art deco

Desk Clock
We all have ’em:
wood scraps too little
to be of much use, but
too beautiful to toss out.
Now you can fashion those
exotic or figured castoffs into
a handsome timepiece.

Form the body and wings

1 Cut a 3⁄4ð31⁄4ð3" blank for the body
(A). (We used lacewood and curly
at the indicated mark on the pattern
[Photo A]. Rout the grooves on both sides
of the body.
5 Using a 45° chamfer bit in your
table-mounted router, cut a 1 ⁄16"
chamfer around the front and back
maple for the clock above, and spalted faces of the body (A) [Photo B]. (You’ll
maple and walnut for the one opposite, FIXTURES CONTROL GROOVE CUT use the same setup to chamfer the base
top.) Photocopy the Body Pattern from [C] shortly.) Remove the pattern, and
the WOOD Patterns® insert, and adhere finish-sand the body to 220 grit.
Cut two 1⁄4ð13⁄4ð31⁄4" blanks for the
it to the blank with spray adhesive,
aligning the bottom edge of the pattern
flush with the end of the blank.
6 wings (B). Make two copies of the
Wing Pattern and adhere one to each

2 Using a 13⁄8" Forstner bit in your drill

press, bore a hole 3⁄8" deep in the
body (A) where marked on the pattern.
blank, with the long, straight edge of the
pattern flush with the edge of the blank.
Bandsaw or scrollsaw the wings to shape,

3 Bandsaw or scrollsaw the body (A) to

just outside the pattern lines, then
sand the edges to the lines.
Stopblock
then sand away any saw marks on the
cut edges. Remove the pattern, and fin-
ish-sand the wings to 220 grit.

4 To cut the stopped grooves on the

sides of the body (A), install a 1 ⁄4" Now make the base
Cut a ¾ð21⁄4ð10" blank for the base
straight bit in a table-mounted router.
Adjust the fence to center the bit in the
3 ⁄4" stock. Now set a stopblock so when
A
With a stopblock and feather board in place,
1 (C). Resaw the blank to 5⁄8" thick. (We
used a tablesaw.) Then crosscut the
the body is pushed across the bit, it stops cut a groove in each side of the body (A). blank to 6".
Slide your hand on top of the fence for safety.

74 DP-00602a ©Copyright Meredith Corporation 2008 WOOD magazine November 2008

 ROUT SMALL PARTS SAFELY

Starter pin

Contrasting species
highlight the clock’s
shapely figure. Here
we chose spalted
maple and walnut
for a blond-over- B
brown variation. Use a starter pin and a push pad for safety
when freehand routing the chamfers on the
front and back of the body (A).

1›" hole ›" deep FENCE ENSURES A STRAIGHT

MORTISE

‹" groove
B A ‰" deep

EXPLODED VIEW
B
Mini quartz insert

C
„" chamfers With the base aligned to cut the mortises,
lock the drill-press fence in place, and drill
overlapping holes with a Forstner bit.

C
‹" round-over Cutting Diagram
„" chamfer A
*B *B

‹ x Í" mortises ‹" deep ‡ x 3fi x 12" Lacewood (.33 bd. ft.)

*C

2 Photocopy the Base Pattern and

adhere it, centered, to the blank.
Assemble and finish
1 Apply glue to the grooves in the
‡ x 2‹ x 10" Maple (.21 bd. ft.)
*Plane or resaw to the thicknesses

3 To form the mortises in the base (C)

to receive the wings (B), chuck a ¼"
bit in your drill press. We prefer the flat
body (A), and insert the wings (B). To
hold the parts in position, use masking
tape as a clamp. Next apply glue to the
listed in the Materials List.

Materials List
bottoms produced by a Forstner bit, but a mortises in the base (C), insert the body FINISHED SIZE
Part T W L Matl. Qty.
brad-point bit also will work. Adjust your and wing assembly (A/B) into the base,
A* body 3⁄4" 31⁄4" 23⁄4" C 1
drill-press fence to center the bit over the and clamp.

2 B* wings 1⁄4" 111⁄16" 27⁄8" C 2

marked mortises on the pattern. After the glue dries, apply a clear fin-

4 To make the mortises, drill overlap-

ping holes ¼" deep in the base (C)
where shown on the pattern [Photo C].
ish. (We sprayed on three coats of
aerosol satin lacquer, sanding between
coats with a 320-grit sanding sponge.)
C* base 5⁄8" 2" 51⁄2"
*Parts initially cut oversize. See the instructions.
C 1

3
Use a chisel to clean up the edges and Install the clock movement, put the Materials key: C–choice of contrasting woods, such as
curly maple and lacewood, curly maple and walnut, ash
square the corners of the mortises. clock on your desk, and enjoy watch-
and cherry, or curly maple and ash.
Bandsaw or scrollsaw the base to shape. ing time pass. ¿ Supplies: Spray adhesive.

5 Rout the 1⁄16" chamfer on the bottom

of the base (C) using a starter pin, as
you did earlier. Change to a ¼" round-
Bits: 1⁄4" and 13⁄8" Forstner bits; 45° chamfer, 1⁄4" round-
over, and 1⁄4" straight router bits.

over bit, leave the starter pin in place, Source

Written by Jeff Mertz with Kevin Boyle Mini quartz movement: White Arabic Dial with
and rout the top of the base. Remove the
Project design: Matt Seiler Chrome Bezel no. 15266, from Klockit (800-556-2548,
pattern, and finish-sand to 220 grit. Illustrations: Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson klockit.com).
76 WOOD magazine November 2008
 5fi"

‹ x Í" mortises „" chamfer on

Í" ‹" deep bottom face
2"
C
‹" round-over BASE
FULL-SIZE PATTERN

3‹" 1Ø"

1›" hole „" chamfers B

˛" ›" deep
WING
FULL-SIZE
PATTERN
(2 needed)
2‡"
2Œ"
A
BODY
FULL-SIZE PATTERN
‹" grooves
‰" deep, centered

Œ"
To ensure full-size patterns are correct
size, your printer should be set to print
at 100% (not fit to page). Measure
full-size patterns to verify size.

fi 1"
‹ ‡

OOD Patterns® insert

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