John’s Mahogany Clock

I just completed the 100 class Fundamentals of Woodworking and am looking forward to the next class CFT 105. I am sure many might ask what did you learn this semester. Of course the list is long, but it can be distilled down to three simple things.

One, we learned how to operate the equipment safely and gained some simple techniques along the way. Two, we learned how to square lumber, sounds simple, but this is so basic and important I separated it out. And three, we gained some confidence in woodworking, not comfort per se, but we are moving in that direction. I think Marc talked about the importance of reaching your comfort level in one of his Wood Talk Online podcasts.

We used really good wood and the word “caution” was on our minds everyday. The best part was even if you made a mistake, you could either fix it, make a design change or do it over. Many of the class projects were different than we originally planned, however they still looked great.

The class project was a Clock, and we had four choices to pick from. I selected the simple arch clock because it was a challenge but not as difficult as the pendulum hanging clock. My goal was to complete the clock correctly in the time allotted. By selecting African Mahogany, I was able to work with a beautiful wood that did not give me any problems. Unless of course I caused them. We used dadoes and grooves in the carcass and dowels in the door. The finish is three coats of tung oil. The dial board and the back are book matched. We started with 4/4 stock with finished thickness at three quarter inch. I learned that the woodworker sees the project as individual parts and all the things that could be different. Most people however, see the clock as a whole piece not individual parts. Aren’t we lucky?