Gravitic-powered Temporal Engine

[crueby]

Okay, not a steam engine - took a break from engine building to spend some time on another hobby, clock movements. This one is an 8-day weight-driven (thats the Gravitic-powered part of the thread title!) pendulum clock I designed, that strikes the hours (and single strike on half hour). All made from leaded brass sheet and steel rod. LOTS of gear teeth to be cut on this one. Entire project done on my Sherline lathe/mill (no cnc). Lots of fun to make, a real devil to adjust and tune the striking control levers.
Now, just need to come up with a way to connect the steam engine to wind it once a week....!

 

[ausdier]

Well done, looks fantastic.

 

[kadora]

I am breathless

 

[canadianhorsepower]

wow awesome workThm:Thm:

 

[wagnmkr]

I consider that a work of art. Very Well Done.

I hope to start a clock this winter and something like that would fit the bill nicely.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[crueby]

Thanks!

If you have not done a clock before, I would definitely recommend starting with one without the strike mechanism - it more than doubles the complexity of the gear train, and makes it much more complicated to tune. A lot of the skills from engines carried over to clocks, plus I learned a lot more about things like hardening/tempering, gear cutting/meshing, and the tapered bearing surfaces that clocks use in the pinions. This was my third clock, first one that I designed. Learned a lot from books, but had to do it to really learn it (like most things!).

Chris

I consider that a work of art. Very Well Done.

I hope to start a clock this winter and something like that would fit the bill nicely.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[lennardhme]

"Now, just need to come up with a way to connect the steam engine to wind it once a week....!"

That should be no problem for one who made such a movement.
Wonderful job !!

 

[Gedeon Spilett]

beautiful, yes conical bearings are not easy to master, so difficult to get the required free movement without too much play...congratulations

 

[crueby]

beautiful, yes conical bearings are not easy to master, so difficult to get the required free movement without too much play...congratulations

Actually the bearings used in these are not conical, but straight. The shoulder next to the bearing surface, where it widens out to the main part of the shaft, is angled back towards the shaft, to reduce the friction when the wider part touches the plate - there is a little slop (end shake) of the shaft between the plates.

 

[John Rus]

Wonderfull work! What's your next project?

Keep it up,
John.

 

[dman]

clock and watch making fascinates me. to think people started doing this so long ago and get everything calibrated is really something. it's really a feat of engineering and craftmanship. do you recommend any good books on the craft?

 

[crueby]

Wonderfull work! What's your next project?

Keep it up,
John.

Not completely decided yet on next engine - think it will be a double or triple marine-style engine. Currently finishing up a wood carving (so many hobbies, so little display space...!)

 

[crueby]

clock and watch making fascinates me. to think people started doing this so long ago and get everything calibrated is really something. it's really a feat of engineering and craftmanship. do you recommend any good books on the craft?

Several that I got a lot out of:
- How To Make a Weight Driven 8-Day Wall Clock, by john wilding (built my first clock from this book)

- Building An American Clock Movement, by Steven G Conover

- Gears And Gear Cutting - Ivan Law

- Clock Design & Construction, by Laurie Penman

Some good websites:
http://lautard.com/clockpla.htm - has lots of tools/plans
http://www.abbeyclock.com/escapement.html -- info on escapements
http://timesavers.com/ -- great parts/tools source

Another great book, not on how-to but history, is Longitude by Dava Sobel, about how John Harrison made the first working clocks usable at sea for finding Longitude. He started out making wooden long-case clocks, some of which are still running today hundreds of years later. His sea clocks are at the Greenwich Museum in England.