Question on Grandmother Clock Dimensions

Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 3:21 pm     Post subject: Question on Grandmother Clock Dimensions

I wonder if any of you experts, on here, can help me...
I'm currently drawing up plans for a "Grandmother" clock measuring aboout 68" high.

However, I'm not clear on how wide the "waist" should be.

Would any of you happen to know what the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM
INSIDE WIDTH should be for the following: 29-1/2" Pendulum with a 4-1/2" brass bob and a 7-1/2" swing? If I know the absolute minimum, I can work from there.

Is the 7-1/2" swing measured from the centreline of the pendulum "stick"
or is 7-1/2" the TOTAL movement of the pendulum at the bob?

Sorry if this seems a bit confusing, but I'm not very familiar with these clocks.

Any help would be very much appreciated

Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 1:45 pm     Post subject:

The waist of your Grandmother style clock will probably be dictated by the pendulum swing (which will depend on which pendulum length and bob diameter you select). If a pendulum lists a 7-1/2" swing - that should be indicative of the entire swing. Generally, you will want to allow excess room for the swing (up to 1" - which would make the recommended inside width of the waist assembly about 8-1/2").

There is a free booklet you can download which contains tips in regard to this (as well as other interesting tidbits for case design). I will post the link below. Click the link (or copy and paste) to go to the webpage containing this booklet. Look for the underlined link in the description paragraph (just to the right of the photo). Click the link and download the free booklet. You will require Adobe Reader in order to open the document (however you can obtain this program for free if your computer does not already have it). This booklet will serve as an informative guide for the case design.

http://www.klockit.com/products/product.aspx?sku=13000&q=13000

Once you have the booklet, you can search any particular floor clock movement stock number for the specification sheets related to that movement. These specification sheets (which are also PDF downloads) will be used in conjunction with the above booklet to help you determine all critical case dimensions as related to that specific movement. Everything is free - so make certain you take advantage of this! In many case design instances, it is best to design the case around a particular movement (as it just makes life easier as a whole). This reduces the chances of restrictions when installing the movement.

Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 11:24 am     Post subject:

Well, thank you very much, Chris. Your information is very helpful. I'll check out that link, as you suggest.
Once again, thank you for your help. It's very much appreciated.