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To CNC Or Not To CNC.

4/9/2015

50 Comments

 
PictureA Crossed Out Center Wheel
This week I spent a lot of my shop time taking care of one of the more time consuming aspects of clockmaking: "crossing out" wheel spokes. I started this process a few weeks ago, and it's going to take me many more weeks to do all of the wheels for this clock. I'll probably spread it out over a few months, and mix it up with some tool making video's, so I don't bore you with the same thing.

But when I'm at the bench for long stretches like this, working on a single component, my mind wanders. I start to think about how it must have felt to be doing this 200 years ago, as an apprentice to a working clockmaker. Was the shop that different to mine, the vise, the files? Did they put in 8 hours a day, 10, 12? What about lighting and vision. I have an Optivisor to get up close to the work; how did they manage without modern lighting and optics?

As for productivity, my experience this week reminds me that past masters of this art were a very special class of maker. I am amazed at their sheer output; How did they push out so much work with just simple hand tools?

The traditional approach to crossing out a wheel is to remove most of the waste material by hand with a piercing saw, on a V-block of some sort, and then use files to finish the surface. This method comes with serious bragging rights. To take a component from raw metal to finished component without any power tool assistance takes not only skill, but a huge amount of time. Something that the modern world generally does not reward. This approach naturally leads to a very traditional appearance (every part slightly different, square corners at the intersection of spoke perimeter etc.), and is therefore still employed by bespoke makers of the finest quality items.

The modern approach is to use a CNC mill to remove the waste stock, or better yet wire EDM. Much faster, repeatable, and therefore financially rewarding. In each case, needle files and polishers can still be used to bring the profile of the spokes to a more traditionally correct appearance.

But this raises the question that vexes today's makers of clocks, watches and fine instruments: Is the CNC'd component really traditional? If an individual maker did not toil over it with needle file in hand from start to finish, does it still qualify? To what extent can we employ the time saving tools of the 21st century, and still claim the title "Hand Made"?

I have to admit that my own thoughts on this are still evolving. I absolutely love the hand tool tradition of classical watch and clock making. I use traditional tools and techniques as much as possible, and to the extent that I can still source the tools and materials. But I do use some power tools like a belt sander and scroll saw to speed things up. And I see some of my favourite makers embracing CNC with gusto, and watch their productivity shoot through the roof. It's hard not to be tempted.

So where do you sit on the spectrum - "Old School" all the way, or ready to roll with the latest the 21st century has to offer? Let me know in the comments.

As always, thanks for dropping by,
Chris.


50 Comments
andt guentert
4/5/2015 09:39:34 pm

Chris, Even Philippe Dufour uses spark erosion for some of his parts. As you know he is a world renowned finisher of parts. Its all about the hand finish process. I wouldn't have any problem with cnc production . The art is in the finishing process. Just
My 2 cents. Happy Easter. Andy

Reply
Chris link
4/6/2015 01:20:28 am

It is hard to imagine a commercial operation without it isn't it? Just the productivity aspect alone is enough to give incentive. I notice that Sinclair Harding have a significant part of their process CNC now. Yet they retain a clear focus on hand finishing as you suggest.

Happy Easter to you too mate,
Chris.

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jan landman
4/11/2015 04:15:42 pm

about going CNC , the course of events brought me to it, , dealing with all odd dividing numbers which the plates did not have , I could have bought new plates with the desired numbers , but nowadays this is a costly path which I radically changed by buying a Sherline divider ,even clockbuilding collegues ask me to the work and bring along their own cutters , the same applies for Freq controls on the drives.

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Chris link
4/11/2015 10:51:11 pm

Yes a similar thing led to me buying a CNC indexer too. It has completely transformed the wheel cutting process for me. I no longer have to think "do I have a plate for that tooth count?"

Good to hear from you Jan,
Chris.

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Alex
4/21/2015 08:02:57 pm

I began making the Wilding skeleton clock about a year ago and have been distracted from time to time but intend to finish it. Your blog and videos is providing some encouragement to finish.

Regarding CNC - I cut the large wheel and other wheels using CNC, but in similar fashion to you cut out the frames using my scroll saw. I wondered at the time whether CNC was undermining the spirit of craftsmanship but I argued to myself (successfully) that if you can cut out the wheels using a CNC machine that you built and you are able to make all the other components, then you probably don't really need to prove that you are able to make the wheel by hand. Besides it could be argued that a CNC machine is just simplifying the indexing and gear cutting tasks that would almost certainly use modern methods.

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philip godley link
4/27/2015 11:05:34 pm

(traditional)>> pre-history - tools- antlers../.>>
stone age - tools -stone../.>>
bronze age - tools - etc. etc.//
21st century - tools- anything connected to a pc or electronic management..3d printers - cnc - you name it....
In the future who knows what.
Will the 21st century become the traditional for the future?? yep.

Don't mater which way or which technology is used as long as the result is pleasing and satisfying. You still designed and made the item..

all the best

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Bob Warfield link
5/4/2015 06:43:48 pm

Chris, it would be hard for the guy behind CNCCookbook not to favor CNC. I started out manual machining and a friend kept telling me to get on with CNC and my productivity would go through the roof. I kept on manually because I felt it was making progress and CNC was such a leap. Eventually, many years ago, I bit the bullet and went CNC.

I've never looked back or regretted it. You really do accomplish so much more, and the parts that come out of CNC are so much closer to being ready for hand finishing.

I confess that watching your beautiful videos there was definitely a part of me that groaned inwardly thinking of all the work you were doing that would be saved with a CNC!

Cheers,

BW

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Chris link
5/4/2015 11:39:00 pm

There was more than a little bit of inward groaning from the other side of the camera too Bob! I'm still going on some of those wheels...

I agree with you, at some point I'll have to make the jump, if only to address my low productivity.

Thanks for stopping by,
Chris.

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Constantin link
6/7/2015 08:15:13 am

Hi Chris,

I start by saying that I have no words to tell you how much I admire your work! Not only the proceedings themselves, but also the videos

and the presentation. Thank you Chris!

Now, coming to CNC „to be or not to be” discussion, I want to think to a simple thing. If you want to find out what is the square root

of 2, probably you use a pocket calculator, because I cannot suppose that you will take a pencil and a paper to calculate it by hand...

The results are important, but not the way to reach to it.

Going further, if you work hard, you can finish the parts by hand and obtain mirror aspect to everyone. Alternatively, you can obtain

the same aspect using machine tools, or coating them with specific substances. The results are important, but not the way to reach to

it.

When you will finish the whole work, you will obtain the intended thing - a wall clock, for instance. You will have a great satisfaction

looking at your wall clock years after years, together with your family and friends.

You are gifted: you have machines, tools and a great ability to use them. I also have a mini lathe and a mini milling machine, as well

as a lot of tools, and I enjoy to make things. The problem is with time!

I'll be seventy in the next August, so the time is now very precious for me. This is why I decided to use the computer for modeling, and

to obtain pretty the same satisfaction. The results are important, but not the way to reach to it.

You can see what I mean if you access the link https://grabcad.com/constantin.stancescu

Once again, congratulations Chris, God bless you!

Prof. Constantin STANCESCU
Romania

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Chris link
10/7/2015 03:28:52 pm

Hello Constantin, thank you very much for the kind words, and thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on CNC.


Kind regards,
Chris.

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Justin
9/4/2015 11:33:12 am

Hi Chris,

SUPER videos - the colour is so vivid!

To my mind, the question of CNC and whether we can legitimately call something "traditional" or "hand made" if every detail has not been fettled by The Master clockmaker himself belies the way that horology was conducted in times past. The Master would almost certainly not have sat there laboriously crossing and filing the wheels. That was a job for the little workshop lads or the apprentice clockmakers. Those lads were the CNC of their day - they got the dog work of roughing everything out in preparation for the superior skills of the finishers. It was a division of labour. In the absence of a workshop lad, get using CNC for all the rough work!

Also, a lot of stuff that we clockmakers now make from sheet material would instaed have been supplied as castings back in the day, including many wheel blanks - with the crossings cast in. You can still buy cast brass wheel blanks from restoration suppliers here in England. Of course, this means that the "roughing out" took a different form: lots of hammering the castings to increase their density, but still a considerable amount of filing. Still, this would have been done, not by the high craftsman, but by lower-order workmen.

Old Tommy Miles, one of the last hand-makers of clock hands (if you follow me), told of how he'd be given a smack across the ear 'ole, even as a young man, if the hands that came off his piercing saw required any filing afterward! That is how well he could handle a piercing saw. Friends of mine who'd seen him sawing hands said that the blade was bent at nearly a right angle, such was the pressure as he drove the saw through the work. It left nearly no saw marks whatsoever, and EXACTLY to the line. And that's all he did, make hands all his life. Certainly a Master craftsman, but not "the clockmaker" whose name went onto the dial.

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Chris link
9/4/2015 03:41:41 pm

Hey Justin,

Lovely to hear from you, and thanks for weighing in! it's a fascinating topic, and I think your point is well made.

Your story regarding Tommy Miles goes to the heart of the matter too I think. It's precisely those sorts of interesting human inputs that distinguish the crafted product from the mass produced in the minds of many consumers.

Cheers mate,
Chris.

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Ken link
9/20/2015 08:37:25 pm

Hi Chris,

You’ve seen my work on YouTube and probably noticed that I refer to it as hand-crafted. What you may have missed are some of the harsh comments chastising me for using CNC and hand-crafted in the same sentence.

To many people, CNC is largely misunderstood. You press a button and out pops a skeleton clock. Or, as Arthur C. Clarke once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”.

The reality is that CNC has a steep learning curve and is, in itself, an art form. I’ve only been metal working for about 8 years and it’s all self-taught. I had to learn metal working and CNC before I could make my first part, so I make no apologies for using modern technology.

So, what is hand-crafted? When you use a power scroll saw instead of a hand saw, is it still hand-crafted? Suppose you do use a hand saw. Did you make the saw or did you buy it?

You have inspired me to make the John Wilding skeleton clock and yes, I will do some of it using CNC. Wilding’s book assumes that I’ve been clock making all my life and glosses over critical aspects of the build. As a first time clock maker, that’s challenge enough!

The raw materials have just arrived and I have before me a large pile of brass sheet and rod. Many months from now that nondescript pile of materials will be transformed into a clock. To me, that’s hand-crafted.

Wish me luck,
Ken

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Chris link
10/7/2015 03:13:19 pm

Hey Ken, thanks very much for sharing your thoughts, it certainly is a polarising technology.

Very best wishes with the clock, and be sure to send me through some pics when you get under way!

Cheers,
Chris.

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Roy Lee
10/6/2015 08:18:45 am

Chris,

Firstly I wanted to say THANK YOU! Your videos are not only well narrated and edited, but they manage to captivate the audience by showcasing your beautiful work. Thank you so much for taking us along on your machining adventures.

I've got only novice machining under my belt. My favorite project was building a chess set, which involved both CNC and manual milling and lathe operations. While I was was genuinely happy with the capabilities the CNC afforded (cutting profile of knight), my fondest memories were the manual work done on an old Bridgeport.

I think that ultimately CNC can help us make our memories of a particular project brighter by freeing us from the mundane and allowing us to focus on the artisanal. It's up to us to choose the right balance for each project.

Keep up the excellent work!

Roy

San Francisco, CA

Reply
Chris link
10/7/2015 03:22:38 pm

Hey Roy, terrific to have you watching the videos, and I'm very pleased you're enjoying them. Thanks also for sharing your thoughts on CNC, its great to get so many different perspectives.

Cheers,
Chris.

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FOD Tool Control link
11/17/2015 05:54:41 pm

Keep up the great work. Thanks for the super and well narrated videos. CNC machining helps save a lot of time and money. It is demonstrating how a new generation of computer programmers and design engineers has transformed the practice of machining into a precision art.

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led products link
1/6/2016 09:16:52 pm

I've looked information on this very subject and I'm happy that I've found it here.

Reply
Arlo Ames
6/24/2016 06:11:59 am

Chris,
I have both CNC and manual machines. I mluse both regularly.

I started building a live steam locomotive with manual machines, and immediately ran into a brick wall. I was taking forever, and was constantly looking for ways to simplify, compromusing the result.

Bought CNC, and found I was able to include a lot more detail. But now I was spending a lot more time programming. And breaking a lot of tools learning the process. It was frustrating, and felt like work. Also, with CNC, I end up spending more miney on accessories. With manual machines, I was making more of the accessories.

When I just need to get it done, or it's really complicated, I CNC. When I want to relax and escape the office, or the part is simple, or the CNC is busy, I cut with the Bridgeport or the Southbend.

Sometimes I pick up a froe and a handplane, too.

Business or pleasure?

For me, the reason your videos are compelling is not because of speed or automation. It's because your shop is quiet, the work is patient and stunning. Watch a few CNC videos and they start sounding noisy, and you can't watch for the coolant. Grimsmo and NYCCNC are fun while they're struggling to grow. But your videos are fun for quiet confidence, for craftsmanship that's been disappearing.

Sure, employ CNC to make a living. But remember to breathe, and sometimes be stunning without a computrid just because you can.

My 2 cents..

Reply
Duncan Luddite
10/22/2022 09:03:03 am

Nicely put Arlo.

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Eric
8/31/2016 12:02:13 am

I think CNC is great, and some things really benefit from the technology. However in other instances the artistry really does suffer. For instance, dividing a wheel for tooth cutting, the CNC indexer does the job beautifully and in a straightforward way. It's easier to push a button than to move a pin on an index plate. But if you had to, you could move the pin, there is no real skill difference, just that one is less of a pain in the neck, and also happens to be cheaper.

On the other hand, full-fledged CNC milling... It's arguably a different skillset to say "I judged and measured and cut" than to say "I drafted these plans in the software and then hit the green button." It's a fine distinction of course, and when you are progressing from one technology to the next it doesn't feel much different, but when looking at the big picture, the line is there somewhere.

Of course the next question is, does it really matter? As others have alluded to, in the old days not only would the apprentices be doing all the tedious gruntwork, but the labor was usually farmed out even before that. In the case of watches (my forte) what we think of as the whole movement (the plates, wheels, ratchet and click, fusee, screws, etc. was already roughed out and assembled by dozens of other artisans cottage-industry style. The famous watchmaker's skill lay not in "fabricating every single part in-house," as marketing today would tell us, but in the hand-finishing and hand-adjusting that would turn this rough assemblage of parts into a precise (and beautiful) timepiece. After all, making a wheel in itself is not hard, whether you are using an old fashioned wheel engine and slitting saw, or a mill, or a CNC setup. The tricky part is getting all the wheels to transmit power to the escapement, for the escapement to be properly adjusted, and for the thing to keep time to a second per day at the end, not to mention dazzling the eye.

Today the focus is directed by marketing to the actual manufacturing aspect, because in an age of Quartz,GPS, and iPhones, it's hard to tell customers that your watch is special because it keeps time to three seconds a day, when their microwave keeps time to one second a month.

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Derek
10/1/2016 08:39:16 pm

Productivity? Who cares?
You are not trying to make clocks to earn a living, you are doing it for the enjoyment. So what if you use basic power tools? If you used CNC, you would just be reduced to assembling components spat out by a computer.
Keep up the good work and enjoy CRAFTING masterpieces :)

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Rob link
10/13/2016 10:58:13 pm

I do a lot of 'what if' designs. Yes, I might take my time in a final project with hand built parts but CNC allows me more flexibility.
Also CNC lets me make parts (turbine propellers, etc) much quicker than by hand.
I like to ask myself,"what would Someone like John Harrison do?" I think they would use every option available to them just as they did in 1760.
Since my background is electronic engineering CNC carries over to things like drilling PCB's.
Many of my designs cover several fields so CNC is indispensable to me.

Rob

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Gary link
10/20/2016 10:13:17 pm

Chris,
I just learned about your site and your skills yesterday. Last night I watched your two videos where you made the clamp for small parts. I must say I am impressed by your machining skills and video quality.

As to CNC, I would love to have one and I would use it. For the crude stuff I build a CNC Router or Plasma cutter would be awesome. To me it is not about using one or not, that is a personal choice. I have a full time office job so my free time is very limited.
Important to me is honesty with a customer, I would never represent something as "Handmade" if I used a CNC machine. For me a step up from "Handmade" would be "Handmade without Power Tools".
As to your video work I would rather watch you hand saw, mill or lathe work a piece of metal than to sit and watch a CNC machine do it all automatically.
Keep up the good work I'll be watching.

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Robert Swan
12/5/2016 08:18:28 am

There's no right answer. When you're driving, sometimes you want to take the freeway to quickly get where you're going, other times it's nice to take the more scenic slow roads. And sometimes it's better still to get out of the car and onto a bike, or even onto your own hind legs.

Up to you to use the technology you think appropriate (haven't seen you using any knapped flint.yet!). The rest of us are enjoying the ride.

Have fun,

Rob.

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Dan
12/12/2016 12:50:11 pm

Chris,
I found your YouTube channel a couple days ago and have binge watched all of your videos - they are extremely satisfying and remind me of my time in a machine shop in college. Hopefully in the next couple years I can get back into it. There are few small parts that I was considering outsourcing for a vintage motorcycle restoration, but maybe I should just make the new parts myself...

Regarding CNC, I think it's important to understand what part of machining your own parts is of the most value to you. For a business, time is the most important thing. On a personal level, you might care more about the creating the parts quickly so that you can enjoy the final product. Or, the process may be the important aspect, like yoga for the mechanically inclined.

For me, I like the idea of evolving. If I have proven to myself that I can make a quality part a couple of times using manual machining and hand finishing methods, I usually like to move on to automating the simple tasks so I can begin to focus on developing the more complicated ones or building more complex assemblies from those components.

Now to get my workshop properly organized so that I can have a space ready for some new equipment!

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Helen
3/9/2018 04:59:34 am

Chris, I too have just binge-watched your videos after being introduced to the series by Make magazine's online newsletter. What a wonderful find!
I've been chipping away at a chip on my shoulder ever since I was not allowed, as a girl, to take wood or metal shop in high school. I am happy to say I've found classes over the years in wood turning, furniture building, milling & machining metal, blacksmithing, foundry sand and lost wax casting, cold working glass, jewelry-making, and ceramics. Not clock-making yet.
Thus, I can follow every step you demonstrate, and feel it in my hands. That makes watching you work and explain what you're doing a real pleasure.
As for cutting-edge technology, I agree with Dan: it's all about evolving. Once you've tasted the pleasure of making something beautiful with hand tools, quicker tech gives you the time to practice and learn new skills. I would invest in the CNC as a master craftsperson because, in the end, it's much cheaper than buying a slave.

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steve carson/ arkansas usa
12/21/2016 06:42:10 am

merry christmas to you chris and to all of your watchers.looking forward to the new year and the new project....

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Chris link
12/21/2016 07:10:37 am

Same to you mate, catch you in the New Year!

Cheers,
Chris.

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John Viggers link
1/16/2017 08:45:25 am

I suspect that around 1900 there were similar arguments about whether to use electricity in the workshop, and claims of "cheating" from the Luddites.
I am happy to use whatever tools are available, including electric machines and CAD and CNC.
There is just as much pleasure in watching a carefully planned CNC part appearing from bar stock, as winding handles on a "manual" machine (doubtless driven by electricity, and measured with a DRO). The quality of the end result is what counts in the long run.
And Chris, you have given us amateurs another stanadard to try to approach!

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Salko Safic link
2/3/2017 08:44:47 am

I know this is a very old post and probably know one will read but I will leave thoughts anyhow.

As a woodworker I use 99% hand tools but for metal work which I'm about to venture in at this point I'll have no option but to use hand tools. Since the introduction of machinery in the very early 1800's many cabinet makers lost their jobs, as the years progressed many more were replaced by machines but so was skill. Since the introduction of machinery that was the beginning of the end of skilled workers and the demise of quality work. Cheap and nasty mass produced crap was being pumped out at a large scale making it more affordable to produce and equally more affordable for the consumer to attain. But the most important aspect of it all, skill, was lost to satisfy our hunger for wealth.

We are paying the price for this today.

I understand that machinery certainly does speed up the process and equally fills the pockets of the owners but equally it denies many of those who could potentially have a job.

For me working by hand is about attaining those skills that were lost to us almost 200 years ago through machinery. We don't have many skilled craftsmen left who can work by hand without the aid of some machine to saw to the line accurately or chop out a mortise or even use a file to square up a piece of stock. All this now can be done by the push of a button and essentially we have machinists and not craftsman.

I remember in one your videos you mentioned that their was something very gratifying turning freehand and I have come across many woodworkers in my journey as a journeyman many, many people who find equally gratifying working by hand because it somehow nourishes the soul. It is certainly very gratifying when it all comes together and you say proudly I did myself, I actually did it and not some machine. Machines can certainly do the job faster and to some degree more accurately and uniformly creating a lifeless, bland piece in front of you with all the parts perfectly identical and uniform, but the human element has been erased out of it and therefore the most important part of it has been denied...

There is no denying that hand tooling will ever replace machinery, but it's very important that we regardless of industry reattach ourselves with our crafting ancestors and earn those skills back, and then pass it on to the next generation because if we don't, it will be lost to us forever.

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Duncan Luddite
10/22/2022 09:22:15 am

Well put Salko. Years ago I would look longingly at power tools, but our finances required that I take the hand tools route. Over time I came to find I preferred the hand tool approach, and the extra level you could take things to.
With a few simple, cheap, or home made tools, practice, and patience, amazing things can be done, and the satisfaction/contentment with the finished item is priceless.
All the best.

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Barnabas
3/22/2017 10:14:57 am

As far as I am concerned, there is a big difference between 'handmade' and 'handfinished'. Hand finishing is all well and good, and it demonstrates a high level of skill but it doesn't take the same commitment to a project.

I look at handmade to mean that you are controlling the making with your own two hands. This doesn't remove power tools from the equation so long as you are the one in command, not some computer. You use the belt sander? the pillar drill? the lathe? the mill? All of those are fine because you are in control of the speed of cut. You are free to make a bad decision then and there and mess up the whole thing by being impatient.

When you put CNC in control, you plan the job yes, you write the programme yes, but in the end you sit back and watch it happen. The computer doesn't get bored, you can tell it to use the scientifically proven best speed, best feed, best depth of cut. No sudden snap decisions, no machining by feel and touch and sound... Therefore, not handmade.

On another note, I love the videos, your patience is astounding!

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hris link
3/22/2017 10:38:49 am

Hey Barnabas,

Yes I agree that the human connection is key - terrific to have you watching mate :)

Cheers,
Chris.

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Duncan link
8/21/2017 09:50:38 pm

G'day Chris,
I think Barnabas has nailed it. I'm a bespoke hand shoemaker, using methods largely from before the Industrial Revolution, and no machinery, and it is frustrating, when searching for other hand shoemakers, to keep coming across high end shoemaking companies who will say things in their videos like 'entirely hand made', and then you see a machine 'lasting' the upper (the job of pulling the upper leather/material into place around the 3D form and fastening it to the insole), and using very fast machines to sew soles on in under 10 seconds (the old masters reckoned hand sewing on one pair of shoe soles in a day was a good day’s work) .
I'm a little bit nuts, as I hand build my sewing threads and hand sew every stitch on the shoes, and I realise that it takes a particular mind to enjoy doing that but, when the hands have very little to do with the making of an item, I think the terms 'hand made' and, another favourite, 'artisanal' shouldn't be used :) My wife and I saw, a couple of days ago, a major brand labelling their dry packet product 'Artisanal Pasta'! Rather dilutes the terms and detracts from the real Artisans, such as your good self, Chris.
Using your electronic indexer for doing something as critical as toothing the wheels for your clock (as getting an original, hand operated, 1800's wheel cutting engine would set you back many thousands of dollars), makes sense, and the precision needs to be there. And the amount of hand work you still put into the wheels is huge; not even mentioning the rest of the project :) and those wonderful tools (now, one day, I hope to make my own files to use on my metal work).
So, at the end of this long winded dissertation, lets go with Barnabas’ concise definition. Thanks for your time, and keep up the, very, good work.
Cheers
Duncan

Reply
David Thomas
10/6/2017 12:59:31 am

I've never made a clock or anything nearly like it, but your videos have inspired both me and my six year old son. He wants to watch them before and after school, before bed - basically all the time. I'm a mechanical engineer and I use SolidWorks and have a benchtop CNC, so we'll probably go that route. We'll finish it off with some hand filing to clean things up, so we can get more hands-on with it, too, but mostly CNC.

That being said, I greatly appreciate that you do the work by hand as much as you do. It's beautiful to watch and makes me strive to be a better engineer. My Dad is a mechanical engineer as well, and is recently retired. I told him about your videos and now he is hooked. I discovered that my town has a tiny clock shop hidden behind some other stores last week, so I popped in to have a look and introduce myself. We chatted for almost an hour about Clickspring and your Antikythera Mechanism build.

I'll encourage people to become patrons, and do so myself, so that you can continue doing things the old fashioned way without going broke. Where do I sign up?

Dave

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Chris link
10/6/2017 06:12:38 am

Hey Dave,

Great to have you watching mate, and terrific to hear about your sons interest in the vids - it looks like he's going to be the 3rd generation Mech Eng in the family! A bit more info on how to support via Patreon can be found here: http:www.patreon.com/clickspring

Cheers,
Chris.

Reply
Duncan McHarg
3/12/2018 11:13:11 am

Hmmm. I can see the need for making modern (as in the last 300yrs or so) clock wheels with a machine (CNC if you don't have many thousands of dollars to buy a fully equipped, antique, clock wheel cutting engine, and tooth topper) because if the wheels aren't perfect they won't turn. And a clock that doesn't work is of no use whatsoever.
But when you see video of a complicated mechanism being almost completely machined by CNC (including basic parts like the fame etc), and being CNC engraved with the phrase "Hand made by ***** " , as I did recently, I think things are getting confused, and badly watered down. His reason was that he'd done all the computer programming 'by hand', on a keyboard, and hand assembled it, and a small amount of hand machining. And the end result moved in a very loose, clunky, way.
Arguments ensued in the comments, with those saying it wasn't hand made being countered with replies along the line of 'so he needs to scratch it out with his fingernails and teeth otherwise it's not truly hand made?'
In amongst the comments a gentleman by the name of Neil Geoffries gave a very good definition of hand crafted:
Handcrafted means "Made using tools with hand/eye coordination; relying explicitly on a sense of TOUCH via human-hand”

And that is is what we love about your work, Chris: CNC where total accuracy is required, hand work and consummate skill with the things that the human eyes and hands can achieve, including making your own files and filing 'old' style wheel teeth. It may take far longer to complete, but by the end of it you have made and accomplished something few others have, or are game to try. And shown that it *can* be done.
Stick at it, for all our sakes :)
Cheers
Duncan
P.S. The top line lenses by Nikon are traditionally hand ground. They wouldn't do that if the end result was inferior to machine ground.

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Chris
3/13/2018 06:34:43 am

Will do Duncan, and thanks for sharing your thoughts :)

Cheers,
Chris.

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Daphne Gilpin link
3/20/2019 01:09:41 am

Thanks for explaining that the waste stock is usually removed because it's made up for with needle files and polishers. I'm trying to learn more about gears lately to better understand how they work. The info you shared about gears was interesting, so I'm glad you did!

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Mike Lee link
3/27/2019 12:13:21 am

We have a project that we are doing that might need CNC machining. I think it is interesting that CNC machines can make almost anything. It is good to know that parts with thin wall are hard for the machines.

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Fay link
8/13/2019 06:23:33 am

I thought it was so interesting how you mentioned that the modern approach is to use a CNC mill to remove the waste stock. My sister was talking about CNC machines the other day, and I don't have a lot of knowledge about it, so I decided to do some research on it to be able to join the conversation. In my opinion, you should always look for efficient ways to use machinery, and I liked this article because you covered that.

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3/13/2020 07:35:40 pm

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5/14/2020 02:59:04 pm

First of all thank you so much. It’s hard to find high-quality writing like yours these days. I truly appreciate individuals like you! Thank you for all the information on cnc or not tocnc.

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Sophia link
7/11/2022 04:32:26 pm

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9/26/2022 04:59:32 pm

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Mia Evans link
1/16/2023 08:34:39 pm

It's interesting to know that removing the waste stock is the modern approach to using CNC plasma cutting mills aside from using wire EDM. I can imagine how the advancements in our technology these days have helped with improving the processes in the manufacturing industry. And I appreciate the inventors because of that, since the consumers can also benefit from the machines they make and lead to good quality and fast production processes of their products.

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