Making TIme

I spent hours reading about escapement design. Many nights calculating gear configurations to maintain the proper ratios. I found the perfect scale based on available ball bearings. I went through many configurations until I came up with a nice balanced five-axis double planetary gear set design. I drew it in Rhino, laser cut it in my lunch breaks, and assembled it in my kitchen.

It started fine, but with every added gear, the net error and resistance increased. When it was finished, it would not run under its own power! Small misalignments from slight bowing in the wood keep this clock from being a functional time keeper.

I planned, designed, calculated, measured and engineered to make the most of my time. In the end, I made it too complicated and forgot to account for organic variability. Now, it is a sculpture. A reminder to keep it simple.