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Hardwood Wall Clocks[8/4 Wide · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 5 wall clocks
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 Wide · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths / 6-8"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
Five chunky square wall clocks, one from each board in the pack. Each face is two 11" pieces edge-glued into a solid 1¾" thick block, with twelve contrast-wood plugs for the hours and a battery quartz movement hidden in a pocket at the back. Keep one and wrap the other four — they make great housewarming and wedding gifts.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clock halves, grain vertical | 10 | Boards 1–5, two each | 11" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Clock faces (glued pairs, trimmed) | 5 | Two halves each | 10¾" tall × 11" × 1¾" |
| Hour-mark plugs | 60 | ⅜" dowel, contrast species | ⅜" dia. × 9/16" |
| Movement pocket | 5 | Back of each face | 2⅜" square × 1⅜" deep |
Face: two 11" pieces edge-glued, grain vertical, trimmed to 10¾" tall × 11" wide.
Hour marks: twelve ⅜" holes ½" deep on a 4¼" radius, plugged with contrast ⅜" dowel.
Movement: 2⅜" square pocket from the back, 1⅜" deep, leaving ⅜" at the centre; shaft hole to suit the movement (5/16" typical).
Hanging: keyhole slot routed in the back, 1½" below the top, onto a screw in a stud or a rated anchor.
Finished size: Each clock 11" W × 10¾" H × 1¾" thick (wider boards make wider clocks). About 4½ lb in walnut, 5 lb in maple.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 Wide · 2ft (6–8" wide, S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 5 quartz clock movements, sold for a ⅜" dial (check the threaded shaft length)
- 5 sets of clock hands, minute hand about 4"–5"
- One 48" length of ⅜" dowel in a contrast species (for 60 plugs)
- 5 AA batteries
- Screws or anchors for hanging
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil or hardwax oil
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- 4 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Belt sander, hand plane or router sled
- Drill press with ⅜" brad-point bit and depth stop
- Router with a straight bit and pocket template (or Forstner bits and a chisel)
- Keyhole router bit
- Flush-cut saw
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
Why S2S only? The 6–8" wide 8/4 boards come S2S: both faces planed, edges rough. Plan on losing about ¼" per edge when you straighten them.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · 6–8" wide 8/4 S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (5½" clean at the narrowest), planned at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S2S Lumber Pack (6–8" wide)
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance).
- 2 Cut the halves. Square one end of each board and crosscut two 11" pieces. Keep each pair together and mark it — two halves from the same board match in colour and grain.
- 3 Glue up five faces. Edge-glue each pair with the grain running up and down. That's long grain to long grain, the strongest glue joint there is. Keep the faces flush, clamp, and leave it overnight. Each face is 11" × 11".
- 4 Flatten and square. Scrape off the glue and flatten the front with a belt sander, hand plane or router sled. Trim ⅛" off each end so the face is 10¾" tall × 11" wide and square. Pick the best side as the front.
- 5 Mark the hours. Draw the diagonals on the front to find the centre. Mark 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock 4¼" from the centre on the centrelines. For 1, 5, 7 and 11 o'clock go 2⅛" across and 3 11/16" up or down; for 2, 4, 8 and 10 go 3 11/16" across and 2⅛" up or down.
- 6 Drill and plug the hour marks. In the drill press, drill each mark with a ⅜" brad-point bit, ½" deep. Glue in short pieces of ⅜" dowel in a contrast species, saw them flush and sand. Or burn or paint the marks instead.
- 7 Cut the movement pocket. On the back, centred, rout a 2⅜" square pocket 1⅜" deep with a template, or drill overlapping Forstner holes and square the corners with a chisel. That leaves ⅜" of wood at the centre. Check the movement drops in flat.
- 8 Drill the shaft hole. Drill through the centre from the front with the bit your movement asks for — 5/16" is typical. Push the movement in from the back: the threaded shaft must come through the ⅜" face with room for the washer and nut.
- 9 Rout a keyhole. On the back, centred, 1½" down from the top, rout a keyhole slot about ½" deep with a keyhole bit. Test it on a screw head before the finish goes on.
- 10 Finish and fit. Ease the edges and sand 120 → 180 → 220. Wipe on 2–3 coats of oil on every face, back included. Fit the movement, washer and nut, press the hands on at 12, add a battery and hang it on a screw in a stud or a rated anchor.
Why a pocket and not a thinner face? Clock movements are made for dials about ¼"–⅜" thick. The pocket thins the wood only where the movement sits, so the clock keeps its chunky 1¾" edge and the shaft still reaches through.
Why a keyhole? A clock this thick weighs 4–5 lb. The little hook on a quartz movement is made for light dials and can let go. A keyhole slot on a screw in a stud or a rated anchor holds it flat and secure.
Why grain up and down? Both halves are glued long grain to long grain, so the joint is stronger than the wood. Running the grain up the clock also puts the glue line right on the 12–6 centre, where it looks planned.
Make It Yours
- Round clock: draw a 10½" circle on the square face and cut it on the bandsaw, then sand the edge smooth.
- Four marks only: plug just 12, 3, 6 and 9 for a cleaner face.
- Mixed set: five species, five clocks, each with plugs from another species.
- Desk clock: skip the keyhole and cut a 15° bevel on the bottom so it leans back on a shelf.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Clamp the face to the drill-press table or the bench for the pocket and keyhole. Never hold it by hand under a router.
- Hang it on a screw in a stud or an anchor rated for at least 10 lb. Check for wires and pipes before drilling.
- Wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding, especially exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele).
Frequently Asked Questions
The 6–8" wide 8/4 pack comes S2S (faces planed, edges rough). Straighten the edges with a jointer, a table saw and a straight-line jig, a track saw, or a hand plane.
A standard battery quartz movement sold for a dial up to ⅜" thick. Check the shaft: the threaded part must reach through the ⅜" of wood left in the pocket with room for the washer and nut. Buy hands sized for an 11" face, with a minute hand about 4"–5" long.
No. The two halves are glued edge to edge with the grain running the same way, so they swell and shrink together. Finish the back as well as the front and keep the clock off a radiator.
Yes. Drill the pocket with overlapping Forstner bits to the right depth and square the corners with a chisel. Skip the keyhole and screw a sawtooth or D-ring hanger to the back with short screws instead.
Planned offcuts only: about ⅞" off the end of each board, plus the two ⅛" trims from each face. All 5 boards go into the clocks.
Yes. A 4ft wide pack makes ten clocks: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan. Or edge-glue three halves for big 16" wide clocks — the 20 halves make six, with two spare.
