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When You Need a Break from Ships...

Joined
Apr 12, 2025
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When the shipyard starts to become more of a chore than a welcome pass-time... it's definitely time for a well-deserved, temporary change in scenery. Burn out happens to all of us. So, what can one do, that requires the same tools as model ship building, that is very artistic, rewarding, interesting and also sometimes quite challenging? "Wooden Gear Clocks!" That's what! They are great fun to build and will usually require a bit of 'tinkering with' to make them eventually run smoothly and flawlessly. Humid days will slow them down and dry days will speed them up. They will 'never' be as accurate as our modern time pieces, but that's okay. Just reset the hands to the proper time each day or simply wait until Sunday and reset the hands to the ringing of the local 'Church-Bells', like folks actually did it way back when 'sundials' were the equivalent to our modern-day atomic clocks. Nobody cared about minutes and seconds back then. People went to work sometime around sunup, and quit work sometime around sunset. Clocks were very expensive, and most folks didn't even own one.

I have a few of these wooden geared clocks, different builds, in different rooms of the house and I enjoy all of them. They're really fun to build and tinker with while getting them dialed in... and also rather nice-looking pieces after all is said and done. The link below is a video of my 'favorite' clock to date. It has what is called a 'grasshopper-escapement'. It's very silent. The jumping and 'flicking' of the arms of this escapement are mesmerizing and hard to take your eyes off of. If anyone is interested in building any of these things, you can buy kits from one source that I personally know of and DIY plans from several sources. Just Google "Wooden Gear Clocks" and take your pick.

Here's a video of my favorite clock, so far, the one with the 'grasshopper' escapement. It was 5:25pm (thereabouts) when I took this video... Wooden Gear Clock
 
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Like your design, great looking clock. I have an xtool d1 pro laser and have only made the grasshopper escapement part ( brian law clocks) I am hoping to build a full size complete unit but am struggling with what type of wood to use. (12mm thick or so ) what did you use for your project
 
@sleepyfish
I like Brian Law's clocks. I actually have clock #20 gathering dust on the workbench. I'll finish it one of these days. I used a hodge-podge of different woods for the clock in the video. 1/4" thick scraps from other projects. Have you ever looked into Clayton Boyers wooden clocks? I have a lot of his plans. He comes up with really interesting designs. You should give him a look-see.
 
I’ve done some tinkering with marble machines. Waiting for an overdue motor to arrive so I can finish the one I’ve been working on (on and off) since 2015.
 
Hello MThomas

yes from time to time I do think about a sideproject and some days ago I bumped into a car felt in love to...
catalog_18hp_2.jpg

So I do think about starting into new terretory I would like to build this French ultranoble car of 1930. All I could find was this data and some pictures:

Classic-&-Sports-Car-Voisin-Pebble-Beach-03.jpg
VOISIN C20 1930 Coupé

gv214b.jpg
12Cyl. V 72x100mm
4900ccm Sleeve walve
ca.150km/h 115PS
Coach: 2door 2seats
Hight: 1500mm
Wheelbase: 3590mm
Track: 1520mm front 1490mm rear
Length: 5200mm
Tyre: Blockley 812,8×92mm (32x6.75 in)which is the same as Blockley 6.50/7.00x20 tyre (for the standard and lowered chassis).

gv1018 (1).jpg
So let's start and try to catch some more measurements from the data and pictures.
unnamed (10).jpg
unnamed (11).jpg

31_Voisin_C20_DemiBerline_DV-07-BH_08.jpg

And both V12 built dissapeared in history - here some pictures of surviving Voisins looking to astonishing design features of the very late Art Deco:
Screenshot_2025-11-04-07-02-16-063_com.android.chrome-edit.jpg
A very stylish model is this Aerosport
Classic & Sports Car – Exclusive – driving the unique Voisin C27 Aérosport – 05.png
Classic & Sports Car – Exclusive – driving the unique Voisin C27 Aérosport – 14.png
Classic & Sports Car – Exclusive – driving the unique Voisin C27 Aérosport – 13.png
Classic & Sports Car – Exclusive – driving the unique Voisin C27 Aérosport – 01.png
Classic & Sports Car – Exclusive – driving the unique Voisin C27 Aérosport – 02.png

image (15).jpeg
image (16).jpeg
image (24).jpeg
And there is a unique Art Deco design even in such small details as doorhandels:
image (1)_1762231013710.jpeg
Suitcases:

image_1762231013632.jpeg
image (7).jpeg
and so on
images (99).jpeg
images (90).jpeg
Classic-&-Sports-Car-Voisin-Pebble-Beach-06.jpg
...and here it is obvious how deep the passengers were placed:
Voisin C20 Mylord5.jpg



Thank you very much,

CHP

9925d3951b3df9c439ee4317600864d9.jpg

Classic & Sports Car – Exclusive – driving the unique Voisin C27 Aérosport – 05.png

Classic & Sports Car – Exclusive – driving the unique Voisin C27 Aérosport – 13.png
 
Now my C22 V12 is enlarged up to 1/10, there are a dozen of copies:
Polish_20251115_115755783.jpg

and this one became cut down bare to the chassis. The aft part isn't stripped of its' fenders and I also didn't cut Off the exhaust Pipes.

I do not know how much the dashboard could be placed lower:
Polish_20251115_114928702.jpg
 
Okay I made or false!

I took the Chassis for an Aerosport with a streamlined bodywork:
Screenshot_2025-11-15-09-42-36-379_com.android.chrome.jpg
...and thought I could add to it an typical boxy Coupé:
Polish_20251115_191729173.jpg
So I certainly run into some trouble:
Polish_20251115_194455339.jpg
...here the body looked as it was pressed down at the end by a gigant's thumb...
Polish_20251115_194423106.jpg
...than I altered the spare wheels angle (same AS the grill's one) and took a vertical to construct the window's lower edge.

No it is coming slowly into harmony.
Any suggestions are welcome.
 
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