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Watchmaking renaissance--what is the effect?

LittleWatchShop
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LittleWatchShop Distinguished Member

LittleWatchShop

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This watchmaking renaissance I am going through (following my dad's footsteps) is costing me a lot of money--but I am having fun.  I bought another watch bench to set next to my dad's.  It is custom made (not to my specifications, but to the designer's).  It will arrive in a week.

I can't keep my eyes off of Ebay...nabbing this and that.

Oh well...you can't take it with you!!

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amello New Member

amello

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See? This is right where I should fit in.. I'm a cabinet maker with utterly zero skills in watch making, but I'm still fascinated by watches and clocks even though I could give a hoot if I'm on time for anything. I can build cabinets to suit most any kind of work..fancy little drawers, hardwood cabinet tops...even chairs.. In fact I learned my woodworking skills back when I had a strong desire to make a wooden clock. I learned to cut wood gears and i can do that, but my patience for cutting hundreds of gear gullets just isn't there anymore. I never did make a clock...darnit! Instead I learned my skills though trial and error and from the acquisition of my tools as well. I'm currently in the market for a brand new table saw. (probably a Sawstop model, but might be another brand)  I guess it wouldn't hurt to mention I don't have the steady hands anymore for fine little parts after cutting a fingertip off with a saw blade. That was no fun and don't try it at home folks. it's not nearly as much fun as seen on TV..

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amello New Member

amello

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On 2/12/2021 at 10:52 AM, watchweasol said:

It Is best to use a saw stick/pusher and keep fingers well out of the way of the blade of any power tool planes included

From personal experience I know it only takes one lesson. I got lucky and it was just a fingertip, but what a tip it was.. I took the waitress home with me all wrapped up in a bandage..

it's been several thousand feet of lumber through my saw since then. The main thing is to stay alert whenever the blade is spinning and if there's a kickback don't even think about trying to rescue it. Just get out of the way and let it go..

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spectre6000 Distinguished Member

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Gorgeous! Solid cherry, I assume? What's going on just above where your knees go? Looks like a panel that comes down or something there.

I honed my woodworking skills in luthiery. Finished the build on my first a few months after my 16th birthday. I have also wanted to build a wood clock for many years. I recently inherited a large format 3D printer (it's complete, but needs work) and a small CNC machine (motors, frame, and guide rails only, nothing to drive it that I've yet found). I'm told the CNC only has the torque to cut wood, but I don't think it was ever tested on brass. I also have no idea what level of accuracy it can handle. I've got enough projects on my plate right now that it'll undoubtedly be several months, if not a year, before I'm able to give it much more than a shove to the side to make room from time to time...

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LittleWatchShop Distinguished Member

LittleWatchShop

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6 minutes ago, spectre6000 said:

Gorgeous! Solid cherry, I assume? What's going on just above where your knees go? Looks like a panel that comes down or something there.

I honed my woodworking skills in luthiery. Finished the build on my first a few months after my 16th birthday. I have also wanted to build a wood clock for many years. I recently inherited a large format 3D printer (it's complete, but needs work) and a small CNC machine (motors, frame, and guide rails only, nothing to drive it that I've yet found). I'm told the CNC only has the torque to cut wood, but I don't think it was ever tested on brass. I also have no idea what level of accuracy it can handle. I've got enough projects on my plate right now that it'll undoubtedly be several months, if not a year, before I'm able to give it much more than a shove to the side to make room from time to time...

Yes, solid cherry.

Above my knees is a drawer that pulls out.  My dad always called this the "skin drawer."  When working, the idea is to pull this drawer out so that it interfaces with your stomach so that anything that falls off the bench lands in the skin drawer.  A very hand feature.  It is on my antique watch bench as well...as you may have guessed.

I have a 3D printer (6x6x6 inch volume max).  I am printing useful gadgets all the time.  Printed a gas cap this morning for a plastic gas can with a missing cap.  It is incredibly useful.

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spectre6000 Distinguished Member

spectre6000

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Ah! I knew that.

Mine has a cylindrical print area ~1' wide X ~2' high. It's nearly a decade old (ancient in terms of most technologies, but especially so in one so nascent). It also utilizes unusual geometry that makes fine adjustment somewhat difficult. All three axes are traversed by way of three motors in the base, with vertically traveling carriers tied by linkages to a central extruder. Z axis requires all three carriers to go up and down in sync in a fairly obvious way, and X/Y requires them to move in varying amounts and still in sync. I.e., to move across the Z plane toward one carrier, that carrier must go up while the other two go down. I'm currently dealing with a lack of manufacturer support/documentation since it's so old, scaling, and temperature control issues...

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LittleWatchShop Distinguished Member

LittleWatchShop

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37 minutes ago, ChrisRadek said:

That is beautiful!  But is it sitting on carpet?  That's bad...

Hmm...you mean because little parts disappear?  Or because of something else...

I want to change the floor, but, oh man, a big undertaking.  The room is packed with stuff...heavy stuff.

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ChrisRadek Member

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Yeah.  When I was equipping my current shop I went to the flooring store and asked for help.  I explained what I was doing, and how I want a bright, smooth, even color that will make the tiniest thing on it easily visible.  He said OH so you want exactly the OPPOSITE of what everyone ELSE in the world wants!

Now the fad is fake tile squares, fake wood strips, etc, instead of a roll of something you put down across the whole room.  You really want the solid piece with no seams.

We found something good enough, but the color is not perfectly uniform.  I installed it under the baseboards and then caulked the edge where they meet.  I intend to use aluminum tape (the stuff they use on ductwork) around all my furniture too, but haven't yet.

I have worked over carpet before.  It's amazing how easily and permanently things disappear.  One time I lost my whole chair and had to dig around in the carpet for an hour to find it.  I tried a magnet but I just kept finding watches instead.

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