Watch Display Box

[Burkhardt]

Maybe the wrong forum section because I don't really have a good idea about this project yet but I am rather looking for some suggestions....

So, my son (going to be 27 soon) has started with that expensive hobby of collecting mechanical watches. Not the REALLY super expensive ones but still... one for 800 bucks here or for 1500 bucks there. Oh well, his money, his choice. Not my cup of tea.

But I thought I might just as well get him a nice watch display box for his birthday. Looked around and found tons of stuff on Amazon and eBay. Some look quite nice but apparently mostly cheap Asian particle board and veneer or questionable workmanship. Since I have been into box making a bit lately I think it would be appropriate to do this myself.

Any ideas (e.g. pics) ? I am rather the technical person and not so much into the artist design aspects.

[scottp55]

G. , At a quick glance on Google, I kinda like these 2. But it's probably the wood itself that caught my eye.
Have fun:)

[Regnar]

I have a similar hobby but with digital watches. I can guarantee your son has the perfect way to display his watches in his head. He knows exactly what wood he wants it made of and what requirements the watches need. Ie. Solar, Movement, Darkness.

What I am saying is instead of surprising him with a box he might outgrow, not need or just plan doesn't like why not include him in the design process. If you guys need ideals Pinterest is a wealth of information in designer things like this.

[chiloquinruss]

How about a watch wall hanging. Russ

http://hobby-tronics.lenzus.com/content/21775739/r/s_92838319.jpg

[David Iannone]

I have a similar hobby but with digital watches. I can guarantee your son has the perfect way to display his watches in his head. He knows exactly what wood he wants it made of and what requirements the watches need. Ie. Solar, Movement, Darkness.

What I am saying is instead of surprising him with a box he might outgrow, not need or just plan doesn't like why not include him in the design process. If you guys need ideals Pinterest is a wealth of information in designer things like this.


G.,
He makes a good point here.

Your work in wood speaks for itself. Sounds like a fun father and son project. :)

Dave

[Burkhardt]

Good suggestion guys. I will have some brainstorming session with my son.

One idea that crossed my mind today (while suffering in a boring meeting) was to build a largish planetary gear with six or eight cup shaped planet wheels to store the watches. That way they all can wind with a single central drive and the whole gadget could be shaped like a giant watch itself. I guess I need to do some CAD work now, maybe he likes the idea...

[Burkhardt]

I finally got going with the project. I need to be finished in 3 weeks. And, like most of the time I guess I am going overboard but it is real fun. This is the idea mentioned in the previous post with the watch retainer pods as planetary gears. Not yet fully assembled and not finished, and the stand is still missing. But so far looking good. I used bamboo plywood since it is very stable and machines cleanly, even with thin walls.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3mUkXj9ym4o/VPub1Gj9TeI/AAAAAAAAFk0/kLLqAgYwVpE/w1137-h853-no/DSC02997.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ljwvdpoJ29A/VPubzFuqyJI/AAAAAAAAFks/ZVzmcKNTOrU/w1597-h819-no/DSC02995.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-khet6tcy9Y0/VPub2-BxMEI/AAAAAAAAFk8/GGmYGP4900I/w1000-h853-no/DSC02998.JPG


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=711K7GmbBu0

[David Iannone]

G.
That think is looking wicked cool. Thanks for sharing the photos and video so far.

Dave

[scottp55]

Pretty Neat G. !!:)
NOT a "Beginner" Project. :)
What # iteration is that? OR did you pull a Tesla, and first proto was the final/finished/working product:)
For You, "Overboard" seems "Normal" :)
NICE,
scott

[dmidkiff]

Good job and what Scott said. Looks like Google has your number now:)

[mikeacg]

How did I know this was going to be more than just a simple little box coming from you? Ha ha ha! Amazing! Can't wait to see it as it morphs into the final offering! Thanks for sharing!

Mike

[Burkhardt]

This project started indeed out with the intent of making a simple glass lid box. But when we looked at some Internet images as inspiration we ran into the watch winders and that sparked the idea. So I ordered a timer and a special watch winder motor (spare part) and designed the gadget around that. I also found there are companies selling domed round glass lenses as replacement for wall clocks and bought a 10" diameter one.

I have been through 8 or 10 different iterations on the CAD system and cut a sample set of gears to dial in the proper machining allowance but the complete set of parts is indeed the first iteration. It is definitely not a beginners project and needs a very precise machine because the gear and roller surfaces must be cut with accuracy better than 1/1000" (the total slack/interference in the gear set is 8 times the surface machining tolerance). My machine can barely do that and only when running at 1 in/sec and 1/10" cut depth in two spiral passes. For the final cut I run -1/1000" machining allowance, i.e. a tiny bit undersize. So far it works really well, but I am a bit concerned what may happen when we get a few really humid days. The bamboo is quite stable but it is no metal, after all.

I am planning to make an "invisible hinge" for the lid and hope I am not going to screw up what I did so far.

[mikeacg]

I watched the video and was even more impressed to see it working! Can you share the link to the domed lenses? I'm doing a number of clocks these days and that would be handy! Didn't know they came that big!

Mike

[MogulTx]

You can try Peco GLass in Smithville Texas - for domed glass up to 12" diameter....

I can not vouch for these people. The lady I spoke to over there (years ago now) was a real grouch.... I am sure that it was just that I caught her at a bad moment or something.... I was buying a curved glass for a bow front china cabinet.

[Burkhardt]

........ Can you share the link to the domed lenses? I'm doing a number of clocks these days and that would be handy! Didn't know they came that big! Mike

IIRC bought it there: http://timesavers.com/c-325663-clock-repair-replacement-parts-glass-for-bezels-and-doors-convex-for-bezels.html. They have up to 18 inches diameter convex.

But if you google for "clock glass" you get a bunch of companies who sell that.

[Burkhardt]

Got some more work done tonight: I assembled the stand and cut the grooves for the "invisible hinge". The latter makes me a bit nervous. I have dabbled with that but so far not made a complete functioning version. Oh well, if I screw it up I have more Bamboo plywood to try again. The stand will contain the timer, the gear motor and a 5V cellphone power supply.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qdqo_CaHnVM/VP5poSQ3kZI/AAAAAAAAFlY/3W7ZpnjBxLY/w878-h853-no/DSC02999.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LQGguCmfIgQ/VP5pqHfkdzI/AAAAAAAAFlg/kNPsINtjn-8/w684-h853-no/DSC03000.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZFDPJTD_cvc/VP5psSxTKlI/AAAAAAAAFlo/th3TYM0f7aU/w843-h853-no/DSC03002.JPG

[Burkhardt]

In the spirit of full disclosure....yes I did screw up the "invisible hinge". I left too little wall of the surrounding material and it broke apart in assembly. The good news is that I agreed with myself that it would be O.K. to fix with generous application of CA glue for this piece and my son (the customer) agreed as well. I think invisibility is highly over-rated. I am not Harry Potter, after all. And I learned a lot for the next project.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zh39SFWX6Vc/VQJXmTqFlCI/AAAAAAAAFmU/KawSKzHjrE8/w697-h853-no/DSC03004.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YKXU4c2XK1I/VQJXkcDRnVI/AAAAAAAAFmM/5Eo6mH708Fg/w1092-h853-no/DSC03003.JPG

[mikeacg]

Thanks for the glass ideas! Sorry to hear about the hinge failure but it is still very nice! I am fascinated by the color/texture of the bamboo when you cut it. Might have to play with some slices as a veneer on a project... Thanks for all the pictures!

Mike

[Burkhardt]

....I am fascinated by the color/texture of the bamboo when you cut it. Might have to play with some slices as a veneer on a project...

Bamboo is surely one of my favorite materials. Super nice to cut on the CNC (and with other power tools as well), very hard and dimensionally stable. Not available everywhere and unfortunately quite expensive as plywood (~$220 per 4x8-3/4 sheet in retail quantity). The color of the natural variety is somewhat bland. You can get also heat treated bamboo from caramel to espresso color that is prettier but the darker it is the more it loses mechanical strength. May still be O.K. for most furniture, though.

If you want to make an end grain veneer like a butcher block, you can get single ply sheets, which are basically just bamboo strips stacked and glued vertically or horizontally.

[ssflyer]

Outstanding G.

Something I'm sure your son will be proud to display his watches with! ;)

[genek]

supper nice set up for a watch display.

[Burkhardt]

Thanks Eugene, I am still working on it.

So far I have all outside finished with laquer and buffed satin with steel wool. But I had to modify the watch storage pods. The inside tabs used for the alignment dowels and bolts took as you can see on earlier pictures too much space for watch pillows to fit in and I removed them. Now the rings and bottom of the pods are only glued together with a slim concentric seat. I also covered the pod inside with Rayon flocking for a suede-like texture.

After re-assembly the gears operate with a little more friction than I like and the puny watch winder motor that I bought is too weak. I will modify a bigger RC model metal gear servo for permanent rotation and see if that works better.

[scottp55]

G,
A touch of your Carnauba to reduce friction?
Looks GREAT! :)
scott

[Burkhardt]

...A touch of your Carnauba to reduce friction?...

Scott, that is a brilliant idea. I slathered on a good dab of my car polish carnauba paste and it helped a lot. Still not enough for the small motor but probably a 50% improvement.

While I am waiting for my new motor I installed the glass lens and a blacklight UV LED strip (special customer request to charge the luminescent paint on the watch dial and hands). Looks pretty cool (disclaimer: 3 of the watches in the picture are quartz watches that would not need the winder anyway).
So far not wired up until I know what is needed for the new motor. But 2 pictures with the timer and control switches below.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vsNsf_enAjQ/VQed1l0fpZI/AAAAAAAAFmk/hikY8cW7gOY/w894-h853-no/DSC03012.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-BomSVUpI4Yo/VQed37zOLGI/AAAAAAAAFms/Ox5QtwGANqc/w747-h853-no/DSC03013.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wHRUxQQ4ezk/VQed5-t_6SI/AAAAAAAAFm0/CmgftrVhZJM/w677-h853-no/DSC03015.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YzWHamiyrrM/VQed78L3IHI/AAAAAAAAFm8/aYV9njNan_s/w609-h853-no/DSC03016.JPG

[knight_toolworks]

way cool. but no room for a gold apple watch??

[scottp55]

VERY NEAT G. !!:)
All it needs now is a spiral pattern(or something "Pin Wheely") attached to the center piece:)
Maybe those heavy duty Velcro "Stick ons" or similar?
Glad it worked! WAS thinking hot wax embedded wood, would make great gears.
Didn't even Know they made UV LED's.
scott

[Brady Watson]

Looks real purdy!!! :cool:

Top shelf....thanks for posting. Looks really well done/clever.

-B

[scottp55]

With that blue "Glow" inlay resin, this would be "Trippy" :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JVJsPpg1-8

[Burkhardt]

I am almost done. Kind of. I added a nice carved plaque to the center hub (made from a picture of a very complicated watch movement), see below.
I received the new motor and it is indeed strong enough to turn the planet gears.
Now, the bad news - and I am really p***ed off about that. The gears turn alright but not very smoothly. May have to do with the shape of gear teeth I used. For simplicity and machinability reasons I made the gear tooth ouline just circular, not the usual involute. But that apparently leads to some shuddering movement in certain positions. I tried to help with sanding off the gear tips but that made it only worse.

Oh well and thank god that I don't do this for a living. I am probably going to start over for several parts and work on it until it runs smoothly. May not be finished for my son's birthday but hey, he can use the imperfect version for now.

Since I am a bit frustrated, I worked on some fun stuff writing code for a guilloche pattern generator (see new project....).

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Wh-xSVFgPLQ/VQzT_2KCdgI/AAAAAAAAFnQ/8IrdpU0hnQ4/w1137-h853-no/DSC03017.JPG

[scottp55]

G,
Wonderful work on the coverplate!! MUCH more Apropos.
Are you Sure it won't "break In" Like my Beemer gearbox (took 15,000 miles to smooth out unlike Japanese "snick-snick" out of the box---but don't see Japanese bike having a 1/4,1/2, and Million mile club(on the same Bike) like Bayerische Motoren Werke). HORRIBLY "Clunky" to start out, BUT then got smoother.
Also noting "friction" marks on Wood, Maybe she'll come into it?
Think you've probably seen the wooden clock thread on Vectric Forum, but tossing it in because of the 2 links near the bottom for ideas?
http://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=21944&sid=07b8ef30fb5e4eefd000c7ccea04e539
I'm positive your son will understand, AND is EXTREMELY glad HE'S not doing it :)
Just woke up and can't wait to get a headache Trying to understand your "Generator" :)
Somehow I don't think it's going to take 10,000 protos like TA Edison's light bulb:)
Great Stuff!!!
scott

[Burkhardt]

I tried to break it in for a while with a hand drill at pretty high speed but no improvement. The friction marks are actually wax residue. I could kick myself because I do have Matthias Wandel's gear generator software that creates proper involute gear teeth. But I took the shortcut with scalloped gears since they are easier to machine. The fact that I use the gear flanks to keep the elements in line axially probably does not help as well.

I decided to modify the design with the necessary improvements and use 5 pods instead of 6 which will allow me to increase the pod diameter and have more space for the watches.

[Burkhardt]

Next design iteration (Scott, you were right, when you asked about it earlier).
- 5 bigger pods instead of six, more space for bigger watches
- double gear row to (hopefully) avoid racking of the planet gears
- involute gear shape, but tweaked for machining with an 1/8" bit
- guide rings for axial positioning
I will start cutting wood today...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Xje2jF1Zr_Y/VQ7o19_zPiI/AAAAAAAAFoM/U_xo3vSMyXI/s853-no/5podWinder1.jpg

[Burkhardt]

And here the real new parts. Getting there. The new design runs much smoother, looks like it could do the job. Only need to assemble with back plate and stand and wire everything up.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-C7orK9XMYRs/VSAzYAHuwUI/AAAAAAAAFrQ/3ZnYqbr_Lro/w1240-h853-no/DSC03046.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sPSgtLUCcNw/VSAzZk8bnhI/AAAAAAAAFrg/EL__3SCDrGI/w982-h853-no/DSC03048.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nxNLTTmKer8/VSAzY-gzuuI/AAAAAAAAFrY/cjerEF7Udwo/w860-h853-no/DSC03047.JPG

[tri4sale]

that looks great! You should commercialize those and sell them. You've done the hard part, design and prototyping!

[Burkhardt]

Interesting idea, however.....I think I never mentioned how many hours of preparing, CNC cutting, fitting, hardware tweaking, finishing and assembly are in that thing :rolleyes:

I guess it is one of the items you can only do as a hobbyist. I love to do this stuff and don't care if it takes 20 or 30 hours. This is what I do when I get off work.

[Burkhardt]

Finally complete. Due to the second go-around a little late for the birthday but I hope still appreciated. It works really well now. There is an old 5V cell phone charge in the base to run the motor and a 12V supply for the LED strip. I guess I will post it on the Vectric board as well since all tool paths were done with VcarvePro.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ee16Esu0_V8/VSnrTL4Y7xI/AAAAAAAAFtE/7xS74MPXatg/w671-h772-no/DSC03071.JPG


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REz6kcFkwO8

[scottp55]

Congrats G. !!! :)
Although the last pics in vid on your table made me want to fry up some ham steaks and toss some eggs on top:)
Well Done!
scott

[dmidkiff]

Great Job. I'm sure he will be proud to show his watches in that awesome case.

[Ajcoholic]

Wow. I've been quietly watching this since the beginning. Amazing!!

Big two thumbs up. Id be thrilled!!

[Burkhardt]

Thanks All for the nice words! It took about 4 times as long as planned and, counting all used and scrapped materials, electrical stuff and hardware was not exactly cheap. But I am quite pleased to get it finished and working well.

Now...back to my software projects :)

[Kyle Stapleton]

Here is one more to think of... Have it go around on time a min.

Looks greats, what Cadd software are you using?

[Burkhardt]

Here is one more to think of... Have it go around on time a min.

Looks greats, what Cadd software are you using?

I think the manufacturer recommendation of some watches is about 500 to 1500 rounds per hour for winding. Not sure how critical that is but given that I am using a modified RC servo as motor I don't really have that flexibility, anyway.

I am using IronCAD (http://www.ironcad.com/) for many years. Very much focused on hardcore mechanical engineering. It is not that well known but very much comparable with Solidworks or the like and unfortunately about as expensive. I bought it long time ago and the annual maintenance alone is 1800 bucks (for upgrades). For me it is worth it.

[danhamm]

That is a special piece, it takes special skills to attempt a project like that and the documenting is also rare.

thanks for sharing.