It's no secret, I (Vicki) tend to collect and save what most people label as "junk!" It frustrates Steph but every once in a while that hoard comes in handy. This "use what you have" clock project is an example of that.

I have to tell on myself. We got a nice set of drill and driver bits and Steph threw the old ones in the trash. I saw them and promptly fished them out, much to her dismay! She rolled her eyes and wanted to know what I was going to do with them.

See those little bits up there in the picture, the seconds' markings on the clock? Those are the "fished out of the trash" bits! (After seeing the finished product, Steph apologized for rolling her eyes!)

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

This is a true "use what you have" project.

Materials:

Center drawer (found curbside)
Wrenches, drill and screw bits
Metal ring (old macrame ring)
Wood hot pad
Old circular saw blade.
Clock mechanism and hands (purchased from Amazon)

The first step is to prep the drawer. The underside of the drawer is going to be the front side. All the old hardware was removed, the front edge on each side was cut flush to the sides so it would look less like a drawer and it was given a good sanding.

Step 2: Drill Center Hole

We found the center of the drawer and drilled the hole in which the clock mechanism will fit. I also sanded off the cork from the wood hot pad, stained it and drilled a hole in the center of it.

Step 3: Paint and Add Clock Face

After painting and letting it dry, we worked on marking the clock face. I found a simple clock image online, centered it on the drawer and drew chalk lines using the image as a guide.

The wood round was centered then the wire ring was glued into place. Small wrenches were glued into place on the number markings outside the metal ring and the drill/screw bits were glued inside the ring as the second markings. Hot glue to did hold so we went back and used Dap Rapid Fuse glue.

Step 4: Install the Clock Mechanism

We followed the instructions that came with our mechanism. The clock mechanism fit perfectly into the recessed area of the drawer so no extra cutting to make this sit flush was necessary. Once the hands were in place it was at this point that Steph suggested we add a circular saw blade. So, we took it all apart and repeated the mechanism install a second time!