Process & Procedure

After finalizing my sketch and idea, I started to sketch out the parts in Fusion. I used a reference images of coiled rope and the NYC chart from 1911 to sketch on top of once I got all my dimensions set. Sketching the coil was tricky when it came to lining it up with the overall diameter of the clock but once I finalized 1/4 of it, I used the circular pattern tool and finished it all the way around.

Then, I began to model my clock face. I started with the exterior numbers and tick marks. I did this by stretching out construction lines from the center of the circle to the outside and broke it up perfectly into 59 sections. I placed the hour marks on the appropriate spots and then drafted another, inner ring which was responsible for keeping track of the tide. Luckily the lunar gearbox I had is calibrated to work on a normal clock face so the tidal hours were in the same spots as the normal numbers. However, instead of keeping time, they keep track of how many hours there are left until the next high or low tide.

After that, I moved on to drafting the background design. It was a lot of very tiny, meticulous lines but eventually I managed to draw out all of the piers, ports, and details. I had a lot more planned for the background design of my clock, like showing the depths of the water, city blocks, and including more text for geographic features, but Fusion started to slow down dramatically as a result of all the lines. Afterwards my file became unusable and continued to crash as I attempted to work on it. So, I decided to move onto AutoCAD and finished these details here. As a result, I wasn't able to get renderings of my piece which was really upsetting but I still managed to finish it to my liking without having to redo the whole face.

Then it came to laser cutting. I think this is the most complex piece I've laser cut before and the first time I was laser cutting wood. So it was definitely a big learning experience! I'm familiar with the required settings for acrylic and illustration board but the plywood was a whole new beast. Additionally, I had to ensure that all of my lines were closed bodies to get the laser cutter to do what I wanted when it came to engraving, scoring, and cutting. Below, you can see the multiple failed attempts where it didn't cut through all the way or cut through in places where I didn't want it to.

In the end, after figuring out my settings on the outer frame, the face came out great on the first attempt. So, I definitely became much more familiar with the material towards the end of the process.