How to make a painted wood clock

Keeping track of time is key to an organized life, but staying on schedule doesn’t mean committing to a standard timepiece. In fact, it doesn’t take much time at all to make time keeping an enjoyable and creative experience. A round wooden cutout combined with some paint and a moving mechanism come together to create a beautiful and personalized wall clock that speaks to customized taste and style.

With the right tools, it’s possible to craft a wood wall clock that is functional and looks fantastic on an office wall or any room in the home. While adding a touch of painted color gives the clock a delicate touch, leaving a portion of the clock unfinished balances it out with rustic appeal. Feel free to mix and match clock hand colors and styles for a unique final product that is sure to keep everyone on track and on time.

-Unfinished round, wood circle cutout, 12 inches
-Ruler
-Pencil
-Painter’s tape
-Wood block, 6 inches by 8 inches
-Table vice
-Black and Decker hand-held drill
-Buffing block
-Home Decor Chalk, Willow Mist
-Large paintbrush
-Plastic paint palette
-Gold metallic acrylic paint
-Small paintbrush
-Clock moving mechanism with three hands (gold) and mounting hardware
-Hand-held pliers

Instructions
 
1. Lay a ruler horizontally across the middle of a 12-inch unfinished round, wood circle cutout. Use a pencil to mark a 1-inch line from 5.5-inches to 6.6 inches on the ruler.

2. Turn the ruler vertically and repeat this measurement and marking so the center of the circle is clearly marked with a 't'.

3. Place two small pieces of painter’s tape over the pencil markings in the center of the wooden circle. Draw a 't' on top of the tape to indicate the center-most point.

4. Center the wooden circle on top of a wood block measuring 6 inches wide by 8 inches in length at the edge of a flat working. Allow half of the wooden circle to extend over the edge.

5. Secure the wooden circle to the table with a table vice.

6. Drill a hole through the painter’s tape at the point where the center is marked in pencil. The wood block will indicate when the wooden circle has been completely punctured. Once complete, remove the tape, and release the circle from the table vice.

7. Sand the rough edges away around the center hole with a buffing block until smooth.

8. Place a long piece of painter’s tape horizontally across the center of the wooden circle. The tape should reach from one end of the circle to the other and divide it evenly into an upper and lower half. The upper half of the center hole should be covered with tape.

9. Paint the entire bottom half of the wooden circle with Willow Mist Home Decor Chalk. Remove the painter’s tape when finished.

10. Fill a plastic paint palette with gold metallic acrylic paint, and use a small paintbrush to outline the entire rim of the wooden circle in gold.

11. Insert a clock moving mechanism through the back of the wooden circle so that the spoke protrudes through the center hole and out through the painted face.

12. Place a washer, hex nut and three gold clock hands on top of the spoke, and press down firmly. Twist the hex nut with pliers to attach securely to the wooden circle.

13. Turn the clock moving mechanism to the on position, and hang the finished clock on any wall in the home or office.