Fellow Woodworkers,
I am looking for plans to build:
- a tall dressing mirror (full length sitting on the floor)…I prefer more traditional or period designs, and
- a tall case clock of modern design, i.e. solid body (No tapered waist), glass door and sides, probably one-piece construction.
Hopefully, some one can help. Thanks.
Larry H
Replies
You can Google for designs.
Thanks. I did do that first...actually went beyond Google to other search engines as well. Found very little, and what I found did not appeal to me. Knots was the last on my list to try.
Larry
I just Googled "tall clocks" and got quite a few results for pictures of clocks as well as on the Wood Central website under "Shop Shots". Also, a recent aricle in FWW -- I think by Lonnie Bird -- shows blow-by-blow a reproduction tall clock in two issues. I think Wood Magazine offers plans for at least one, as does Norm Abram in the New Yankee Workshop series. Keep looking if you just want to see some examples, or look for kits; they usually sell just the plans, also (I made one of these). I think Woodcraft is now offerening plans or a kit for a tall clock. Most woodworking magazines have had articles on making these and 'd look in their archives for plans.
Thanks. I'll keep at it...or off to the furniture store to draw and measure. I'm looking for a modern one, i.e. no waist, glass front and sides, big brass lyre, etc. I wasn't aware that the kit folks offer plans. My customer is not the traditional type. We're using wood from his family's farm therefore a complete kit is not possible. I restore period furniture and have done my share of tall case time pieces. I'd much prefer to be building one of these. Otherwise, Lonnie's work would be setting the precedent here. Fine article.
Thanks again,
Larry
Another idea -- if you get a catalog (or, maybe, there's a website) for Howard Miller clocks, they have a line of contemporary clocks (we have a wall clock of theirs) simmilar to what you're describing. Also, there may be a furniture store near you -- as others have suggested -- or, even, a clock store, that would provide an example. We have a "Clock World" owned by Emperor Clocks near us that has all kinds of 'em. Sligh may offer such a design, also.Update -- just looked at sligh.com and saw a couple that might fit your client's idea.
Edited 9/26/2005 10:49 am ET by Jimma
Thanks a bunch. Appreciate your diligence. Vey helpful, indeed.Larry
You're welcome. I'll continue to look around. At one time I was going to design my own contemporary clock using an old-style movement thinking the contrast would be interesting. What I came up with would not have been a difficult project from a woodworking point of view -- just a rectangular case with two glass-and-wood framed doors on the front and glass sides. However, I came across a good deal on a retail clock and just bought it, so the plans got scrapped before I did any detail planning. The biggest decision, design wise, was whether to have a rectangular, flat top or a barrel-shaped one and that depended on whether it was to have a moon dial or not. Howard Miller probably has the best-looking contemporary designs.Incidentally, I just finished a traditional tall clock and had four pieces of beveled glass cut to custom sizes and the glass came to just a little over $200 which was not a special or wholesale price. The top piece had to be custom cut and beveled to fit a barrel-shaped door on the hood. You could avoid this if the front door was one piece for both the waist and the hood (or whatever they're called in a contemporary design).As you can tell, I like clocks.
When I need to get a design for a project for myself I usually get my trusted tape and go to a furniture store. I find a piece a like, make a few measurments, tell the salesman I have to see if the size is right, and go home and make my own. I can customize it all I want, change things I think I would like different. This stuff is not that difficult. A door is a door, a drawer is a drawer. After you make a few pieces you realize there are many similarities in the things we make its just the layout of them that's different.The measurements from the store give me a general idea of what I want and I can draw the piece I want. I use Deltacad to do my drawings. I can make it to fit the space I have for it in my house.
I would never depend on a plan to tell me how long to make a piece of moulding or how wide is a drawer opening. I measure it and then make the piece accordingly.
So what I'm saying is go find what you like, measure it, make a sketch, and then make it.
Great idea. I do this quite often. Was hoping for an easier time of it for these two pieces. The "I have to go home and measure" story works quite well though. Taking a camera (digital, even 35mm) works, too.
We (furniture makers) quite often, do do things that are repetitive. Mostly it is working with different squares and rectangles. The trick is to know how to combine them creatively and add the right accents.
Off to the furniture store.
Plans for Lonnie Bird's Pennsylvania Tall Clock are availalbe in the Fine Woodworking Online Archive.
Part One: https://www.taunton.com/store/FWarchive/FWarch_Conf.asp?PQty=999&AQty=103&ExpireDate=4%2F9%2F2006+9%3A37%3A01+AM
Part Two: http://www.taunton.com/store/FWarchive/FWarch_Conf.asp?PQty=999&AQty=103&ExpireDate=4%2F9%2F2006+9%3A37%3A01+AM
Matt Berger
Taunton New Media
Matt
When I searched the archives using your links, I received this:
Your search for tall clock returned 4 articles.
December 1985Newport-Style Tall Clockby Robert EffingerTackling the tricky details
A period furniture maker describes the reproduction of 18th-century mahogany tall clocks from Newport, R.I., making short work of details and improving construction methods over 18th-century methods. Detailed drawings and photos illustrate the methods.
February 1997Shaker Tall Clockby Robert TreanorThis graceful piece is made with readily available materials and simple techniques
The Shaker clock case, based on an early 19th-century design, can be built with 3/4-in.-thick pine from the lumberyard. Just like the design, case and door joinery is uncomplicated.
December 2001Everyday Cabinet, Anby Scott GibsonStraightforward construction methods for building a case with doors and drawers
This small cabinet can be built quickly and with a minimum of materials and knife-hinge hardware. The sides and back are frame and panel with frame stiles biscuited to the legs, and the rest of the joinery, other than the drawers, is mortised and tenoned. Among its fancy elements are slightly flared feet, which are easy to replicate using a template, and knife-hinge hardware. A large exploded drawing and step-by-step construction sequences of building the various components tell the story.
August 1996Curly Cherry Highboyby Randall O'DonnellFlame finials and carved fans complete this classic
Highboy Part III of III. Laying out and carving the upper and lower drawer fans, the flame finials, scroll-board fan, plinth and finial cap, waist molding, and finish.Shown 1 - 4 Where did you find a tall clock from Lonnie Bird. A search for Pennsylvania Tall Clock turned up nothing.
Thanks.Griff
I don't know what happened to the links I posted, but you're correct, they don't work.
I also don't know why Lonnie Bird's two-part article isn't showing up when you search "clock."
However, if you click on "B" in the Author Index (an option on the menu on the right side of the Archive homepage) and scroll down to the articles by Lonnie Bird, you will find links to both of the article.
Sorry for the run around. I'll get our tech folks looking at this.
Matt Berger
Taunton New Media
No problem. Thanks for the help.Griff
Matt:
Tried to send you a private email (one of the optons when replying) to your first post. It came back as undeliverable - all using Taunton's internal mailing program. Odd.
Email me your address please - maybe using the private reply to this post?
Griff
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