question for the wood gear clock makers out there

[SteveNelson46]

It is not a bug. I have complained about it. It was programed to give that extra 1/16" to make sure the cut goes through. (3/16" for the 1/16" cutting bit and 15/16" for the 1/8" cutting bit.) The bug is that you can get around it! Just make a new board 1/4" thick and copy paste everything to it. (One has to choose all the board settings up front. The Board settings dialog will catch the error and all you can do is cancel.)

If the 1/16" bit cuts all the way through a .25" board without any problems, why can't the board thickness be changed to .25" if the initial thickness was set for something less. I think there is a fly in the ointment.

[bergerud]

There was some worry about the bits cutting down past their cutting edges. For example, the 1/16" cutting bit has 1/4" LOC and so if if goes a little deeper to cut through, the top of the bit will not be cutting. I do not know why they changed, maybe someone started a fire!

The only reason we can still cut deeper is for backward comparability with the older mpcs. That left a workaround.

[oscarl48]

I went to install the steel adapter sleeve on my 1/16 cutting bit and when I was putting into my vice I snapped it like a twig. Frustrating waste of 40 dollars plus the 10+ dollar shipping cost from LHR. Went flying before I realized I could have used the adapter for another bit. Oh well.

Installed the 1/8" cutting bit and redid the mpc for that size. It actually cut fairly well. Next time I will change the number of tabs to 1 or zero (will have to use double stick tape for zero).

Still don't know what I am doing. Escapement wheel is fine but the escapement lever isn't matching up too well. I also failed to properly center the hole in the escapement wheel on the drill press. Rushed it instead of taking my time measuring. This was only a proof of concept cut.

The gears came out great though. I used cheap Lowes oak plywood. It really is terrible for this but it validated some parts of the design using the 1/8" cutting bit. It is doable using only the 1/8 cutting bit. The picture is of the 57 tooth gear using the cheap plywood. It would still need a bit of sanding if I was going to use it (I'm not).

The next step is to make some solid hard wood plywood and try again.

[bergerud]

Next time I will change the number of tabs to 1 or zero (will have to use double stick tape for zero).

Note that is "Minimum number of tabs". If you set it to none, you still get tabs. You are thinking, as I did, that it is maximum number of tabs.

If you do not want tabs, I think you have to route with the 1/8" cutting bit. I have not been able to disabled tabs with cutouts.

[oscarl48]

Thank you for the info. I can live with the tabs but just a lot more sanding afterwards or very careful removal. I'll play with it tomorrow and see what it does. I don't think I have the patience to actually build the routing cutting path manually for each gear everytime.

[bergerud]

It is no harder than a cutout. Just assign the 1/8" cutting bit with a 1/16" inset. It is better since the tabs usually cause nearby distortions.

[oscarl48]

re-learned something again. I think you had taught me that awhile ago but my old brain just remembered by you reteaching me. lol

old is good. Its not the actual age but the miles (and liquid libations).

Oh and its been one of those days. I broke the 1/16 cutting bit this morning and now I've accidentally erased the 3d models of all the gears I had made. I think its time for me to open a beer.

[DickB]

Installed the 1/8" cutting bit and redid the mpc for that size. It actually cut fairly well

I use only the 1/8" cutting bit for wheels and pinions. As you found it works well and is a more robust bit less likely to break.

I also failed to properly center the hole in the escapement wheel on the drill press

Use the Carvewright to accurately place the center hole. In my clock projects I select the 1/16" cutting bit to drill a pilot hole .1" deep, then after machining drill a precise diameter hole with my drill press. You can load the 1/16" carving bit when the machine prompts for the 1/16" cutting bit, as it will work fine for such a shallow hole. I found my Carvewright is not capable of drilling precise holes such as 3/8" or 7/16" with the 1/8" bit, hence this technique. I since learned what works better for me is to have the Carvewright drill a hole 1/16" smaller than desired, then finish with the drill press. I get more precise centering that way.

The next step is to make some solid hard wood plywood and try again.

Perhaps you know this, but use an odd number of plies to prevent warping.

[oscarl48]

Thank you for the great advice. I had a piece of maple that had been outside forever with minimal warping so planed it this morning to 1/2" and its cutting now.

Do have working clocks or do you use them for mechanical gear projects?

[DickB]

Do have working clocks or do you use them for mechanical gear projects?

I have several working wood gear clocks; three of them are available in the Pattern Depot. You can download the instructions from the Pattern depot no charge and see how my clocks are made.

The Naked Clock uses a synchronous timing motor:
http://store.carvewright.com/product...82&cat=&page=1

The Mystery Clock uses an electromagnetic pendulum:
http://store.carvewright.com/product...67&cat=&page=1

As does Synchronicity, a wall clock:
http://store.carvewright.com/product...23&cat=&page=1