Well, my regular day-time work dragged me away from the shop for a full week, so everything got put on hold. I’m finally back from Florida, and can get back to finishing up the Christmas gifts before pushing on with the items for the next Christmas market. Busy, busy, busy…..
I cut out the pieces of walnut trim to they were ½” longer and wider than the main piece, so I would have a ¼” overhang on each piece. Each piece is only ¼” thick, so it really is just an accent to it. The Walnut should also stand out a bit from the Mahogany. I finished each piece of trim by putting a ¼” roundover with a bit and my router table – on all four sides.
With that done, it was time to complete the square base (3/4” thick) and top piece (1/4” thick) – again, ½” wider than the walnut trim, so it would overhang ¼” on each side and front/back.
The trim pieces are supposed to be screwed in, so that they align well and cannot be pulled off. In order to line the trim pieces in correctly, so I would have a ¼” reveal all the way around, I created a jig where the body of the clock could rest, but be ¼” off the surrounding pieces. This would let me clamp the top & bottom trim pieces in, drill pilot holes, and then screw the trim pieces in.
With that done, it was time to put the bottom and top caps on. These were simply glued on, so you would not have hardware showing on the pieces. I originally built a jig for this too, but found it just as easy to glue them up by hand and align the pieces visually so the overhang was pleasing.
With that done, it was time for 3 coats of shellac, a natural finish which brings out the wood color very well, and is relatively easy to apply (wipe on with a 50/50 blend of denatured alcohol). In between coats, you need to sand with 320 grit due to the finish “raising the grain.” Here they are, drying after the last coat.
After about a week, I’ll “rub out the finish” with 400 grit and 600 grit sandpaper, to get it silky smooth. Then I can install the clock face and it will be done!
Kevin