clock test stand – Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks

A few weeks back I published an article on clock testing stands. While a single clock stand would be ideal for all movement testing purposes there are so many different types and styles of movements that one size does not fit all.

The one stand I was missing was for testing weight-driven ogee style clocks whether they be 30-hour or 8-day or select clocks that would require a pulley system for the weights.

Aside from an easy setup and quick mounting of a movement for testing it allows me to inspect the movement from all sides

Rather than construct a stand-alone ogee test stand I decided to make it a companion to my tall-case clock stand. Mounting atop the tall-case stand means that it is at the optimum height for making adjustments.

I also wanted something I could easily remove if I needed the long-case stand for testing and it is simple to set up.

Salvaging case parts from an old ogee simplifies the construction of the stand. It can be done without ogee case parts but it means devising a pulley system and making rails with slots for the movement seat board.

The ogee clock was purchased along with three others for $20 but the ogee clock case was in such poor condition it could not be restored.

A movement came with the case which I use for spare parts. The veneer has been harvested and used for other projects. The remaining wood pieces are stored and ready for use in future projects.

The tall-case stand is 48 inches high and will accommodate more than one movement although I generally work on one movement at a time. It is square-shaped and very stable though when used to test grandfather clock movements it is anchored to a wall to eliminate or reduce sympathetic vibration.

The tall-case stand is braced on all sides and the framing around the 4 legs adds additional stability and strength.

Clock stand two rails off — *Taking the rails* out

The rails, made of yellow oak, a hardwood, chosen for their strength.

The two pieces I am holding are the oak rails that are designed to fit into the top of the stand and are fully adjustable width-wise depending on the size of the movement.

The ogee stand is 10 inches high and has stabilizing rails under each side that rest on the oak rails. There is a cross brace in the front and back to give it strength and lateral stability. The top from an old ogee case is ideal because the pulleys are in the correct position for the weights.

The rails easily take the weight of a 30-hour movement which is about 7 1/2 lbs total. Will it take the 13 lb+ weight of an 8-day ogee? Yes. There is no need to screw or nail the ogee stand to the oak rails as the combined weight of the movement plus weights are enough to anchor the stand in place.

I painted the stand to match the tall-case stand.

I chose Espresso latex paint because it does a great job of hiding my carpentry errors.

*Testing the time side of a Waterbury ogee movement*

Aside from an easy setup and quick mounting of a movement for testing purposes it allows me to inspect the movement from all sides.

It works as expected and now I can use the stand instead of the case for testing.

I know there is another ogee clock in my future!

I know many of you did your best to adapt to isolation during what is now known as The Coronavirus Pandemic. It changed the way we think, the way we behave and the way we interact with each other. My condolences to those who suffered during this infamous chapter of our lives particularly those of you who lost loved ones.

I had already established my clock hobby long beforehand so the last few months meant that I was able to focus on tasks that I had planned to do but wondered whether I would ever have the time. Corvid19 changed that.

What was also very different was that I could no longer acquire new clocks to add to my collection. So, instead of searching for new ones, I serviced ones in my collection which is not a bad thing.

However, on day 6 of the weekly cycle, the clock would stop and always on day 6. Why?

I was very productive.

I have a small but growing collection of Arthur Pequegnat clocks and was able to service a good number of them and in the process learn the differences, some major and some minor, between early Pequegnat movements and later ones. I honed my skills as a clockmaker, meeting new challenges with each movement I worked on. Four of those clocks are:

Restored Athur Pequegnat Bedford mantel clock — Arthur Pequegnat Bedford shelf clock

Restored Arthur Pequegnat Bedford shelf clock; case and movement are now done.

As with the Bedford, Maple Leaf “pointed top” and the Simcoe the cases, including the dial and movement were done.

Maple Leaf kitchen clock, the “pointed top”

However, I was also able to focus on what I consider my most exciting clock acquisition in the last 3 years, my circa 1850 Scottish tall case clock.

I reconditioned and repaired the case and serviced what I would call the most frustrating movement I have encountered to date, an English bell strike. Plenty of patience is required for this one. It is all about small adjustments and in this case, mostly the strike side. Just when you think things are going well, another issue surfaces. I should have expected that working on a 170-year-old clock is not easy.

I was unable to return the movement to the case immediately because it had to go through the testing process which meant constructing a clock stand. I have two other stands but they are too short and made specifically for wall and mantel clocks. Taking ideas from similar test stands online I constructed a 48″ high tall case test stand for my English bell strike movement.

The phenomenon of sympathetic vibration

However, during movement testing which lasted for weeks, I encountered a consistent problem. On day 6 of the weekly cycle, the clock would stop and always at about the same point in time. Why? It is something called “sympathetic vibration”. When the clock stops as the weights descended to the level of the pendulum a harmonic phenomenon occurs “wherein a formerly passive string or vibratory body responds to external vibrations to which it has a harmonic likeness”.

In practical terms, when the weights on a tall clock descend to the point where it’s at about the same height as the pendulum, the weights may begin to swing slightly. Since the power that drives the pendulum is now swinging the weight as well, the pendulum does not get its share of power and stops. Sometimes, despite the swinging of the weights the movement soldiers on but in the case of this movement there is insufficient over-swing of the pendulum to compensate for the loss of power.

It can generally be addressed in a tall case clock by fastening the upper part of the case to the wall, or by mounting the case on a solid foundation. For a free-standing clock stand placing a block of stiff foam rubber between the stand and the wall usually cures the problem.

Although the Scottish tall case project consumed a lot of time, it was very satisfying and it was a great learning experience.

More clocks

There are some other clocks I could have mentioned, two German time and strike clocks, a Mauthe and a Muller, a Gufa Westminster chime but suffice to say I made a lot of progress with my collection.

However, beyond the hours of time, it is self-satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment while engaged in productive activities that are the real intrinsic benefits. And folks, that’s what a hobby is all about.

Tag: clock test stand

A custom test stand for weight driven ogee style clocks

The pandemic allowed time to service my clocks and help me understand “sympathetic vibration”

However, on day 6 of the weekly cycle, the clock would stop and always on day 6. Why?

Tall case clock movement testing stand

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However, on day 6 of the weekly cycle, the clock would stop and always on day 6. Why?

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