Lecount Clock Door

Edwards Clock #2 Private Collection

I have written before about my business plan.  To clarify, it is not so much a "plan" as a "philosophy."  You see, when I decided to work every day of the week, and not take weekends off like the "normal" people in the world, I quickly realized that I would eventually need a break.  That is why, for the majority of my career, I have worked daily for 3 months and then taken a month away from the bench for a "business" trip.

Sometimes my business trip is to Europe or the East Cast to buy stuff, meet new and old mentors and just enjoy the world of museums, historic houses and antique shops.  Sometimes my "business" trip it to the cabins I own on the Madison river in Montana to enjoy the world of the brook trout, eagles and elk.

That said, I also realized early on that there would be no "retirement" for me.  No "pension" or other means of support, except Social Security, which I now am receiving in very small amounts.  Therefore, I needed a plan to resolve the fact that I would work at the bench until they pried the chisel from my cold dead hands.

What I decided to do was calculate the exact amount of income I would need to survive a day of life, and then make that amount every day.  If I missed a day of work, then the next day would require a double amount to keep even.  In general, I need to work for paying clients at least 4 hours a day, every day for life.  Assuming that I arrive at work at 7 am and close up the shop at 7 pm normally, that gives me 8 hours of "retirement" in my workshop, which is fully equipped to provide me with tools and materials for anything I want to do.

This method of budgeting my time has allowed me over the years to create some large projects which involve hundreds or even thousands of hours of unpaid time.  Essentially, I work for a living and, in my retirement, create amazing objects of marquetry covered furniture.

Last week I visited two of my favorite clients, who have generously supported my efforts to keep alive the traditions of this craft.  Together, they own several of my best pieces, including the jewel cabinet I made some years ago, covered with ebony and 32 different marquetry panels.  They also have the second clock I made, with works by David Lindow, and I took some photos since it is very similar to the case I am currently making for Lecount.

The bonnet has pierced work, backed by silk, which allows the tone of the bell to escape and keeps dust out.  I cut the fretwork on my chevalet, and it went very fast.  Here is a photo of the top:

Bonnet with Fretwork and Rope Carved Columns

Note the marquetry in the upper door.  I guess I like birds, as I seem to always include them.

Upper Door of Clock #2

Here is the marquetry on the base.  More birds.  I really like the end grain molding, even though it is a pain to carve.

Base of Clock #2

Now I am making the case for my 5th clock, which will contain the Lecount works from 1690.  I always start my clocks with the backboard.  You can review my earlier posts about this process. Making the clock from the bottom up allows me to enjoy it standing next to the bench (as encouragement) and provides me with actual measurements for the bonnet when it becomes time to make that part.

The bonnet is the most complicated part of a tall case clock.  It has a mask, which fits closely to the face.  It has side windows which allow the viewer to see the works.  It has a glass door, which pivots with the carved columns as the offset pivot point.  It needs to slide onto the case molding and be held by guides so it doesn't fall forward.  It needs to be closed from dust, and it needs to allow the bell to be heard.

But I am not there yet.  Today I was able to rough sand the door itself.  Over the past week I took some time to cut in more yew wood oyster veneers and glue them to the oak door.  After that, I laid the marquetry panels over the oysters and marked the outline, so I could cut away the yew and place the panels.  When that was dry, I carefully cut in 2mm boxwood string inlay banding around all the parts.  Then I glued in the olive cross band edges.  I still need to make the ovolo molding which will be glued to the edges and cover much of the cross band trim.

Here is the door on the bench during sanding:

Lecount Door On The Bench

So, I placed the door on the case and took this picture this morning.  It allows me to see what this clock will look like when it is assembled.  My next job is to start cutting and attaching all the molding on the case, both lower and upper, as well as the molding around the door.  That will allow me to install the hinges and lock to be sure everything fits properly.

Lecount Standing Proud!

After that, I can start making the bonnet.