First: Really nice project. Everyone needs a clock and calendar IMO. Second: I have a couple things that might improve the look and function. 1) Put ring retention on both top and bottom. I agree that retention is necessary but I think symmetry might help. Full retention across the back might help with keeping rings straight when moving them. 2) Put finger divots at midpoints between days of the week and the months. This would help with turning the wheel if someone couldn't really get their fingers in the space between wheels. The dots could also be painted to match lettering. I think the dots would be a visual separation between the words and look very nice. Not needed for the outer ring since easy to grab and not as much space. 3) Add "legs" on the left and right sides of the back to provide a more stable standoff since there are already the cleat and bottom leg. That's more of an as you see fit kind of addition. 4) Maybe use UHMW tape in place of the finishing wax to help smooth wheel rotation. This will effect wheel to guide clearances and might change some of the dimensions since the tape is thick. I'd think some experimentation would decide if good addition and where it would make best improvement. All of these are just improvements on something that doesn't really need them. Have a great day.
I will definitely be buying your plans for this clock. Thank you for offering them and for the video. One comment that I would make is your "one hole" alignment process for two sided carves. As I'm sure you know, one hole will not ensure that the face and back perfectly line up. It will ensure that the centres line up, but the piece could easily be rotated around that one dowel before being screwed down. Then, the face and back would not line up. The "common wisdom" of two-sided carving seems to be to use at least two pins and even three - all spaced randomly - to ensue that the face and back are perfectly aligned.
Very true, but since the back cuts in a circle, it should still line up as long as the centers line up. One thing that I didn't mention was to make sure that you align the bottom of the workpiece along your gridlines. You are totally correct though. Since I don't want to drill multiple holes in the workpiece, maybe placing a bracket at the top and bottom when starting the project and clamping to that would be a good solution. Thanks for pointing it out, it's an excellent observation.
Great project idea! Thank you for the close up shots and the explanation to detail. Definitely a piece that people will talk about when they walk in a room.
I have watched several of your videos and have really enjoyed them. I also have a CNC machine and I would like to offer a suggestion. Instead of using spray paint, you might want to try Marsh's Spray Stencil ink. It dries quickly and sands of much easier. The down side is limited colors but for the basic colors it's great.
Nice video. You are on the right track with the lacquer before painting but it will work even better to seal the wood before you put the mask on, then give the letters another shot after routing to further seal the edges. Oramask is the cheapest paint mask out there but none of them are truly designed to stick well on raw wood. 30+ year sign shop owner here that has made many signs on my CNC.
We’ll done. Suggestion to stop bleeding that works for me: sand and seal or shellac wood first and use either primer or Marsh Ink instead of paint. Thanks for the video.
Had never heard of Oramask, will definitely consider using it for my next CNC project. I had made a clock for my daughter with numbers and center logo of her favorite book/tv show made out of brass inlayed into walnut. Its quiet a bit more complicated to do inlays, but does look cool. When I make the next clock for my son's room, I'll be interested in linking the calendar movement to the hours. I bet that's doable.
Beautiful project. I love the added day/date functionality. I can see that easily being a huge seller. The mystery wood looks like poplar to me; it's a hard wood but still on the softer end of the scale. I like dewaxed shellac for sealing. It dries super fast, sands very smooth and pretty much any finish sticks to it. Smells nice too. Reminds me of rum cake.
@@dabidimas Yup, I live in Ky. The board was actually an old board that had been painted. I stripped the paint off and it had a nice look to it. I gave it to my principal, who just got promoted to superintendent, as a promotion gift. He's a former Ag teacher and jack of all trades. He confirmed that it was probably poplar.
I'll be buying the files shortly and then will hope to try making one in the fall. ...and hopefully end up in the same boat and have countless requests for them!!! 👊
It's really gotten a lot of attention. I'm gonna make a tweak to it and make a smaller version that only has the date and months. Hope to price it around $75.
A few great improvements on the first iteration and I like that Oramask Film idea. Just a heads up for those that might be searching the "roller" is known as a "Brayer" that will make the search much easier :)
Nice! Set me thinking- an ESP8266 plus a few stepper motors and I can make a version that auto moves all the wheels- and gets the time off the internet, so it is very accurate and also handles daylight saving. Thanks for the idea.
Love this project and have purchased the plans. Did I miss seeing the written instructions? It would be handy to have those for cut depth on the pockets.
My apologies. I didn't write written instructions, I really just used the video as instructions. The depth of the pockets really just depend on how thick you'd prefer to build the rings. And for the clock mechanism pocket, that really depends on the size of the clock mechanism that you're using.
I see a bunch of would-be clock makers, commenting on making the calendar part of the whole mechanism. 🤔🧐🤨, Sure.!? Simple.? That shouldn't do to much more than increase the production cost by 5 or 10 times, then let's add a bunch of brass to really make it shine, that shouldn't add more than another 10 or 15 times the current cost of production...? Keep it like it is, unless you want to change something. I think it's beautiful brother.
You can keep adding and tweaking to make some really amazing artistic and technical , but every time you do, you drastically increase the time/complexity..... and price. I totally agree with what you're saying. I actually think I'm gonna make a smaller one with just the date/month, maybe around 14 inches in diameter, as opposed to this one which is 22, which would be much easier and lower cost. It'd hit an entirely new market, but keep the uniqueness of the piece.
Thanks for the support. I sell this one for $150, but I have another version without the days of the week (Mon-Sun), which makes the project smaller. I sell that one for $80
I love this idea and I was wondering, is there a way you could make a pocket where you can add a ball between them and it would make the rotation of the day of the week “smoother” but this is an amazing design
Great design and all, as a person who bought the desing i must say to you that it would be great if you put in disclamer that the crv files are written in VCarve Pro 11.504 so the people who have versions before that 11.504 can't open .crv files in their VCarve.
Good day. I have a question and hope you can help me. Did you buy your cnc or did you build it?, I have a DIY cnc but I am having problems with the guides on all 3 axis, and the type of guides that you have on your cnc is the ones that I want to use, if you build it, where did you buy them? Thanks in advance for your answer. Have a nice week.
I have the design files both as SVG files that you can import into Easel, or any other software, and I also have the VCarve Pro files for people who would rather have that.
I tried having them upright, but they don't look consistent when the days and months on the wheel are aligned as they are. A couple of people have commented on that, so I think that the best solution would be to replace the numbers with Roman numerals, which are typically aligned like that, when on a clock face. Enough people have made that comment, that I think I need to change it in future projects.
@@myhoneyshandmade1077 You could easily do the numbers and lettering with a laser. If your laser is strong enough to cut, you could do it with a laser, sure, with the right material. The design that I posted is 22 inches in diameter, so you may need to shrink it a bit.
What was the prohect material? i chected mt local home store for 'project board' and everything is small or plywood. thanks, and what a cool design, thanks for sharing it
It was a board that's typically sold for cabinets, shelves or tabletops at my local Lowes. I've included the link below. This isn't EXACTLY the board that I started with, but it's in the ballpark. www.lowes.com/pd/ReliaBilt-21-32-in-x-16-in-x-3-ft-Square-Unfinished-Spruce-Pine-Fir-Board/5002116857
When you changed in mid cut from a up cut bit to a down cut bit you must have paused the program. Since you paused the program to correct your mistake, how did you re-do your z now that your bit is changed?
@@SothpawDesigns If I were to pause my machine in mid cut because I made a mistake using the wrong bit, I cannot insert a different bit, even with the same length because I cannot put it back in exactly the same way. I would need a bit collar or some way of taking it off pause and/or using a bit setter. You said you stopped it (Pause??) and changed out the bit. How did you maintain the same height? Did you get lucky? To me, that is the most important piece of information out of this entire video and it was left out. Thx.
You don't have to line it back up. If you performed an XYZ probe at the beginning, and you restart the cut, it will follow the exact same path. Just restart the program, and it will go back to the origin point and start from scratch. At least that's what happens with my Onefinity. You'll notice around the 3:58 point that the toolpath starts back from 0. I didn't think about making that point. Good question.
@@SothpawDesigns Oh ok. I didn't know you started it back over. But that is one thing I wish I knew was how to start back at a certain time number. That would work great if you accidentally trip and hit the stop button on accident.
@@iwannaapple7190 Your CNC should set the zero position when you probe it. That way, you can change bits on more complicated projects that bit changes. Now, if you accidentally hit the EStop, or the power goes out, I don't think it will retain the zero point.
Great project....i bought ur plans and they dont have any measurements or dimensions.....what is the dimensions of the board you cut the circles from and what are d diameters of the circles.... otherwise great project
Sorry for the vague instructions. This was one of the most detailed projects that I made, so a few people have said that they could use some more details. When I make the clocks, I use the following dimensions. The wheels have dimensions of 21.5, 18, and 14.5 inches outside diameter, with a thickness of 1.25 inches. The clock is 22 inches tall and 11.5 inches wide. Regarding the thickness of the project, that's really up to you, though I usually cut the wheel slots to be about .6 inches, and the wheels themselves about .75 inches, so they actually sit out from the back of the clock a bit. You can adjust as you need, and could possibly go a little smaller, but the rings could be more prone to breaking if you go too small.
You're welcome. You can actually make them as thin as you like, you just need to make sure that you cut the profiles on the front side, and the tracks on the back, deep enough so that you cut through and make a window. Also, make sure that the pocket for your clock mechanism is thick enough that the shaft of the clock comes out the front side of the clock face.
Not specifically. It's made for CNC, but the SVG files can be imported into any software, and as long as you resize the rings and clock face together, the dimensions should always line up. That said, I've not tested it on a laser, etc.
It's possible. I can see using an arduino and programming it to move, but that's a LOT of work to get working. I teach high school programming, and have kicked around the idea of looking into it, but really, woodworking is my break from being on a computer all day.
First: Really nice project. Everyone needs a clock and calendar IMO.
Second: I have a couple things that might improve the look and function.
1) Put ring retention on both top and bottom. I agree that retention is necessary but I think symmetry might help. Full retention across the back might help with keeping rings straight when moving them.
2) Put finger divots at midpoints between days of the week and the months. This would help with turning the wheel if someone couldn't really get their fingers in the space between wheels. The dots could also be painted to match lettering. I think the dots would be a visual separation between the words and look very nice. Not needed for the outer ring since easy to grab and not as much space.
3) Add "legs" on the left and right sides of the back to provide a more stable standoff since there are already the cleat and bottom leg. That's more of an as you see fit kind of addition.
4) Maybe use UHMW tape in place of the finishing wax to help smooth wheel rotation. This will effect wheel to guide clearances and might change some of the dimensions since the tape is thick. I'd think some experimentation would decide if good addition and where it would make best improvement.
All of these are just improvements on something that doesn't really need them. Have a great day.
Several great ideas. Thank you! I'd thought about the dots specifically, but not most of the others.
Мужик, это ценный контент ) лайк и подпись
I will definitely be buying your plans for this clock. Thank you for offering them and for the video.
One comment that I would make is your "one hole" alignment process for two sided carves. As I'm sure you know, one hole will not ensure that the face and back perfectly line up. It will ensure that the centres line up, but the piece could easily be rotated around that one dowel before being screwed down. Then, the face and back would not line up. The "common wisdom" of two-sided carving seems to be to use at least two pins and even three - all spaced randomly - to ensue that the face and back are perfectly aligned.
Very true, but since the back cuts in a circle, it should still line up as long as the centers line up. One thing that I didn't mention was to make sure that you align the bottom of the workpiece along your gridlines. You are totally correct though. Since I don't want to drill multiple holes in the workpiece, maybe placing a bracket at the top and bottom when starting the project and clamping to that would be a good solution. Thanks for pointing it out, it's an excellent observation.
Great project idea! Thank you for the close up shots and the explanation to detail. Definitely a piece that people will talk about when they walk in a room.
I have watched several of your videos and have really enjoyed them. I also have a CNC machine and I would like to offer a suggestion. Instead of using spray paint, you might want to try Marsh's Spray Stencil ink. It dries quickly and sands of much easier. The down side is limited colors but for the basic colors it's great.
Thanks for the tips!
Nice, very nice!
Nice video. You are on the right track with the lacquer before painting but it will work even better to seal the wood before you put the mask on, then give the letters another shot after routing to further seal the edges. Oramask is the cheapest paint mask out there but none of them are truly designed to stick well on raw wood. 30+ year sign shop owner here that has made many signs on my CNC.
Thank you. I had thought about sealing before the mask, I appreciate that. I'll do that from now on.
Very nice, buddy. It looks really good.
Thanks for posting this.
Love add the refinements that you have done to this. 😊
Thank you! 😊
Dude, I dabble with things like this and I absolutely love this video and the design!!! Well done sir!
Awesome! Thank you!
We’ll done. Suggestion to stop bleeding that works for me:
sand and seal or shellac wood first and use either primer or Marsh Ink instead of paint. Thanks for the video.
Thank you. Paint and finish is still a weakness of mine, so I'll take any suggestions I can get. Appreciate it!!
Really cool! And nice shirt!
Very cool design. Thanks for sharing your tips and trick on this piece. Keep up the great work. 👽
Thanks for watching!
That is a very unique and nicely done
Thank you!
Great job looks awesome, I've just ordered the forman 4x4 never used a cnc machine before got 10 weeks to come and I carnt wait
It looks real nice.
Thank you.
Nice project. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Had never heard of Oramask, will definitely consider using it for my next CNC project. I had made a clock for my daughter with numbers and center logo of her favorite book/tv show made out of brass inlayed into walnut. Its quiet a bit more complicated to do inlays, but does look cool. When I make the next clock for my son's room, I'll be interested in linking the calendar movement to the hours. I bet that's doable.
I've done inlays, but never with brass. That sounds great!
Great project!! I would love to add this to my projects for clients.
Go for it! I also just posted a 2 ring version with some further improvements. Make sure to check that one out. Posted just this past weekend.
@@SothpawDesigns I actually saw that one first. My cnc is an inventibles; it will be interesting to see how it turns out.
Beautiful project. I love the added day/date functionality. I can see that easily being a huge seller.
The mystery wood looks like poplar to me; it's a hard wood but still on the softer end of the scale.
I like dewaxed shellac for sealing. It dries super fast, sands very smooth and pretty much any finish sticks to it. Smells nice too. Reminds me of rum cake.
Agreed that it looks like Poplar. Probably Tulip Poplar if the shirt from KY means he lives in the southeast.
@@dabidimas Yup, I live in Ky. The board was actually an old board that had been painted. I stripped the paint off and it had a nice look to it. I gave it to my principal, who just got promoted to superintendent, as a promotion gift. He's a former Ag teacher and jack of all trades. He confirmed that it was probably poplar.
Love these they look so awesome!!
Thank you! Cheers!
I'll be buying the files shortly and then will hope to try making one in the fall. ...and hopefully end up in the same boat and have countless requests for them!!! 👊
It's really gotten a lot of attention. I'm gonna make a tweak to it and make a smaller version that only has the date and months. Hope to price it around $75.
A few great improvements on the first iteration and I like that Oramask Film idea. Just a heads up for those that might be searching the "roller" is known as a "Brayer" that will make the search much easier :)
Nice! Set me thinking- an ESP8266 plus a few stepper motors and I can make a version that auto moves all the wheels- and gets the time off the internet, so it is very accurate and also handles daylight saving. Thanks for the idea.
That would be cool! I'd love to see it if you do it.
Do a show on your dust collector. Looks cool. Great update to the original. I will be visiting your site.
My dust collector isn't anything impressive. Just a shop vac with a cyclone attachment. Dust collection is actually a weakness in my shop.
@@SothpawDesigns I like the stacked idea it cuts down on the shop footprint... Thank you for your reply. Keep up the great work.
@@emmetthohensee2413 Oh, gotcha. I just built a stacked cart out of scraps. It does the trick, but it's nothing to brag about. Kinda rickety.
I know it would be too complex for me, but it would be cool to see a gear in the back to help turn those together! May be a fun challenge.
Very nice!
Thank you. Much appreciated.
Love it.
Thank you
www.sothpawdesigns.com/store/p/perpetual-calendar-clock-svg-vectric-files
See Part 1 here. ua-cam.com/video/CbWUtrpTiis/v-deo.html
Love this project and have purchased the plans. Did I miss seeing the written instructions? It would be handy to have those for cut depth on the pockets.
My apologies. I didn't write written instructions, I really just used the video as instructions. The depth of the pockets really just depend on how thick you'd prefer to build the rings. And for the clock mechanism pocket, that really depends on the size of the clock mechanism that you're using.
I see a bunch of would-be clock makers, commenting on making the calendar part of the whole mechanism. 🤔🧐🤨, Sure.!? Simple.? That shouldn't do to much more than increase the production cost by 5 or 10 times, then let's add a bunch of brass to really make it shine, that shouldn't add more than another 10 or 15 times the current cost of production...?
Keep it like it is, unless you want to change something. I think it's beautiful brother.
You can keep adding and tweaking to make some really amazing artistic and technical , but every time you do, you drastically increase the time/complexity..... and price. I totally agree with what you're saying.
I actually think I'm gonna make a smaller one with just the date/month, maybe around 14 inches in diameter, as opposed to this one which is 22, which would be much easier and lower cost. It'd hit an entirely new market, but keep the uniqueness of the piece.
Excellent presentation, will definitely purchase these plans. Keep us inspired. What will a clock like this sell for ?
Thanks for the support. I sell this one for $150, but I have another version without the days of the week (Mon-Sun), which makes the project smaller. I sell that one for $80
Many thanks and festive greetings.
I love this idea and I was wondering, is there a way you could make a pocket where you can add a ball between them and it would make the rotation of the day of the week “smoother” but this is an amazing design
That's a great idea!
Ball bearings of some kind. Hmm ... 👍🏽
Thanks
Great design and all, as a person who bought the desing i must say to you that it would be great if you put in disclamer that the crv files are written in VCarve Pro 11.504 so the people who have versions before that 11.504 can't open .crv files in their VCarve.
Thanks for the comment. I’ll update the description
Nice.
Good day. I have a question and hope you can help me. Did you buy your cnc or did you build it?, I have a DIY cnc but I am having problems with the guides on all 3 axis, and the type of guides that you have on your cnc is the ones that I want to use, if you build it, where did you buy them? Thanks in advance for your answer. Have a nice week.
I bought my CNC. It's a Onefinity, I've been very happy with it. I don't think I have the mechanical expertise to build my own.
For a newbie. Love this design. Will the design files work with Easel? John
I have the design files both as SVG files that you can import into Easel, or any other software, and I also have the VCarve Pro files for people who would rather have that.
Love this design. If you don't mind me asking, what do you charge for one of those?
$150
For adjustments...what about putting rotary phone type finger depressions every space or 4. just a smooth round relief
Good call.
Love it
Thanks!
great project! Just curious, was there a reason why the numbers in the bottom part of the clock face are upside down?
I tried having them upright, but they don't look consistent when the days and months on the wheel are aligned as they are. A couple of people have commented on that, so I think that the best solution would be to replace the numbers with Roman numerals, which are typically aligned like that, when on a clock face. Enough people have made that comment, that I think I need to change it in future projects.
Great prroject and video. What does this typically sell for?
$150-200, depending on type of wood, amount of customization.
@@SothpawDesigns thanks. Don't have a cnc yet. Wondering about using my laser instead.
@@myhoneyshandmade1077 You could easily do the numbers and lettering with a laser. If your laser is strong enough to cut, you could do it with a laser, sure, with the right material. The design that I posted is 22 inches in diameter, so you may need to shrink it a bit.
@@SothpawDesigns true. Desktop laser is a bit small.
What was the prohect material? i chected mt local home store for 'project board' and everything is small or plywood. thanks, and what a cool design, thanks for sharing it
It was a board that's typically sold for cabinets, shelves or tabletops at my local Lowes. I've included the link below. This isn't EXACTLY the board that I started with, but it's in the ballpark. www.lowes.com/pd/ReliaBilt-21-32-in-x-16-in-x-3-ft-Square-Unfinished-Spruce-Pine-Fir-Board/5002116857
For the clock face, it was a 2x12 board that I had in my shop. I'm not even sure what that species is, but I think it's maple.
Very good work Bud.
Keep the hard work.
Thanks
@@SothpawDesignsJust a guess, but the color reminds me of poplar.
Cutting the french cleat - did you forget to lock down the fence?
Guess so
When you changed in mid cut from a up cut bit to a down cut bit you must have paused the program. Since you paused the program to correct your mistake, how did you re-do your z now that your bit is changed?
Both the upcut and downcut have same length, so the Z didn't change.
@@SothpawDesigns
If I were to pause my machine in mid cut because I made a mistake using the wrong bit, I cannot insert a different bit, even with the same length because I cannot put it back in exactly the same way. I would need a bit collar or some way of taking it off pause and/or using a bit setter.
You said you stopped it (Pause??) and changed out the bit. How did you maintain the same height? Did you get lucky?
To me, that is the most important piece of information out of this entire video and it was left out. Thx.
You don't have to line it back up. If you performed an XYZ probe at the beginning, and you restart the cut, it will follow the exact same path. Just restart the program, and it will go back to the origin point and start from scratch. At least that's what happens with my Onefinity. You'll notice around the 3:58 point that the toolpath starts back from 0. I didn't think about making that point. Good question.
@@SothpawDesigns
Oh ok. I didn't know you started it back over. But that is one thing I wish I knew was how to start back at a certain time number. That would work great if you accidentally trip and hit the stop button on accident.
@@iwannaapple7190 Your CNC should set the zero position when you probe it. That way, you can change bits on more complicated projects that bit changes. Now, if you accidentally hit the EStop, or the power goes out, I don't think it will retain the zero point.
Great project....i bought ur plans and they dont have any measurements or dimensions.....what is the dimensions of the board you cut the circles from and what are d diameters of the circles.... otherwise great project
Sorry for the vague instructions. This was one of the most detailed projects that I made, so a few people have said that they could use some more details.
When I make the clocks, I use the following dimensions.
The wheels have dimensions of 21.5, 18, and 14.5 inches outside diameter, with a thickness of 1.25 inches.
The clock is 22 inches tall and 11.5 inches wide.
Regarding the thickness of the project, that's really up to you, though I usually cut the wheel slots to be about .6 inches, and the wheels themselves about .75 inches, so they actually sit out from the back of the clock a bit.
You can adjust as you need, and could possibly go a little smaller, but the rings could be more prone to breaking if you go too small.
Wireless Probe?
Never heard of one.
Good evening
Good night
I got the files. What is the material thickness?
Sorry, I need to add a readme file to the download. It varies depending on your needs, but for me, the wheels were 1 inch, and the clock is 1.3.
@@SothpawDesigns Thanks
You're welcome. You can actually make them as thin as you like, you just need to make sure that you cut the profiles on the front side, and the tracks on the back, deep enough so that you cut through and make a window. Also, make sure that the pocket for your clock mechanism is thick enough that the shaft of the clock comes out the front side of the clock face.
Are there dims on here to make this clock without a CNC machine?
Not specifically. It's made for CNC, but the SVG files can be imported into any software, and as long as you resize the rings and clock face together, the dimensions should always line up. That said, I've not tested it on a laser, etc.
Does anyone have an idea how to make the rings adjust on there own? Is that even a thing that can be done? Might be to difficult for us woodworkers.
It's possible. I can see using an arduino and programming it to move, but that's a LOT of work to get working. I teach high school programming, and have kicked around the idea of looking into it, but really, woodworking is my break from being on a computer all day.
@curtisaitken7027 & @SothpawDesigns, you would have to use a much bigger motor or use something much lighter than that wood, I would think 🤔
@@jtcmlt1 Yup, I agree. The hardware requirements would make it very challenging.
Can I ask how much you sell them for?
I sell these for $225. I have a $125 version that only has two rings. A bit smaller, and much quicker to make.
No link to buy the clock?
Not really selling…
Never said I was selling on this channel. Thanks though.
What is a good price to ask for one of these?
I sell them for $125-150. I'm also making another version with only a date/month ring, that I'll sell for $75.
@SothpawDesigns thank you, really enjoying your videos!
@@qwagmyre Thank you!!
When does the merch come out? Hats, t-shirts, etc.???
Bahahaa! Don’t wanna deal with that headache just yet!!