My 'Patachronic Clock (Part 1)

It's finally happening. The 'Patachronic Clock is being built. I've spent the day in a workshop courtesy of the ever-helpful Michael Eden. It all started with moving the biggest, heaviest piece of wood commercially available across Stoke Newington in the rain. Moving in 10 meter intervals and running from cars, Dan, Michael and myself managed to walk the 1,000,000 ton piece of wood the three minute journey from the shop to the workshop in about three-quarters of an hour.


After sliding it down a banister and manoevering it around the workshop, we managed to get it on the table, and Michael and Dan were suitably pleased.




Spent most of the afternoon dealing with the fiddly bits, making a cradle for the motor which will ultimately be mounted on the frame (yet to be made) and then making a pillar for the bearing for the large wheel to sit on. All from one amazing piece of wood, which just kept going on and on until it exploded under a circular saw and narrowly missed stealing our eyes on it's way to the ceiling.

The next bit was the most satisfying and also the hardest. Cutting the big wheel, Michael's carpenter housemate suggested using a router. Which is a ridiculously dangerous and massive machine which we had almost no training in whatsoever but plugged right on in and got cutting with. In order to ensure we had a perfect circle of the exact necessary radius, we had to make a jig that would fit the thing.

Then we cut the thing out, which i didn't get any pictures of for some reason. It was pretty awesome though, cutting this perfect circle from a piece of wood. Even if we missed a bit.

And there we have it, one complete wheel. All the fiddly bits done and a pretty clear idea of what to do over the weekend.

I'll have an update over the weekend probably. Should be finished by early next week, one hopes.