Tom’s “Cool” Clock

From: Tom Giacchina

Website: www.tomwoodworker.com

Location: La Mesa, Ca

Hobbyist or Pro: Hobbyist

Finish Used: First coat of shellac then top coats wiped on with a 50% dilution of Naptha and Alkyd varnish.

Wood Species: Black Acacia, maple, and holly

Project Description:
A friend wanted a clock that could sit on her dresser with a “cool” piece of wood. This was an open invitation to create with very few restrictions. I looked around the shop and found quite a few pieces but kept coming back to this piece. It was cut from a bigger piece because I needed to be aware of the size. Once I made the cut I started working on the base. At first the base was of acacia and the same width. It just didn’t look right. Then I thought to use the maple to bring out the little bit of white in the acacia.The maple has neat spalting that really adds to the piece. I then kept planing down the maple to get what looked like the right thickness and cut it to a width. It still didn’t look right so I played with a couple of feet designs to get the clock some height and air. The clock hands that I bought just brought the whole thing down, so I made my own from some scraps of copper. The dial markers are made from holly. I felt they would be a little brighter and better visible in low light.