Introduction: Animal Hospital Clock

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I made a 39" diameter wall clock for a local Animal Hospital with a custom WiFi clock movement.

Supplies

Clock Materials:

18mm Baltic Birch Plywood

Brown acrylic paint

#8 x 1-1/4 flat head wood screws

Osmo PolyX finish

Wood glue

CA glue and activator

Clock hands (https://www.woodparts.ca/17-3-4-premium-black-tapered-clock-hands-details.html#5778)



Tools:

Computer

Vectric Aspire

CNC Router

Table Saw

Paint brush

Compact router

1/8" roundover bit

6mm compression spiral endmill

2mm tapered ballnose

Sandpaper


The clock mechanism was made by watching this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJXAOOGIo2w


optional mechanism (https://www.woodparts.ca/product5236.html#5236)

Step 1: Layout

The people at the clinic wanted to use their logo which they d supplied to me. I converted the jpg image to vector lines and edited them to make a smooth image. I wanted to make the logo textured so I used a simple wave model from the Vectric clipart. The wave pattern was loaded in the background, a depth set and then cropped it to the logo vectors.

Attachments

Step 2: Cut AndCNC

I didn't include images or video of the actual machine running. There are many videos online if you are interested in seeing what these machines can do. I pre-sized the pieces on the table saw before taking them over to the CNC router.

Step 3: Assembly

The person wanted the clock to have a thick profile so I cut a ring from the same 18mm thick material and attached it to the back with wood glue an 1-1/4" flat head wood screws. A french cleat was added to the back for hanging. The cleat that is fastened to the wall was pre-drilled for 16" OC. A heavy clock should be fastened through the drywall and to the studs. Everything was sanded to 180 grit.

Step 4: Finishing and Letter Painting

The entire piece was wiped down with a microfibre cloth to remove all dust particles to prep for finish. A cost of PolyX was applied and left to dry overnight. The clock was then sanded with a 320 grit sanding sponge and then wiped down wit a mirofibre cloth. The second coat of PolyX was applied and left overnight to dry.

After 2 coats of PolyX were applied, I started to apply the paint. I always seal the wood before I paint to avoid colour bleeding into the wood and causing the edges to look blurred. I blended a brown and black acrylic paint together and added some water to make it more of a wash. I used an artist brush. If the board is sealed with PolyX you can wipe exess paint off easily as long as you do it immediately.

A final coat of PolyX was applied. Always check between coats to see if more sanding is required.

Step 5: Finishing Up

The clock mechanism and hands were installed. Here is a very helpful video on this.


I included some #8 wood screws to attach the cleat on-site.