Two Tone DIY Modern Wood Clock

August 6, 2018

How to build your own two tone DIY modern wall clock

Raise your hand if you actually use your wall clocks for telling time!!

I didn’t raise my hand…

What?! I know…I never look to my wall clocks when I want to know the time. I’m also the person who will wear a watch but when asked the time, I’ll spend five minutes digging my phone out of my purse to find out. I just never think to look at my WATCH. *rolls eyes*

But, that doesn’t stop me from loving a pretty wall clock 🙂 (Who said all decor HAS to be funtional?? HA 🙂 Remember this one from last year?? (Plans for this personalized DIY wood wall clock here.)

I still have heart eyes for it.

But, when I needed a quick outlet for my hardwood stash so I didn’t have to move it when we sold our house, I decided to use my walnut and hickory scraps to build myself a simple, modern clock. Of course, we moved right after I made it, so it’s sitting in storage waiting for the new place 😉 It’ll be like Christmas morning when I get all my stuff back out of storage! HAHA.

Anyway, so I bought one board of several different hardwood types a while back to play with. I happened to have plenty of hickory left and a small piece of walnut to get rid of before the big move, so that’s what I used. But, you could use any wood type you prefer for this. It doesn’t have to be two tone, and if all you have is spruce or pine (the cheap stuff you can get at the big box store), you can easily stain it different colors before glue up to make the two tone look, too.

It’s a super simple project and I’ve got the how to video for you right here. And of course, the step by step below 🙂

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First, you will need:

1 board of one type of wood ( about 20″ long, about 5-6″ wide)

2 boards of another type of wood (about 25″ long, about 9-10″ wide each)

The equivalent of the above in one type of wood (if two tone isn’t desired)

Miter Saw

Wood glue

Table Saw (optional)

Clamps

Router

Straight bit

Drill and drill bits

Sander

High Torque Clock Kit and Large Clock Hands

Danish Oil

Step 1: Cut Wood Wall Clock Boards Down to Size

First, cut your boards to size. My clock was about 24″ diameter. If you want a smaller clock, you can cut your boards shorter, but I cut my walnut board to about 20″ and my hickory boards to about 25″ long.

Then, I trimmed the edges off of my boards on my table saw for a nice clean joint to glue. You don’t HAVE to do this, it just makes a nice smooth, flush clock surface. I just barely trimmed off the edges to get a square side. I did this for both edges of all three pieces.

Step 2: Glue DIY Clock Boards Together

Now, it’s time for the glue up. I laid my pipe clamps out and situated my boards how I wanted them, making sure I could get a 24″ round out of it, then applied glue to the edges and clamped. Make sure to wipe off any glue squeeze out for easier sanding and clean up later.

Step 3: Cut Wood Round for Clock

Now, you can cut your round with a jig saw, but I like using a router. Once the glue is dry from step 2, measure and find where you want your clock center and drill a hole at that point, leaving the bit sticking up. Then remove the bit from the drill leaving it in the wood.

Using a router circle jig (you can find out how to make one here), measure from the outside edge of your straight bit to HALF the diameter you want your clock to be and drill a hole there into the jig. So, for example, my clock was 24″ diameter, so I measured 12″ from the edge of the bit, down the jig and drilled a hole. Place this hole onto the bit.

I SLOWLY cut out the circle, cutting only about 1/4″ deep at a time. I made several passes, going deeper each time until it was cut all the way through. Then, I removed the bit.

Step 4: Route Out Hole for Clock Mechanism

Now, in order to attach the clock mechanism, the thickness must be only 1/4″. Since this is about 1″ thick, I had to route out a hole to “inset” the clock mechanism. First, I found a bit that was SLIGHTLY larger than the shaft of the clock mechanism and drilled through the center hole.

Then, I inserted the shaft and traced around the square.

Using a router again and a straight bit, I cut out this traced spot going deeper each time until the mechanism fit snug and there were some threads on the shaft coming through the other side (this is important to be able to attach the hands).

Step 5: Sand and Finish DIY Wood Clock

Finally, I gave the clock a good sanding and a couple coats of Danish oil for finish.

Then, I followed the instructions that came with the clock kit for attaching the hands.

Ignore the fact that I need a tan so bad that my arms are glowing in the dark in the picture above HAHAHA. Assembling the clock hands is really simple with the instructions. Just be sure to remove the protective peely things on the hands BEFORE you put it all together. It makes things MUCH easier 😉

And that’s it…It’s a clock!

Such a simple project, but so cute! It will go perfect with our new kitchen (stay tuned for that!) and will fit our modern style so well.

By the way, did you see the post about these nightstands?? They’ll fit perfect with out new place, too! I love the clean lines and simple design. Anyway, what wood/color combo would you like to use on this clock?? I love how the walnut and hickory look together.