Join The Rebellion – Star Wars Wall Clock

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Every man I’ve ever met has had a secret fantasy that some old codger would find him one day, hand him a laser sword and explain he was the last person in the galaxy with the ability to save the universe from total destruction. For me, Star Wars was more than a movie, it was a heads up to be on the look out for old men in bathrobes wielding light sabers. For many junkies the 4th of May is affectionately called Star Wars day, (May the 4th be with you). So for your consideration I present, The Rebel Alliance Wall Clock.

A Classic Combination

I started this build by scouring through my stock of wood. I seem to have maple in abundance so I decided to pair it with some walnut in a new hope of getting a cool looking combination.

Hard maple and walnut is a class combo. The maple is about 5" thick and the walnut is 1 1/2"
Hard maple and walnut is a class combo. The maple is about 5″ wide and the walnut is 1 1/2″ wide

I jointed the boards on the table saw and then cross cut them to 12″ in length. Once glued up this would give me a 12×12 panel to work with.

Plenty of glue, well jointed edges and of course copious amount of clamping pressure.
Plenty of glue, well jointed edges and of course copious amount of clamping pressure make for a good glue up.

I left the boards in clamps for a few hours before moving on to the next step.

Prepping the Panel

On to my favorite neighbor hating tool, the loud and powerful planer. I try to plane boards in the middle of the day, as it is quite loud and my shop is fairly close to my fence line! Still, if you want a flat board in under a minute, nothing beats the mighty growling planer.

Planing the boards flat in under 60 seconds make the planer one tool I would be hard pressed to live without.
Planing boards flat in under 60 seconds makes my planer one tool I would be hard pressed to live without.

Next step is the stencil. I downloaded this one free online. I enlarged it in Photoshop and had to make a slight alteration to the swoops. This grievous affront to the rebel alliance symbol was a necessary evil, in order to get the clock movement to fit.

"That isn't the symbol!" "I've altered the symbol pray I don't alter it any further..."
“That isn’t the symbol!” “I’ve altered the symbol. Pray I don’t alter it any further…”

Wicked Curves at the Band Saw

Now, just take it to the band saw and cut out the shape. That was the plan. Turns out intricate cuts at the band saw are going to take a bit more practice for me. I was using a 1/4 blade but I ended up with a pretty rough cut. Still, nothing a little sanding won’t fix.

Take your time and stay just outside the line.
Take your time and stay just outside the line.

Sanding, Shaping and Regrets

Cleaning up the outside curve was a piece of cake at the belt sander. If you don’t have a belt sander, then a random orbit sander or even a rasp will do the job. It’s just going to take a little longer.

Nothing beats the belt sander for quick removal of wood. Just keep your fingers clear!
Nothing beats the belt sander for quick removal of wood. Just keep your fingers clear!

Now the inside curve is a different story. Due to my less than stellar band saw skill, shaping and sanding the inside curves took me about two hours. I put on a movie and the time passed pretty quickly.
If there is a bright center to woodworking, then this is the process furthest from...
If there is a bright center to woodworking, then this is the process furthest from…

Time Marches On

In order to have the piece sit flat on the wall I decided to recess a hole for the clock movement. This step is optional, but I think it gives the clock a finished look. I used a 2 5/8 forstner bit to remove the bulk of the wood and then sharp chisels to square up the corners.

Using a large bit to hog material saves you chiseling time. A good thing if your chiseling skills are at my level.
Using a large bit to hog material saves you chiseling time. A good thing if your chiseling skills are at my level.
A sharp chisel will make short work of squaring up corners.
A sharp chisel will make short work of squaring up corners.

Stay on Target

All the hard work is done. We are in the home stretch… A couple coats of wipe on poly for beauty and protection.

I love the look of the first coat of finish on a project.
I love the look of the first coat of finish on a project.

Add your clock parts and find a good place to hang your handy work. Now, “You are part of the rebel alliance and a traitor” congrats!

Proudly display your new allegiance to the side of the rebellion!
Proudly display your new allegiance to the side of the rebellion!

May The Force be with you!

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About Peter

Peter Brown is a professional computer geek and a hobbyist woodworker in Northern California. He spends his weekends renovating his 1960′s house and escaping to the shop whenever his family declares that he’s “helped enough for one day.”

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