Mantle Clock and Patriotic Swap Goodies

We have been having some gorgeous weather here in Ohio!! Other than a thunderstorm and a humid 90 degrees on Thursday, the skies have been sunny with a few puffy white clouds and temps in the low to mid 80's!! Needless to say, I'm spending a lot of time outdoors. It's not all relaxation and soaking up the sun, either! (Well, maybe a little bit!)

I've been busy doing yard work and staining a privacy fence that we put up on Memorial weekend. We have my side of the family (25 to 30 people) coming over for the 4th of July and I always set the 4th as a goal to get big projects done. Nothing like having company over to get you motivated!! LOL I work best under pressure.

So among all of the hoopla of getting things done, I realized that it's been awhile since I've posted. And I did say that my next post would be a tutorial on making a mantle clock.

So here it is. . . . .

Supplies:

• 11" x 15" 1/4" sanded plywood
• 1 x 4 15" long (2 pieces)
• 1 x 6 13" long (2 pieces)
• 1/4" x 4" 10" long
• knob
• clock (WalMart)
  

The clock faces at my craft supply stores were smaller than what I wanted and sell for $11-$12 for a complete kit. I found a clock at WalMart for $3.97 that was the size I was looking for.

Remove the plastic cover by using a screwdriver. There are tabs at the 6 & 12 o'clock position.

Carefully remove the hands by pulling on the ends at the center of the clock. I stained my clock face with 2 coats of Minwax Aged Oak gel stain.

Using the lid as a template, trace a circle on a piece of paper.


Cut out the circle about 1/8" past the marked line.



Transfer the pattern onto the 11" x 15" 1/4" plywood. I laid the 1/4" x 4" drawer piece on the bottom and then centered the circle in between.

Drill a 1" pilot hole in the center of the circle to use as the starting point to cut out the circle. Whether you use a jigsaw or scroll saw, make sure to use a fine tooth blade made for cutting thin wood to prevent chipping and splintering. Take your time and go slow!!! You want to cut a perfect circle! I strongly recommend using a scroll saw; you have much better control. (Scroll saw tip - remove the blade and then center the pilot hole over the blade opening and then replace the blade through the pilot hole.)

Sand all of your wood pieces. On the fake drawer piece, I rounded the edges with a sander. Glue and nail the face piece onto the 1 x 4 side pieces. Center the 1 x 6 top and bottom pieces and then glue and nail in place. Center and glue the drawer piece on.

Let dry completely and then finish as desired. Don't forget to finish the knob!

The final step is to glue the clock in place and add the knob. I used Elmer's Stix-All Gel Cement and ran a bead of glue around the opening in the back of the clock base.

It's up to you whether you choose to put the plastic cover back on or not. I chose not to.

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I also wanted to share with you the wonderful goodies I received from Rene from Two Mile Creek Primitives. She was my swap partner in Char's Patriot swap. I was so excited when I got her package in the mail! She had a tutorial on making wood star holders on her blog and I was hoping that she would send me one and she did!!! She also sent me three prim fabric stars, a prim patriotic pear and wooden hang tags. Thank you so much, Rene! I love them!! I know exactly where I'm putting everything and they came just in time for my 4th of July cookout!