Steve's Clocks
Welcome to Steve's Clocks.
This is the place to find all the information you need to build and debug your own fully functional 3D printed or wooden geared clock.
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I have over a dozen 3D printed clocks published at MyMiniFactory with plans to port a few designs to wooden clocks. Wood has a warmth that is difficult to capture with a 3D printer. Porting the design requires many changes. The printed clocks have been optimized for the characteristics of the printer and different optimizations are often required for wood. The 3D printer allows printing the frame as a complex integrated shape. Wood is more often flat boards or plywood and expansion from humidity needs to be considered. The optimal gear tooth profiles for 3D printing are different than gears used in a wooden clock. I enjoy the process of analyzing the small details to decide if it is as good as it can be. It often takes me a long time to design each clock.
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Feel free to browse the various designs. Assembly guides are available to download to help decide if you are willing to take on the challenge of building the clock. There is a forum to ask questions during the build or if you just want to share pictures of your completed clock. Questions about your own clock designs are also welcome. The goal is to share knowledge about building clocks.
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I try to make each design easy to build and easy to get running, but every clock has many moving parts with places for unwanted friction. Hopefully, most clocks start running as soon as the weight is applied. There are a few common issues that I get asked about from the unlucky builders, so I decided to create a standalone debug guide. It walks through the process of pre-assembly steps all the way to debug after the clock is hanging on the wall.
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3D Printed Clock Debug Video
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Can't decide which clock to print? The best choices are the newest clocks. They will have the latest design updates so they will be more reliable and easier to assemble. The classic style wall mounted pendulum clocks are the most popular. The small 8-day clock (SP13) is probably my most reliable wall mounted clock. The large moon phase clock (SP14) might be my most interesting wall clock. The crazy gear desk clocks (SP10 and SP11) have the most dynamic motion. They are USB powered so they never need winding and are accurate to about a minute per year.
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Hope you enjoy building your clock as much as I enjoyed designing it.
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thanks
Steve
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