All in One Brass Garden Clock, Bird Table and Weather Vane
by Dr Qui in Workshop > Metalworking
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All in One Brass Garden Clock, Bird Table and Weather Vane
This is a Garden Clock, Bird Table and Weather vane that my Dad made about 25 years ago. I can remember helping to hold various pieces when this was being made. This has stood in our garden for so long that we have become so used to it we have almost forgotten how unique this is.
This was the first big project my Dad built after our house was connected up to the grid back in 1985, until then we used our own low voltage system powered by battery banks charged from the diesel engine that powered the big workshop. He had bought allot of mains powered tools and converted allot of the belt driven machines to electric, this was the firs project that he did using all the new powertools.
The front of the clock case is made from brass plate with turned brass ornamentation, the case is double glazed and well sealed to stop the glass from misting up after it rains. There is a battery powered movement in the clock that has a battery operated pendulum. The clock has been keeping perfect time for over 25 years now in all kinds of weather as low as -20*c at the end of last year. sometimes the pendulum stops because the wind is just right and sets up a resonance that cancels out the swing.
The roof of the bird table is made from individually hand cut tiles made from copper sheet from an old back sprayer. The tiles where drilled and nailed on to a plywood frame just like real roof tiles are, they where then painted mat grey to look like slates.
Each of the 4 sides of the roof has its own gutter to catch the rain run off, there are 2 down spouts to drain the gutters on the back of the bird table
The weather vane stands approx 15 feet high and is topped by a aluminium cockerel, the cockerel was originally painted with fine details of the feathers visible but is in need of a new paint job. My Dad made the weather vain so he would roughly know where the wind would be blowing from when he went fly fishing at a local lake.
The pole the bird tale stands on is made from a metal sign post and was sunk into about 3-4 feet of concrete from what i can remember.
The clock was a useful reminder of what time it was to the customers who tended to hang around the workshop for the craic long after they had gotten work done. Our postman once told me that he uses the clock to gauge how well he is getting on with his run.
This was the first big project my Dad built after our house was connected up to the grid back in 1985, until then we used our own low voltage system powered by battery banks charged from the diesel engine that powered the big workshop. He had bought allot of mains powered tools and converted allot of the belt driven machines to electric, this was the firs project that he did using all the new powertools.
The front of the clock case is made from brass plate with turned brass ornamentation, the case is double glazed and well sealed to stop the glass from misting up after it rains. There is a battery powered movement in the clock that has a battery operated pendulum. The clock has been keeping perfect time for over 25 years now in all kinds of weather as low as -20*c at the end of last year. sometimes the pendulum stops because the wind is just right and sets up a resonance that cancels out the swing.
The roof of the bird table is made from individually hand cut tiles made from copper sheet from an old back sprayer. The tiles where drilled and nailed on to a plywood frame just like real roof tiles are, they where then painted mat grey to look like slates.
Each of the 4 sides of the roof has its own gutter to catch the rain run off, there are 2 down spouts to drain the gutters on the back of the bird table
The weather vane stands approx 15 feet high and is topped by a aluminium cockerel, the cockerel was originally painted with fine details of the feathers visible but is in need of a new paint job. My Dad made the weather vain so he would roughly know where the wind would be blowing from when he went fly fishing at a local lake.
The pole the bird tale stands on is made from a metal sign post and was sunk into about 3-4 feet of concrete from what i can remember.
The clock was a useful reminder of what time it was to the customers who tended to hang around the workshop for the craic long after they had gotten work done. Our postman once told me that he uses the clock to gauge how well he is getting on with his run.