Tree of Life - Wooden Wall Clock
Browse The "Just Nature" Theme
Introduction
Introducing the Tree of Life wooden wall clock, this is the first clock in my Collection “Just Nature”. This clock has been designed with the natural world in mind and will bring peace and harmony into your living space! The wooden wall clock has been carefully designed with intricate detail included and has been hand finished with real wood veneers to achieve that feel that is only possible with real wood but also to offer geometrically stable, detailed, precision parts. Another stunning feature of these wooden wall clocks is that they are naturally weight/gravity driven with time keeping regulated by a swinging pendulum, taking you back to the mid 1600’s when this method of time keeping was first invented, who needs batteries!!!
What is the Tree of Life?
The tree of life is a symbol in mythology relating to the concept of more generally a sacred tree and hence is found in religious and philosophical tradition. It is said that the tree of life connects all forms of creation. I believe it means different things to many people from enlightenment to a representation of love.
Choosing a material for the Tree of Life Wooden Wall Clocks
When choosing the material to use for my tree of life wooden wall clock there were certain criteria that had to be met. It was important to me that the material had the quality and feel of real wood. It was important that the material would not over time distort or crack, it was critical when laser cutting that the material give a clean and consistent edge quality and finally the material had to be suitable for cutting fine detailed precision parts. Obviously in an ideal world my first choice of material for the wooden wall clocks would have been solid wood, unfortunately this only met my first criteria. Solid wood looks fantastic however over time it will distort and crack, due to the random nature of the grain and knots it will produce poor inconsistent edge quality when laser cut. Again due to the random nature of the grain and the knots it would not be suitable for fine detailed parts.
With all of the above taken into account an alternative had to be found that ticked all of the boxes and I am pleased to say that it wasn’t a difficult choice to make. The material that I chose to use was real wood veneers on an mdf core. Real wood veneers is a thin sheet of real wood which has been sliced from a tree using specialist machinery. The veneer is bonded to both sides of the mdf to create a rigid engineered panel. This is the perfect material for the wooden wall clocks as it offers the real wood look but will not crack or distort as it does not have the grain or knotting in the material core as real wood does. Due to its consistent makeup it offers a clean finish when laser cutting which is perfect for running mechanical parts.
Key features Of The Tree of Life Wall Clock
This wooden wall clock has been carefully made paying great attention to detail, when you look at the clock you will notice that the gear centres have been made to look like branches. Walnut/Oak (depending on which clock you are looking at) leaf indicators have been strategically placed at 12, 3 and 9 o’clock with a little squirrel indicating 6 o’clock. Wooden veneer leaves have been individually placed on the branch tips. Even the hands of the clock have been made to look like branches, have a look at the minute hand! The pendulum has etched detail of the Tree of Life. There is an opportunity for your own personal message to be placed on the pendulum bob, this can be on the front instead of the etched Tree of Life, alternatively it can be placed on the back of the bob so you get the best of both worlds, a beautiful etched Tree of Life plus your own personalised message. Another key feature of this wooden wall clock is its simple and easy winding mechanism. The clock needs to be wound only once a day, this is done simply by pulling down the handle on the right hand side of the clock (as you look at it) which literally take less than a couple of seconds.
Operating And Maintaining Your Wooden Wall Clock
Starting the clock is simple, move the pendulum to one side so that the escapement wheel makes its first release, then simply let the pendulum go. The pendulum only swings by a few degrees each way so be sure not to force it too far.
To set the time simply move the hour and minute hands one at a time to the correct position. Some of my wooden wall clock designs do not have a full clock face but have at least four indicators at 12, 3, 6 and 9, so you may find it easier setting the time when the hands will align with these indicators. The seconds hand is set in exactly the same way.
Before the wooden wall clocks are dispatched they are tested and the speed is set, but being made from wood the clock speed may need slight adjustment when temperature and humidity levels change between summer and winter. The speed of the clock is defined by the length of the pendulum, a short pendulum will swing faster than a long one, so to adjust the clock speed the pendulum length needs to be changed. There is a small thumb wheel and direction indicator with plus and minus symbols located at the bottom of the pendulum bob. You will find that the thumb wheel is connected to a screw thread which slightly raises the bob when turned in the plus direction or lowers the bob when turned in the minus direction. This will very slightly change the length of the pendulum and the speed of the clock. So if you find that your clock is running slow, it needs speeding up, stop the pendulum and turn the thumb wheel in the plus direction, however if the clock is running fast, it needs slowing down by turning the thumb wheel in the minus direction. The amount you adjust the wheel depends on how fast or slow the clock is but I would recommend two or three passes as shown. Allow the clock to run for another 24 hours and if necessary repeat the process until the pendulum speed is fully optimised.
Occasionally the clock will need cleaning to remove dust. A small soft brush is provided with the clock use as shown within our video guide. We recommend to never apply polish or cleaning products to the clock body or mechanism as this can cause running issues.
Designed for installation
The wooden wall clock has been designed with simple installation in mind however it is a little more involved than just banging a nail in the wall and hanging it on. The clock has two main parts the clock itself and the wall frame. The wall frame is the part that is attached to the wall with wall plugs and screws. It is important for the successful running of the wooden wall clock to get the wall frame installed level. Before shipping your wooden wall clock is tested and setup with the wall frame that is shipped with your wooden wall clock so that the two are a matched pair. Shipped with your wooden wall clock is an installation template, this template has a two way level and positions for where the holes need to be marked and drilled. Once your wall frame is screwed to the wall and leveled in both directions, the main body of the wooden wall clock is assembled to the wall frame and held in place on the winding and weight spigots with strong magnets. The next steps include finalising the fixing of the clock to the upper mount, assembling the weight and winding handle and finally the pendulum. The pendulum is held in place, again with strong magnets and has been designed this way so that this long piece can be shipped as a separate part, but is super easy to install, simply offer it up to it’s mating part and it snaps into place.
A Quick Summary On Where To Install Your Wooden Wall Clock
Choosing an installation wall for your wooden wall clock is very simple, however it's worth considering the following points shown below in summary, please check my “Where To Install Your Clock” page for full details click here.
- Install on a smooth flat wall that is vertical (check with a spirit level).
- Consider avoiding busy areas where the clock could be easily knocked for example near a busy doorway.
- Consider pets and how they will react to the swinging pendulum.
- Do not install in direct sunlight.
- Do not install where there are large fluctuations in temperature and humidity for example a conservatory.
- Do not install above a heat source for example over a radiator.
- Do not install in the air flow of a fan or air conditioner unit.
- Consider the location of electrical switches, sockets and wall lights and the possibility of cables being buried in the wall.
Clock Key Specifications
Dimensions:
Height - 1217mm
Width - 566mm
Depth - 181mm
Materials:
Main Material - Black American Walnut Real Wood Veneers On MDF Core
Gear Material - Black American Walnut Real Wood Veneers On MDF Core
Marquetry Material - Oak
Clock Gear Bearings - High Quality Deep Groove Sealed Ball Bearings, Maintenance Free
Other Bearings - High Quality IGUS Plain Bearings, Maintenance Free, Low Friction
Shaft Material - Stainless Steel
Main Bearings - Sealed Deep Groove Ball Bearings
Weight Cord - Wear Resistant Kevlar
Design:
Drive Power - Gravity Powered By a 2kg Weight
Winding - Pull Cord Winding For Speed & Ease
Run Time - Approx 28 Hours (wind only once per day)
Pendulum Period - 2 Seconds
Escapement Design - Grahams Deadbeat (zero recoil)
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and hopefully you have found it informative and useful. However, if you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via the LEDA Clocks contact form. Alternatively, please leave any thoughts in the comments section, and of course please feel free to share this post via the social media icons below. Take care… Darren
Browse The "Just Nature" Theme
