkers, but is practicable and easy from the boy's point of view.

Square up a piece of ¹/₄-inch stock 4 inches wide and 13 inches long. Saw out two pieces for the panels 2¹/₂ inches long.

Clamp the front piece to a strip of scrap wood as a backing, and bore a hole for the clock face with an expansive bit. Fasten the front to the end pieces by ³/₄-inch brads, as shown in a. In the same manner nail the top and bottom pieces to the front and ends, making a box of ¹/₄-inch wood, with the back open.

The legs, made ³/₄ inch square with a ¹/₄-inch rabbet cut out as shown at a, may now be glued on and fastened with two 1-inch brads driven in from the ends. The horizontal rails are cut and fitted to the front and ends and glued in position.

If brads are used, they must be set, and the holes filled with putty, coloured to correspond with the wood used. If the legs of the clock are too short to rest on the bottom, add a shelf, or glue on a block of pine thick enough to bring the clock to the proper level.

If the case is made of hard wood, polish it to a dead flat finish. This design, however, gives a splendid opportunity to ornament ends and front with chip carving, for which gum wood will be suitable.

A clock case which can be easily upset is to be avoided, and therefore these long low designs are to be recommended, when the clock is to stand on a mantel, shelf, or bureau. If the clock is to hang on the wall the designs immediately change. The cuckoo clock is a familiar example.

Our boys wrestled with the problem of a wall clock, and their efforts to create something new brought forth considerable mental perspiration. It is always an easy matter to copy something one has seen, but that is not designing.

The result of Harry's efforts is shown in Fig. 169. After drawing the circles with a pair of compasses, the rest of the figure was sketched out free-hand about a centre line.

When it was fairly satisfactory, the two sides of the lower half were equalized and traced for the upper half. It was then measured, and the main dimensions added to the drawing.

This drawing represented only the front. The back, or wall piece, had to be a duplicate of it as far as outline was concerned, and a plain box of ¹/₄-inch wood, to hold the clock, joined these two parts, as in previous models.

This is the order of construction:

Saw out stock for front and back pieces 15 × 4³/₄ × ¹/₄ inches. Draw two centre lines, one the 4-inch way, the other the 15-inch way. At the point where they cross, bore the hole for the clock face, after drawing all the circles with the compasses.

Draw outline, or trace it from original drawing, upon the surface of the wood. Saw out close to outside lines, and finish to lines with spokeshave, chisel and sand-paper block.

Bevel the clock opening ¹/₈ inch with knife, and smooth with sand-paper. The curved lines inside of the outer edge are worked out with a veining tool.

The back piece is made in the same way, but the central opening is bored larger than the front one, to allow the clock to be withdrawn or wound. The square box, joined to these two main pieces by means of cleats, completes the structure. On account of the long overhang of the front beyond the box, two cylindrical supports of the same material as the case can be glued between front and back, to add strength.

Owing to the symmetry of the design, this case can be hung horizontally or vertically according to the wall space it is to occupy. The method of fastening should be a screw eye at the top of the case and screw hook or nail in the wall, as it will be necessary to remove the clock each time it is wound. If placed horizontally two hooks and eyes will be needed, one at each end. Fig. 170 shows another wall design in which the clock forms the centre of the pendulum and rests in a box of hexagon shape. This is made from a strip two inches wide, the pieces cut on a 60-degree mitre box with back saw, each piece 1¹/₄ inches long on the short side.

It will just hold a clock 2¹/₈ inches in its largest diameter. When the face of this clock frame is bored, and the outline finished in the usual way, it is fastened to the hexagonal box by cleats.

In order to do this accurately, turn the face upside down on the bench, place the box in position, and mark with a pencil all around the hexagon. The cleats must be fastened on the back, close up to the pencil line, with glue and brads, so carefully that the brads shall not be long enough to come through to the surface in front. When dry, insert the box between the cleats, and make fast with glue and brads. The long part of the pendulum can be either carved or polished plain. The ³/₈-inch hole bored in the upper part fits over a screw hook, which should project at least an inch from the wall. To have the clock hang perfectly plumb, this hook should project 2³/₈ inches.

Another form of mantel clock is suggested in Fig. 171. It is radically different from the others, and is characterized by a long, low, and massive base cut from a solid piece of wood 1³/₄ inches thick or built up of two ⁷/₈-inch pieces of red gum, black walnut, or mahogany. The outline having been drawn on the planed surface, one must saw as close to the line as possible, and finish the line with chisel, gouge, file, and sand-paper. The circular piece, which is to enclose the clock, is cut from a block of the same material, two inches thick. Draw the two circles, and bore the inner one with an extension bit, unless a turning lathe is available. In that case the circular block can be turned with great accuracy. The outline can be cut with the chisel after being sawed close to the line, and finished in the same way as the base.

Glue this block in position, resting it in the semicircular opening provided in the base, and making it project ¹/₈ or ¹/₄ of an inch beyond the front surface of the base. Polish to a dead, flat finish.

As the clock is to fit snugly into the opening, the legs, and the handle at the top, must be removed.

THE GRANDFATHERS' CLOCK

One of the most interesting problems in clock case designing is a miniature of the tall clock of colonial times, commonly known as the grandfathers' clock. It is a simple and satisfactory form, but it is very important to have good proportions.

The dimensions used by our boys are given in the drawing. (Fig. 172). As in all the other designs, it is based or built up around the ordinary nickel-plated clock, whose outside diameter is 2¹/₄ inches. With a circle of this diameter as a starter, the other sizes work out as given in the drawing.

About the only fault likely to be found with this form is top heaviness, as the clock is some fifteen inches above its base. This can be counteracted by boring a hole in the back, two or three inches above the bottom, and pouring in about a pound of shot or other heavy material.

The method of construction is as follows:

All the material is ¹/₄ inch thick, except the base and mouldings, which require ¹/₂-inch wood. Red gum is very satisfactory, but more expensive woods, such as mahogany, can be used, especially if the front panel, which in full-sized clocks is a door, is to be inlaid.

If gum wood is used, this panel can be decorated with chip carving or simply outlined with a veining tool. If an especially elaborate result is desired, it can be accomplished by a raised panel with moulded edges made of ¹/₄-inch wood, fastened to the front with glue and small brads.

Bill of material:

After getting out the material construct the long box which makes the body of the design. This will be 17¹/₂ inches long, 3 inches wide by 2 inches deep, and the method of putting together is shown at a. This allows only one joint to show on each side, and the back piece may be of cheap material, such as white wood.

The smallest partition, 2¹/₂ × 1¹/₂ × ¹/₄ , of white wood, is inserted in the bottom, pushed up ¹/₈ inch, and fastened with ³/₄-inch brads from the outside. This size of brad will not split ¹/₄-inch gum wood, unless driven in nearer the edge than ¹/₈ inch.

One of the remaining partitions is placed in the upper end, as in a box, one edge flush with the back. The entire back of the case must be in a straight line. The end just inserted will project out in front a quarter of an inch. Place the remaining partition 3¹/₈ inches down from the extreme top of the box. This will bring it to rest against the front, which is only 14¹/₂ inches high.

The compartment for holding the clock is now complete, open front and back.

The base may next be prepared, taking care to have the grain running up and down. The front piece of the base is 4 × 4 × ¹/₂ inches. Side pieces of base are 4 × 2 × ¹/₂ . These three pieces are to be put together with a butt joint, as shown in the bottom view, and fastened with one-inch brads and a little glue. Four ³/₄-inch brads can be used on each of the three sides to hold the base to the box. It is very important that the bottom be perfectly square. It should be tested and, if necessary, squared with a block plane.

The cove moulding for upper and lower parts may now be prepared. Square up one piece of stock 18 inches or 20 × ³/₈ inches square. Draw a quarter circle with a radius of ⁵/₁₆-inch on each end, and remove the wood in this space with a gouge. Finish with sand-paper. This moulding is fitted around the three sides at top of base with a back saw and mitre box. Put it in place with ³/₄-inch brads and glue, and carefully remove any trace of glue that may appear, before it hardens.

The moulding for the upper part cannot be placed until the top is finished.

After squaring up the face, draw the outline directly on the wood. The curves at the top should be first laid out carefully on stiff paper, cut out with scissors, and traced on the wood.

The opening for the clock, 2¹/₄ inches diameter, must be bored first. Either a sharp centre bit or an extension bit should be used. If the latter, an ¹/₈-inch hole must be bored at the centre, otherwise the tapering spur of the extension bit will surely split the thin wood. This is the most delicate operation in the whole process, and the circular opening will need smoothing with a sand-paper block.

Having succeeded in getting a satisfactory opening, the outline is sawed close to the lines with a coping saw and finished with sand-paper.

The supplementary pieces s s, 3¹/₂ × 2¹/₄ × ¹/₄ inches, are next fastened to the sides at the top. They are flush with the top of the box and with the bottom of the face piece just described. It is to these that the front is mainly fastened. Test the bottom edges of these pieces across both the front and back with a try square. Fasten the front to these and to the top of the box with brads, and add the moulding, as shown in drawing. If the front panel is to be carved, that should be done before either the base or the top is put on; and if it is to be inlaid, the front should be increased in thickness to ³/₈ inches, reducing the sides to 1⁵/₈ inches in place of 1³/₄ inches.

After the assembling is finished, set all the brads, and fill the holes with putty, coloured to match the wood. Either an oil or wax finish can be used, but a high polish is not advisable. All lines on the front, which are not edges, can be cut with a veining tool.

Several modifications of this method can be adopted. The front panel may be made a real door, put on with small ornamental hinges. This will increase the work, make it more realistic, but result in little real gain.

The door in large clocks was necessary for getting at the weights and pendulum, but as these parts are missing in our model, the door is not necessary, except possibly for hiding things from burglars. It is the last spot they would be likely to think of as a hiding place for treasures.

As in previous designs, the ring at the top of the clock can be removed, if it prevents fitting into the opening provided.

The drawing shows a curve in the front of the base. It is not essential, but may be cut at any convenient stage of the construction with the coping saw, and sand-papered.

By comparing this design with some real old six-foot clocks, the young designer will see that we have taken some liberties for the purpose of simplifying the work. Highly ornamental tops were sometimes used, with metal and carved ornaments. It is never difficult to make elaborate designs, and the young woodworker can go as far as he likes in that direction. It is, however, sometimes difficult to simplify designs, and this we believe is at present highly desirable.