Incomplete Cubes Clock

Instructions

This is a fairly simple cutting job, made a bit more complicated with the addition of a detailed epoxy fill on top of the engraved cubes. Follow my process below, or do it your own way! Step 1: Cut the clock with Shaper Origin This project follows a typical process for double-sided work. I gridded and aligned the rear features (keyhole and clock mechanism pocket) off of one corner of the square stock, then flipped my workpiece and re-gridded off the same corner to align the front features and cut out the circle. A few notes on cutting depth: - The depth of your clock mechanism pocket will depend on the thickness of your material and the length of the mechanism's stem. The mechanism I used was 5/8" thick with a 7/16" stem for 3/8" clock faces, so it fit perfectly in a 5/8" deep pocket in 1" thick material. A 5/8" thick movement made for a 1/4" face, for example, would require 1/8" thinner material or 1/8" deeper of a pocket. - The depth of your engraving will define the width of the epoxy fill. I did a few test cuts and liked .03" depth here. Step 2: Epoxy fill your engraving This was my first ever epoxy fill and I learned a lot! One key thing to get right is sealing your workpiece from the colored epoxy. If you don't, the color will bleed into the wood grain and no amount of sanding will fix it. I followed the process shown in Shaper Session #0032 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3CWotOu4g0). One note here is to use way more shellac than you might think you need - my first attempt used one coat and I got a lot of bleed. My second attempt used four coats. It still had a little bleed, but it's pretty good! Another tip is to use powdered pigments, which bleed a bit less than the liquid pigment I originally used. For accuracy, I used a syringe (https://www.mcmaster.com/7510A42/) and applicator needle (https://www.mcmaster.com/75165A683/) to fill my engraving. The epoxy's meniscus should be above the surface of the engraving so you can sand it down flush. Step 3: Sand and finish Two things to sand here: sand down your overflow epoxy, and sand the clock for finishing. I brought it up to 180 grit, wiped the clock with a damp towel to raise the grain, then sanded one more time at 180. For finish, I used Osmo Polyx 3043. Step 4: Assemble All that's left is to put it together! I used clock parts from Bear Woods Supply (www.bearwood.com), specifically part #Q-18-CS, a silent movement (https://www.bearwood.com/continuous-sweep-clock-movements-q18.html); QH-962, simple clock hands (https://www.bearwood.com/product6129.html); and Q-CAPBLK, a black end cap to match the hands (https://www.bearwood.com/product6576.html).