Wooden-Gear-Clocks The Tranquility Clock, Manual

Page 1: ...The Tranquility Clock Copryight 2014 Jeffrey A Schierenbeck ...

Page 2: ... the days when effective lubrication had not been developed It is enjoyable to see and hear this clock running However the most enjoyable part of this clock is the satisfaction gained by assembling the clock yourself perhaps adding your own creative touches And through the process of building the clock you will gain an understanding of the principles that govern how a clock works including the ope...

Page 3: ...s might benefit from some light sanding especially at the breakaway points where the pieces were attached to the original board Do not sand the mating surfaces of the gear teeth Note that the backsides of some pieces may show residue from the laser cutting operation A light sanding will remove this residue although for nearly all parts this is not necessary because the residue will not be visible ...

Page 4: ...ors 9 Weight shell front cover 10 Pendulum shaft lower 11 Pillar w slot 12 Pendulum support plate lower 13 Weight shell back 14 Pendulum shaft upper 15 Winding pull middle 16 Weight pulley sides 17 Front frame rear 18 Bob rear A 19 Pendulum clamp 20 Bob rear B 21 Weight shell hook pieces 22 Weight shell rear cover 23 Weight shell cover plate ...

Page 5: ...llet arm 29 8 tooth gear 30 Pinion hubs 31 10 tooth gear 32 32 tooth gear 33 Exit pallet arm 34 Set washers 35 Escape wheel 36 Rachet 37 Hour pipe sections 38 Great wheel 39 30 tooth gear 40 Escapement brace 41 60 tooth gear 42 Dial markers 43 Hour hand 44 Weight shell middle pieces ...

Page 6: ...er washers 50 Weight pulley covers 51 Pulley wheel hubs 52 Pawls 53 Winding pull faces 54 Outer spool sides 55 Winding spool hub 56 Arbor sizing jig Hardware 19 braided cord 20 nylon shoulder washers 2 8 x 1 5 8 screws 10 4 x screws Dowels 1 4 diameter 6 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 5 3 3 4 1 5 5 8 1 8 diameter 8 1 8 2 ...

Page 7: ...train is regulated by the pendulum As the pendulum swings back and forth it causes the escape lever to rock back and forth along with the pendulum The escape lever alternately stops and then releases one of the gears in the train called the escape wheel The faster the pendulum moves back and forth the faster the escape wheel and the entire gear train will be allowed to advance The pendulum swing p...

Page 8: ...ed the pulley edges can be sanded and finish applied Next apply a small amount of glue around the rim of the hole in both pulley faces and insert a nylon shoulder washer It might be necessary to either press the washer firmly into place or to tap it into place with a hammer Be sure the washer seats completely into the hole Repeat this process twice to make a total of three identical pulley wheels ...

Page 9: ...2 4 x screw Assembly Procedure Glue a stop base 26 to a stop extension 25 Drive a 4 x screw through the stop base entering from the side with the extension and exiting through the opposite face Note the pilot hole in the stop base is intentionally off center ...

Page 10: ... great wheel spoke It might be necessary to tap them with a hammer to fully seat the pawls Hour Hand Gear Parts 1 Hour pipe assembled previously 1 32 tooth gear 32 1 Hour hand 43 Assembly Procedure Glue the hour pipe into the 32 tooth gear 32 Press the hour hand 43 onto the hour pipe but do not glue the hand to the pipe The hand must be friction fit so that it is loose enough to be able to be repo...

Page 11: ...er 45 weight spool hub 47 and winding spool hub 55 together in the order shown Be careful to orient the rachet teeth as shown Use a piece of 1 4 dowel or a drill bit to help align the pieces and to clear the center hole of excess glue remove dowel before glue sets It is critical that the glue bond between all of the spool pieces are solid ensure adequate glue coverage and clamp time 3 If desired a...

Page 12: ...arger hub in a counter clockwise direction Continue winding until about 12 of cord remains 6 With the rachet in the same position wind the other length of cord 3 times around the smaller hub in a clockwise direction nearly 7 feet of cord will remain 7 Secure the two strings with a piece of tape so they do not unwind during the upcoming assembly sequence ...

Page 13: ...e slot and hole areas of the front frame rear 17 Perform any desired sanding of the front frame Parts 1 Rear frame 6 3 Pillar anchors 8 Assembly Procedure Perform any desired sanding of the rear frame Make sure the rear frame 6 is oriented with the correct face upward as shown in the photo below Glue the three pillar anchors 8 into the slots tapping them down with a hammer to seat them completely ...

Page 14: ... slot 11 is in the slot indicated in the photos below Parts 1 Rear frame previously assembled 1 Pendulum support plate upper 5 Assembly Procedure Perform any desired sanding of the pendulum support plate upper including the curved edges Glue the pendulum support plate upper 5 into the slot in the rear frame be sure it is the rear frame as pictured below and not the front frame The pendulum support...

Page 15: ...esired to the completed frame units Parts 1 Front frame previously assembled 1 Rear frame previously assembled 4 nylon shoulder washers Assembly Procedure Install a nylon shoulder washer into each 3 8 diameter hole on the inside face of the front and the rear frame the inside faces are shown facing up in the lefthand photo below It might be necessary to either press the washer firmly into place or...

Page 16: ...10 1 Pendulum bracket 7 2 4 x screws Assembly Procedure Glue the pendulum shaft lower 10 to the pendulum shaft upper 14 oriented as shown in the photos below with 6 overlap Perform any desired sanding of the pendulum shaft except in the section indicated in the diagram below ...

Page 17: ...the pendulum shaft upper 14 with the screw tips pointed toward the pendulum shaft as shown in the photo below Finish the pendulum shaft as desired Pendulum Bob Parts 1 Bob front face 1 1 Bob rear A 18 1 Bob rear B 20 1 Pendulum clamp 19 Assembly Procedure Glue the bob rear A 18 and the bob rear B 20 to the bob front face 1 lining up the outside edges Be sure that the pendulum shaft lower 10 can fi...

Page 18: ... the clamp oriented over the gap as shown below Apply glue only where the clamp fits into the slot After the bob glue has dried install the pendulum shaft by pulling the clamp back and passing the shaft through the slot in the bob as shown below Be sure the shaft is oriented as shown below ...

Page 19: ...ulley sides 16 to the weight pulley side covers 50 making sure all edges are aligned 2 Sand the edges of the two weight pulley side units and apply finish as desired 3 Verify that the pulley wheel freely spins on the center of at least one of the 1 dowels Sand the dowel if necessary to allow the pulley wheel to spin 4 Glue the two 1 dowels into one of the weight pulley sides ...

Page 20: ...ulley on the dowel that allows it to spin freely 6 Complete the weight pulley unit by gluing dowels into the remaining weight pulley side piece Be sure that the pulley wheel is not pinched tightly but that it can spin freely ...

Page 21: ...plate 23 2 4 x screws Assembly Procedure When gluing the weight shell pieces together be sure to get a solid glue bond on all mating surfaces and insure adequate clamp time 1 Glue together the two weight shell hook pieces 21 aligning all edges 2 Glue together two of the weight shell middle pieces 44 and the weight shell front cover 9 3 Separate the weight shell cover plate 23 from the weight shell...

Page 22: ...three weight shell subassemblies 6 Glue together the three weight shell subassemblies with the front and rear covers on the outside faces 7 Do any needed touch up sanding on the completed weight shell Apply finish to the weight shell and weight shell cover plate as desired 8 Fill the weight shell with approximately 3 5 to 4 pounds of metal shot Secure the weight shell cover plate into the recess i...

Page 23: ... in the holes Use a toothpick to apply glue to the insides of the eight holes in the pinion hub 30 Carefully tap the pinon hub onto the dowels protruding from the 60 tooth gear It will work best to tip the pinion hub to engage one or two dowels and then gradually work the successive dowels into position one at a time When all eight dowels have engaged their holes tap the pinon hub down until the e...

Page 24: ...ving them until they bottom out in the holes Use a toothpick to apply glue to the insides of the eight holes in the pinion hub 30 Carefully tap the pinon hub onto the dowels protruding from the escape wheel It will work best to tip the pinion hub to engage one or two dowels and then gradually work the successive dowels into position one at a time When all eight dowels have engaged their holes tap ...

Page 25: ...bor sizing jig 56 use a succession of 150 220 400 and 600 grit sandings to smooth and polish the sections of the 3 3 4 and the 1 arbors that are shown shaded black in the diagrams below Apply graphite to the shaded regions of the 3 3 4 and the 1 arbors by coloring that section of the arbor with a pencil Install pulley wheels assembled previously on arbor 4 and 5 and set washers 34 on arbor 2 4 and...

Page 26: ...ss through the arbor sizing jig Then continue increasing grits to sand the middle of these dowels Finally apply pencil lead to the middle of these dowels With the escapement frame 27 oriented as shown below glue the two 1 dowels into the holes shown with the unsanded portion of the dowels into the escapement frame holes Flip the escapement frame over and glue the two 1 1 4 dowels into the escapeme...

Page 27: ...escapement frame line up with each other Glue a nylon shoulder washer into both of the outside faces of the escapement frame Screw the two stops into the front face of the escapement frame the side that has two dowels protruding Do not screw the stops all the way down but leave a small amount of clearance between the stop and the escapement frame ...

Page 28: ...as depicted below Separate the two scrap pieces about 1 4 so the arbor will be able to pass between them Continue to drive the arbor through the gear until the gear is between the first pair of marks on the dowel which will leave approximately 1 1 4 of dowel protruding through the gear Slide the weight spool onto the long end of the arbor rachet side first Twist the spool so that the rachet teeth ...

Page 29: ...aper to sand the two ends of the arbor until the arbor sizing jig 56 can slide completely onto both ends of the dowel After this is achieved use a succession of 150 220 400 and 600 grit sandings to smooth and polish the sections of the dowel that are shaded in the diagram on the next page Apply graphite to the shaded regions of the dowel by coloring those sections of the dowel with a pencil G ...

Page 30: ...ted into the corresponding hole shown in the diagram below Proceed immediately to the next step before the glue has a chance to set up Connect the front and rear frames together by engaging the pillars into the pillar slots in the rear frame and the dowels into the corresponding holes in the front frame The parts should engage easily sand if needed Keep some downward pressure on the frame to hold ...

Page 31: ...wheel and middle wheel units together with the escape wheel pinion hub facing up and the middle wheel pinion hub facing down Simultaneously slide the two wheels onto arbors 2 and 3 Press a set washer 34 onto arbor 3 until it is nearly in contact with the 60 tooth middle wheel gear Place a spacer washer 49 onto arbor 2 Insert the great wheel assembly into the nylon shoulder washer in the rear frame...

Page 32: ...oulder washer into both faces of the entry pallet arm 28 and both faces of the exit pallet arm 33 Be sure all four washer seat completely into the holes Place a spacer washer 49 onto each of the two dowels protruding upward from the escapement frame Then slide the entry pallet arm 28 and exit pallet arm 33 onto the escapement frame dowels oriented as shown below Press a set washer 34 onto the two ...

Page 33: ...le in each of the three pillars to secure the pillars to the pillar anchors Also drive a 4x1 2 screw into the large hole in the top pendulum support plate The cord from the large hub passes over the pulley wheel on arbor 4 above the pillar between the dowels in the weight pulley and then ties off on the slotted pillar The cord from the smaller hub passes over the pulley wheel on arbor 5 ...

Page 34: ... until the screw seats firmly into the narrow portion of the keyhole slot Hang the clock on the wall 3 Adjust the orientation of the clock so that the slot in the bottom of the rear frame is approximately centered beneath the rear frame s keyhole slot Use masking tape to secure the rear frame to the wall 4 Mount the pendulum from the left side of the clock The stub passes down between the two dowe...

Page 35: ...n the weight pulley verifying that pallets one of the pallets is catching the escape wheel before releasing the weight 8 Gently push the pendulum to one side and release to start the clock s motion 9 There are two adjustments required for the clock to run properly 1 setting the clock in beat by adjusting its orientation on the wall 2 adjusting the escapement stops Begin by getting the clock approx...

Page 36: ...s until the proper contact is achieved at both pallets At this point it might be necessary to go back and forth between the beat adjustment and the stop adjustment until the escapement is properly tuned 10 Let the clock run for at least several hours to be sure the main movement is functioning properly If you have difficulty getting the clock to run refer to the Troubleshooting section later in th...

Page 37: ...e 30 tooth gear the 30 tooth gear meshes with the 10 tooth gear above it On the outside of the front frame slide two spacer washers onto the 1 dowel followed by the 8 tooth gear Be sure the gears are not pinching the frame but instead have some clearance to allow the arbor to spin freely Slide a set washer onto the great wheel arbor positioning it about 1 8 from the front frame Slide the 32 tooth ...

Page 38: ...ly raising the weight with your right hand it might be necessary to wrap the cord around a piece of wood in order to maintain a solid grip on the cord 3 Verify that the winding cord passes over the pulley on arbor 5 of the frame 4 If necessary cut off the winding cord so it hangs just to the floor 5 Tie a large knot near the end of the winding cord Insert the cord into the slot on the winding pull...

Page 39: ...rkers 42 into the holes around the dial setting the markers flush with the dial face Apply finish to the dial if desired With the clock mounted on the wall and properly running glue the dial to the circular portion of the front frame lining up the inside edges of the two circles and positioning the dial so that two opposite markers lie on a vertical line ...

Page 40: ...f 60 tick tocks and see how close to one minute it is Make adjustments to the bob until it is close to one minute Now set the time and let the clock run for a day to make finer adjustments to the bob 3 Winding the clock Wind the clock by pulling downward on the rewind pull with your left hand while simultaneously lifting the weight with your right hand It takes a little practice to lift enough on ...

Page 41: ... necessary so that mating gears fall in line with each other Hands rubbing Check that neither the hour nor minute hand is toed inward or outward causing them to rub on each other or on the gears on the front of the clock Adjust hand positions as necessary so that hands are able to rotate completely without interference Pendulum pivot seating Check to make sure that both of the pendulum pivot screw...

Page 42: ...ulum shaft that passes between the forks This section of the pendulum must be smooth as must the interior portions of the crutch forks On the other hand the gap between the shaft and the forks should not be larger than 1 16 If the gap is too large add a piece of tape to the shaft to build up its thickness Lower support tightness If the lower support screw is not tight enough the clock s vertical o...

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Page 44: ...43 Part Locator To be removed from the manual ...