DIY Designer Wall Clock

This is one of those projects that began from a spark of an idea! This DIY is on how I made this one of a kind, designer Wall clock.

CONCEPT

The other day , I was just making paper fans out of scrap paper and out of the blue I had this idea – Why not use this design to make a WALL Clock. Then, I made some brainstorming (and arguments :)) on my mind to which material I should build with. The folds would look cool if its built out of a metal sheet, but neither did I know how to bend metal or I don’t have the required tools for it just yet. I could try in cement, but I should make a mold first. I wanted it to be a weekend project and did not have a lot of time to spend on this, as I am also working on my living room renovation. (by the way its coming out amazing. I will update soon!) So, I decided to go for something I am much familiar with – wood.

Material:

For this project, I bought a half inch thick MDF as its easy to work with for making forms and shapes. I did some sample cuts with scrap plywood and figured how many folds I want, the size and how the clock mechanism is going to be mounted.

SUPPLIES USED:

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Watch the video tutorial

CUTS:

I started by cutting this 2’x4’ MDF to manageable size. Then set the blade to 45-degree angle and began cutting the strips. I am making 1-inch-wide strips that have 45 degree cuts on both sides. I need 5 of these rhombus shaped pieces and the 6^th piece should look like a trapezoid. To do this, you have to cut 45deg on one side and flip the board and make another 45deg cut. It took me a few trial cuts to get the right height.

Now, the broader side of the clock should also look like a trapezoid but length should be wider. Overall, this clock is going to be 12 x12inch in size.

Then I did some trial on how I want to arrange the folds. And I glued two rhombus shaped strips to make a V form. Before connecting the V forms to the wider part of clock, I arranged the pieces and marked the clock center to fit the mechanism

MECHANISM INSET:

The clock mechanism that I bought from amazon is only 12 dollars for three sets of mechanisms and more importantly it has silent movement. It has a center piece that goes behind the clock, hands, nuts and washers . One thing that you need to note before buying a mechanism is the height of the mechanism shaft. In my case, this is 1/2 inch high and I have 1/2 inch thick MDF. You need atleast 1/8th of an inch of the threaded shaft to protrude out on top to secure the mechanism with the given hexagon nut. In order to do that, we have to create a inset for the mechanism. So, I traced the size and routed 1/4 inch inset using a straight bit.

REAR SUPPORTS:

Also, the base needs proper support from behind. So, I measured the required height and cut scrap wood pieces as support.

GLUE UP:

Before gluing everything together, I widened the center hole to fit the mechanism. Next, I used this quick dry glue called Krazy glue to attach all the pieces together. It just saves the clamping time.

FILL EDGES & GAPS:

Since this is MDF, it’s important to fill the porous edges with drywall compound or any wood filler. While doing that, also fill all those gaps between each joint. Then sand with fine grit sanding block. I got the one with angled edges, so it was pretty easy to sand those ridges.

PRIMER:

Next step is to prime and paint. Its always a good idea to use a solvent-based primer or oil-based primer instead of water based. Because, MDF gets swollen when you use a water base primer.