![]() ![]() there are ways to make this a much easier project. Hopefully you will be able to learn a few things from this tutorial that will help make things go smoothly for you. If you want the full blown experience then go for it. Designing and building this clock has been a blast. I'll add to the gallery section of this instructable as I build more.įor anyone who might be interested in building this clock or maybe coming up with their own design I have several suggestions. I'm going to be building more of these clocks and I'm curious how much easier it might be now that the design is done and I'm further along the learning curve. ![]() It's easy to make the bellows and whistle but connecting it to the clock movement and getting it to sound right took quite a bit of adjustment and tinkering. The most challenging part of the build was installing the bellows pushrods and getting the whistles to work. coming up with dimensions for what looked good, how thick should the pieces be, sketching the accent pieces, how am I going to make a certain part, what's the best way to mount this piece, how to do I ensure that it will be easy to work on later when it needs maintenance, etc. Simply figuring out stuff was the most time consuming part even though I had the old clock to use as a guide. BUT there's quite a bit of detailed work that requires very careful attention. It's mostly a simple box with simple joinery. as far as woodworking goes, with the exception of all the fancy scroll saw work, there's nothing exotic here. I'll have to say that this is one of the most challenging projects that I have done and it certainly tested my craftsmanship skills. and I decided that I really wanted to build one from scratch. But the truth is the more I worked on and learned about these clocks the more I became fascinated with them. At least that's what I told myself to rationalize buying the new movement. I wanted to get the old movement working again but I thought if it just won't run I could replace it with a new movement. Along with all the other parts that I had ordered I also decided to purchase one of the movements. I also notice that they sold brand new mechanical cuckoo clock movements that were reasonably priced. I found a place in Massachusetts called Clockworks that had an extensive inventory of cuckoo clock parts. When I first took the clock apart I took stock of what all was there and found that there were several missing or badly deteriorated pieces so I needed to locate a source for parts. It makes me happy and it reminds me of Pops (that's what the grandkids called him). It's silly but I run into the kitchen right before the hour to hear it strike. I was so tickled when I finally got it working! It has been running for several months now and I couldn't be happier with the results (pic 2). I was amazed at how well the movement cleaned up. So I took it apart (pic 1), cleaned and oiled the movement, rebuilt the two whistle bellows, replaced the missing pieces, and fiddled with it for a couple days adjusting things. ![]() For the past 20 years it was simply a keepsake decoration that he hung over his workbench in the garage. I don't know how long it has been since it was in working condition. It returned to his possession when she passed away. He had purchased the clock as a present for his mother while he was stationed in Germany. ![]() Just seemed like a proper tribute to the man I had so much respect and admiration for. wasn't sure what I could do with it but I felt that I needed to get it working somehow. Missing parts, broken pieces, dusty/dirty/tarnished movement, didn't run. I love old mechanical clocks so when they came across the old cuckoo clock they figured I should have it. My wife has two sisters and they went through everything and figured out who wanted what of his stuff. We are done with settling his estate now. Prisoner of war in Korea, fought in Vietnam, Purple Heart, 2 Bronze Stars, and so much more. I recently inherited a 1950s German made cuckoo clock. ![]()
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