Santa's Historical Clock

[ttrafton]

It started with one gear. I have a prt 96 with a porter cable router. I wanted to try just a gear and see what I could do. Someone had giving me a stack of 5/8" pressboard. Then another gear. Well then it led into 'what should I make do with the gears?". I build and design for a community Christmas display. I decided that I would make a giant clock and have it a donation point at the display. This is what I came up with. It is all built out of pressboard and just a few pieces in HDU. A company donated a copper roofing for the top. I put a donation box out front explaining how Santa had this clock but did not have time or money to work on it. Please donate to fix the clock. Seems to be working well.

[andyb]

Way cool. I showed my wife and all she could say is "WOW". Very nice. Thanks for sharing.

Andy B.

[gene]

That is awsome. Did you build it in place or move it to its location? . Its looks very heavy . Super job !:eek:

[myxpykalix]

Boy that makes some of our projects look like elementary school....that is fantastic. How long did that take to make?
The only thing i don't like about the first picture is that your chest doesn't seem to be puffed out to the appropriate size. You should be very proud because that is fantastic.

Give us some details on the workings and how you got it to this point. Did you use some program to create the gearing?

[ttrafton]

That is awsome. Did you build it in place or move it to its location? . Its looks very heavy . Super job !:eek:
It has an exterior 3/8" ply with lightweight metal studs in the walls. The interior walls are OSB. They make a great wallpaper texture when painted. Boy does it stink when you paint OSB with latex paint. The roof being copper made it a little top heavy. I added about 300 lbs. of weight in the feet to make it bottom heavy. We pick it up with a forklift and place it in front of a 60 foot Christmas Tree out in one of our parks. We estimate about 400,000 people visit our display in downtown San Jose. Hopefully it will generate enough revenue to keep it going. BTW I only invested about $300 in the whole project. The trim and ply sides were my big cost. All the other stuff was sitting around my shop from donations.

[ttrafton]

Boy that makes some of our projects look like elementary school....that is fantastic. How long did that take to make?
The only thing i don't like about the first picture is that your chest doesn't seem to be puffed out to the appropriate size. You should be very proud because that is fantastic.

Give us some details on the workings and how you got it to this point. Did you use some program to create the gearing?

Thank you for the compliments.

This project took about 3 months to make. I worked on it on and off with some volunteers.

The gears were designed in Rhino 3D. I then exported the dxf files to Artcam for toolpaths. Since my pressboard was only 5/8" thick, I had to make a lot of the gears in layers. I would then glue them up and paint.

I had some HDU sitting around, so I made the screw bolts and one of the gears with that. I utilized Rhino 3D again and then a old copy of MillWizard for the toolpaths.

I don't want to deceive too much but there are a couple of truely metal parts in there. The chain wrapped inside the gears and the bent up spring in the clock.

I then painted all the pressboard with Modern Masters paint utlizing their rust and bronze system.

The outside of the clock is a trompe l'oeils finish of wood grain.

The finishing touch is I added a digital sound system that makes it sound like a huge old clock ticking in a bell tower.

Here is a photo of a close up of the clock while it was sitting on the work bench.

[meatbal80]

That is very impressive. When i see projects like that i wonder how the artist/fabricator comes up with the idea. To be able to envision the final product necessary to produce something like that takes a very unique skill. Keep them coming.

[ttrafton]

That is very impressive. When i see projects like that i wonder how the artist/fabricator comes up with the idea. To be able to envision the final product necessary to produce something like that takes a very unique skill. Keep them coming.

This was the story that I started with and the clock took off from there.
Santa's Historical Clock:
Beginning in 1836, this historical clock was installed in the clock tower located in Swatzenberger, Luzenberg. For over 40 years the clock rang out the hours. In 1876 the clock tower was struck by lightning and the tower partial burned, disabling the clock. The clock remained silent for ten years until it was dismantled and placed in storage by a local watchmaker Geppetto Kringle. In 1914 the first world war started. Fearing war damage the clock was shipped to Mr. Kringle’s brother in upper Finland. Geppetto’s brother Kris was a talented man with his hands. Working on the clock for over two years, he finally was able to put in back in working order. The clock was installed in the bell tower above his work shop and stayed there for 40 years until again if became rusted and unworkable. It being too much for Kris to work on it again, he sent the clock to his friends in San Jose , California. It was his hope and dream that the clock be fixed and put back in working order. Kris Kringle is asking all his friends in San Jose to help to donate to the cause. Your donation will help in the renovation of the clock and all these displays.

This story is mounted on the donation box next to the clock.

[gene]

Tom
You should create a pay pal account for who ever wants to donate to the cause. I am sure it will get some donations..:rolleyes:

[jdervin]

Superb! I love it.

[loriny]

WOW Just when I thought I had designed something interesting I see something like this. You did well.
Lorin

[ttrafton]

Tom
You should create a pay pal account for who ever wants to donate to the cause. I am sure it will get some donations..:rolleyes:

We do have a website. It is www.christmasinthepark.com Thanks for asking.